Dog Trainer Tamarama Beach – Manners & Puppy Training, Agility – Book

PREDATORY BEHAVIOR – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Unlike other types of aggressive behaviors, predatory behaviour is not emotionally driven. It’s largely influenced by genetics, therefore some breeds are more likely to exhibit predatory behaviours. While aggression in general serves to increase distance, predatory behaviour serves to decrease distance as quickly as possible. In other words, a dog goes after something, instead of trying to get them to go away. Here’s advice on predatory behaviour from your local dog trainer in Tamarama Beach.

What we need to remember is that many dogs are skilled hunters.

They have been bred to exhibit certain parts of the ‘predatory sequence.’ For example, Greyhound and Saluki are skilled chasers, Labradors and Weimeraners retrieve birds and other small prey animals. Terriers were bred to find, chase and kill vermin, such as mice and rats.

What is the full predatory sequence is?

1. Eye
2. Orient
3. Stalk
4. Chase
5. Grab/bite
6. Kill/bite
7. Dissect
8. Consume

Some dogs love chasing. I’ve met many staffies for example that love it and sometimes take it too far. It can be very rewarding to a dog to chase other animals or moving object because it fulfills an instinctive need. But this is only the beginning of the predatory sequence. All though we have bred the desire to bite and kill out of the domestic dog, unfortunately sometimes a deeper instinct takes over.

Prey Drive, What is it?

Prey drive means the instinct to go after moving objects/other animals/people etc. Some breeds have very strong prey drive while others barely have it at all. Although most dogs enjoy shaking and even disemboweling stuffed toys, this does not usually translate to live animals or people.

Herding breeds are usually focused at eyeing, stalking, and chasing their ‘prey,’ but they rarely attack and kill.

Dogs that are motivated by the chase, grab, bite, and kill can be very dangerous to live with, especially around small animals and children.

What should you do if your dog has high prey drive?

Some dogs with high prey drive excel at dog sports where they can run and chase in a appropriate way. Flyball, agility and treibball provide high drive dogs a great outlet in a positive way. These sports also teach dogs to listen to people even when in chase or prey mode.