Prey drive?
First of all, let's clarify prey-drive versus chase drive. A prey driven dog will chase with a great deal of focus on the object it is pursuing and a definite goal of attaining access to its target. A chase driven dog will also chase but usually not with the same intensity or absolute drive to reach its target as the end goal. Many of you have done chase games with both types of dogs. The prey driven dog will drive as hard as it can until it reaches you and when it does you or your toy usually gets hit like a ton of bricks. The chase driven dog can be somewhat frustrating as it will chase you, but not with the drive or intense targeting behaviour of the prey driven dog. This dog will often pursue the handler in chase games, but will run on by and not follow through to actually catch the handler. The chase driven dog usually does not exhibit the sudden increased burst of speed that a prey driven dog will when the handler increases their speed. Unfortunately, either tendency can lead to dog chasing and/or aggression (more so in the prey driven dog).
Ownership of a high energy or high drive dog has its benefits and drawbacks. Having a dog that is always ready to work can be very enjoyable for an active person who spends time with the dog and finds ways to release the energy they love to train and learn and be on the go all the time.High drive dogs are often used by eager schutzhund competitors, police departments, and working dog trainers because their hardiness, sound temperaments, physical structure, and high drives make them suitable for the work required. However, it's becoming increasingly common to find owners who have very little knowledge of the requirements when owning such a dog. As a result, they are paying the price and finding the drawbacks of owning such a dog.
As I said high drive dog can have their benefits and their drawbacks.........................I receive a lot of calls from owners of high drive dogs and their complaints vary from destructive chewing, digging, howling and barking to doing the wall of death around the owners living room. Why?
Because the either the dog has been over stimulated as a puppy and learned that extremely high drive is fun and rewarding. As the puppy grows up it expects this kind of stimulation all the time, ( prey drive puppies are easy to stimulate they last about twenty minutes before they need a sleep however prey drive dogs can last hours) and if it does not receive it the dog will exhibit attention seeking behave to achieve the stimulation that it craves and the owners quickly reach their whits end with the dog constantly seeking attention and stimulation and when it is not forth coming they resort to destructive behaviour as a mean of relieving the frustration that has built. Or
First of all, let's clarify prey-drive versus chase drive. A prey driven dog will chase with a great deal of focus on the object it is pursuing and a definite goal of attaining access to its target. A chase driven dog will also chase but usually not with the same intensity or absolute drive to reach its target as the end goal. Many of you have done chase games with both types of dogs. The prey driven dog will drive as hard as it can until it reaches you and when it does you or your toy usually gets hit like a ton of bricks. The chase driven dog can be somewhat frustrating as it will chase you, but not with the drive or intense targeting behaviour of the prey driven dog. This dog will often pursue the handler in chase games, but will run on by and not follow through to actually catch the handler. The chase driven dog usually does not exhibit the sudden increased burst of speed that a prey driven dog will when the handler increases their speed. Unfortunately, either tendency can lead to dog chasing and/or aggression (more so in the prey driven dog).
Ownership of a high energy or high drive dog has its benefits and drawbacks. Having a dog that is always ready to work can be very enjoyable for an active person who spends time with the dog and finds ways to release the energy they love to train and learn and be on the go all the time.High drive dogs are often used by eager schutzhund competitors, police departments, and working dog trainers because their hardiness, sound temperaments, physical structure, and high drives make them suitable for the work required. However, it's becoming increasingly common to find owners who have very little knowledge of the requirements when owning such a dog. As a result, they are paying the price and finding the drawbacks of owning such a dog.
As I said high drive dog can have their benefits and their drawbacks.........................I receive a lot of calls from owners of high drive dogs and their complaints vary from destructive chewing, digging, howling and barking to doing the wall of death around the owners living room. Why?
Because the either the dog has been over stimulated as a puppy and learned that extremely high drive is fun and rewarding. As the puppy grows up it expects this kind of stimulation all the time, ( prey drive puppies are easy to stimulate they last about twenty minutes before they need a sleep however prey drive dogs can last hours) and if it does not receive it the dog will exhibit attention seeking behave to achieve the stimulation that it craves and the owners quickly reach their whits end with the dog constantly seeking attention and stimulation and when it is not forth coming they resort to destructive behaviour as a mean of relieving the frustration that has built. Or
Because the the puppy has come from working lines and his drive by nature is higher than that of a puppy from a domestic lines these are the pups we get calls on when owners are worried the dog will constantly chase and catch the cat or when let of the lead fixes on a another dog and takes of with the speed of an guided missile that on impact has all the grace of a collapsing elephant.
Prevention is the best cure. Conscientious breeders of predictably high drive puppies carefully screen prospective buyers to determine if they can offer the puppy a suitable lifestyle. Such owners will have a fenced yard, ample time in their schedule to exercise the dog, the physical ability to handle the dog properly, and sufficient knowledge of the breed and its characteristics. Allowing a non-suitable buyer to obtain such a puppy could inevitably end in disaster. A wise breeder will refer non-suitable buyers to pet-quality breeders where high drive dogs are not so prevalent,
Out of control prey drive is another very common reason for dogs being re-homed because owners simply don’t know how to deal with the prey drive and just watching the dog wears them out the prey drive can be controlled and toned down with both behavioural therapy and good training.
Unfortunately inadequate training just makes the matter worse. Here at All about dogs we have worked with a number of prey drive dogs too bring their drive down and to up their owners’ game. Here at All about dogs we know there is more than one way to solve behavioural problems and we can design programmes suited to each owner’s individual needs.
Remember great dogs don’t happen by accident.
Prevention is the best cure. Conscientious breeders of predictably high drive puppies carefully screen prospective buyers to determine if they can offer the puppy a suitable lifestyle. Such owners will have a fenced yard, ample time in their schedule to exercise the dog, the physical ability to handle the dog properly, and sufficient knowledge of the breed and its characteristics. Allowing a non-suitable buyer to obtain such a puppy could inevitably end in disaster. A wise breeder will refer non-suitable buyers to pet-quality breeders where high drive dogs are not so prevalent,
Out of control prey drive is another very common reason for dogs being re-homed because owners simply don’t know how to deal with the prey drive and just watching the dog wears them out the prey drive can be controlled and toned down with both behavioural therapy and good training.
Unfortunately inadequate training just makes the matter worse. Here at All about dogs we have worked with a number of prey drive dogs too bring their drive down and to up their owners’ game. Here at All about dogs we know there is more than one way to solve behavioural problems and we can design programmes suited to each owner’s individual needs.
Remember great dogs don’t happen by accident.
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