How to Assess Prey Drive
Assessing your dog's prey drive is one tool in a dog training arsenal that helps you communicate more effectively with your dog. Prey drive exhibits itself in certain foraging and hunting behaviors. A dog with a high prey drive may be difficult to call because its attention is always elsewhere. Prey drive should not be confused with aggression, or fight drive. While certain breeds are known for higher prey drives, each individual dog can be completely different from another.
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Instructions
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Determine your dog's breeding. This may not be possible if you have a mix of indeterminate origin, but familiarize yourself with the breeds known for their prey drive. Some of these include beagles, terriers and herding dogs like heelers, collies and shepherds.
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Observe your dog's behavior on walks. A dog with his attention always on his nose, or with the tendency to bolt after every rustling leaf has high prey drive.
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Observe your dog's playtime. When it is off-leash and playing in the yard, watch for the dog to "hunt" his toys, stalking them down and pouncing on them. Also watch for cat chasing, a strong indicator of prey drive.
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Tips & Warnings
Train your dog to walk with you, or slightly behind you when on the leash. If the dog respects you as the pack leader, it will improve your chances of taming his prey drive.
Do not punish a dog for prey drive. Train him out of it using distraction techniques.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Beagle image by Buffy1982 from Fotolia.com
