Interaction with us and self-amusement with toys are early experiments in the instinctual prey drive all dogs have.
Prey drive is often misunderstood and feared as it has been incorrectly perceived as displaying or encouraging aggression.
Most dogs are able to satisfy the "kill" stage of prey drive with their toy becoming their "prey".
These dogs are behaviorally more settled and content in being able to relieve a natural instinctual urge in play rather than having to target the neighbour's cat or pet rabbit to release this pent-up need.
The breeds we have in our homes today have had aspects of prey drive heightened or lessened depending on their drives' ultimate purpose for man during domestication.
Wikipedia states: In all predators, the prey drive follows an inevitable sequence: the search, the eye-stalk, the chase, the grab bite and the kill bite.
The search is the scent element of prey drive and what first engages the behaviour. There is high drive in scent hound breeds but the best training aid you have is your dog's nose, no matter what your breed.
The eye stalk is focusing intently on the "prey". There is high drive in herding breeds, with a working eye dog being a valuable asset to any farmer's dog team.
The chase is often the most enjoyable part of the sequence for your dog. Throw a ball and see what happens. There is high drive in sight hound breeds.
The grab bite is making contact with the prey and immobilising it. Although this sounds scary, it now refers to the soft mouth retrieve bred into the gun dog breeds.
The kill bite is the final shake action designed to end the "hunt".
This can be mimicked with the shaking of a tug toy or other soft toy. There is high drive in terrier breeds, with rodent and pest control ultimately their purpose.
At four weeks old, tpuppies are showing all the sequences of play drive and learning boundaries amongst their litter mates, with definite stopping of play when they feel things are too rough and toys becoming more appropriate prey.
Through training and simple games such as fetch and tug, we are able to provide an outlet for our dogs to both "work for" us by following our commands and "hunt" for us by giving them an outlet through toys for prey drive.
Scent games and scatter feeding dry food are also great prey drive outlets.
Paw point of the week
When playing prey drive games such as tug with a puppy under 18 months old, do not apply excessive force, as the jaw set is still developing at this age. Gentle shakes and pulls will satisfy your dog without damaging correct growth.
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