#208 Beyond the Chase: Understanding Your Dog's True Motivations

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"Prey drive" gets tossed around in dog training conversations as if it explains everything from bicycle chasing to lunging at joggers. But what if we're missing the mark? This eye-opening episode cuts through the confusion about what prey drive truly is – and what it isn't.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
People talk a lot about prey drive, almost like
it's a built-in excuse forcertain dog behaviors.
Oh, he's chasing that bicyclebecause of prey drive, or she
can't help it.
That's just prey drive.
But do we really understandwhat prey drive is?

(00:24):
Or are we sometimes lumpingother behaviors under that label
and missing what's actuallygoing on At its core?
Prey drive is a sequence ofinstinctive behaviors that go
back to a dog's wolf ancestors.
Think of it as a huntingsequence Orient or notice the

(00:49):
movement, stalk, chase, grabbite, kill bite, dissect and
consume.
Different breeds have been bredto emphasize or soften parts of
this sequence.
Border collies, for example,have a strong desire to orient,

(01:11):
stalk and chase, but typicallydon't carry through to the kill.
Terriers, on the other hand,were bred for the grab bite and
kill part, were bred for thegrab bite and kill part, and
retrievers were bred to grabwithout crushing so they could
carry birds back to their owners.
So prey drive is real, it's inthe genetics, but it's not a

(01:37):
blanket term for every time adog reacts to movement.
Here's where the confusionhappens.
Many things can look like preydrive over arousal or lack of

(01:58):
impulse control.
A dog chasing cars or bikes maynot be acting out of hunting
instinct.
They might just beoverstimulated and undertrained,
fear or reactivity.
Lunging at a jogger isn't thesame as chasing prey.
The dog may just be scared,defensive or frustrated and play
behavior.
Tugging or chasing another dogcan mimic hunting, but it often

(02:19):
has a very different intent.
Mimic hunting, but it often hasa very different intent.
So when we label all of that asprey drive, we dismiss the
chance to train or manage orunderstand what's really
happening.
Saying it's just prey drive canshut down the conversation and

(02:47):
it can leave owners thinkingthere's nothing they can do
because it's instinct.
In reality, a lot of so-calledprey drive behaviors can be
shaped, redirected or managed.
With training, dogs can learnto channel chasing into fetch or
tug.
Impulse control can be builtwith cues like leave it or
structured gains, and fear andreactivity need desensitization,

(03:12):
not dismissal.
So prey drive is real, but it'snot a catch-all excuse.
The better we understand whatit truly is, the better we can
help our dog succeed in everydaylife.
So the next time your doglunges, chases or grabs, ask

(03:34):
yourself is this really preydrive or is something else going
on?
And that question will mostlikely change how you train.