|
|
Post by marc on Apr 19, 2012 6:06:51 GMT -5
Can someone please explain to me in simple terms, or point to some good links, what exactly i'd see in a dog with high prey drive?
Most things i've read talk about things like going and chasing after small animals, etc.
I dont know at all what Jackie is made of, but she exhibits what i observe as tendencies of a hunting dog -my friend's have had Pointers and beagles/fox hounds.
Jackie is just extremely "in tune" with anything the moves or makes noise...and her little brain will zone out on it..and chase anything if allowed.
I'm trying to learn more to figure out what's goin on.
|
|
|
|
Post by loverocksalot on Apr 19, 2012 7:21:27 GMT -5
Wish I could help but Rocky has very little prey drive.
|
|
|
|
Post by maryellen on Apr 19, 2012 15:46:52 GMT -5
if rufus sees a critter he will immediately give chase, if he catches it he kills it, he zones out as well,, anything small that moves and he is on it
|
|
|
|
Post by johnr on Apr 19, 2012 16:04:38 GMT -5
From what little I saw of Jackie, I wouldn't be at all surprised if she had a high prey drive and her apparent breed make up of some sort of bull breed X some sort of hound would be expected to produce high prey drive. My Bassett Mix Pumpkin has a high prey drive, but barely compares to the late, great Heather Marie, who appeared to be some sort of mix of Pit Bull, sight hound and scent hound, who racked up a kill total of 8 rabbits, one squirrel, one rat, one groundhog, various mice and moles and lots of birds, including a hapless mockingbird that I knew was in big trouble when he started swooping me, my wife and the dogs. I knew he'd swoop Heather exactly once. Just a day or two after having this thought, there was the smashed remains of mockingbird in his "swoop zone". Didn't SEE Heather do it, but there can be no doubt.
|
|
|
|
Post by dooktruck on Apr 19, 2012 17:26:41 GMT -5
oh mr meiko had really high prey drive he was hard to distract from whatever garnered his attention. very focused. he only killed roaches and two baby possums he almost got a raccoon but it got away. he would have killed a cat given the chance.
palace has prey drive but she can be distracted from the things and doesn't really want to kill a cat. just chase it. i have seen her eat a butterfly though. mr meiko also ate butterflies.
meiko also ate numerous bees. he didn't even care if they stung his mouth.
on a leash meiko would ignore cats but off the leash all bets were off.
|
|
|
|
Post by johnr on Apr 19, 2012 17:57:27 GMT -5
meiko also ate numerous bees. he didn't even care if they stung his mouth. My Schnauzer Mix Louise, another grand old, late, lamented dog from the old pack, once grabbed a bee and her face blew up till she looked like a Sharpei Mix in a few minutes. Fortunately, a quick run to the vet for some heavy duty antihistamine prevented, or perhaps preempted, anaplylactic shock. It is also fortunate that she never caught another bee, as she did try to again. She lived to be 17yo. |
|
|
|
Post by Dave on Apr 19, 2012 18:49:45 GMT -5
Prey drive can manifest itself differently in different dogs, although I'd say a high prey drive is instinctual and reflexive. In my three Sedona has just about none, her biggest reaction having been to bees flying by. Squirrels, birds, bunnies and cats get no reaction, even though she is the purpose-bred dog. Lola and Rocky have a high prey drive. Lola is always looking for something to stalk/chase, but Rocky is opportunistic and highly reflexive. So their reaction to prey is different in that Lola expects it, and Rocky is surprised by it, but they both pursue the same. Some of my other dogs were very different. Buster was only interested in cats, and was obsessed with introducing them to their maker. Boo Boo and Jackson teamed up on a possum once in the yard while Molly and Buster had no interest right next to the action. Well, Molly loved everything and everybody. But she had plenty of play drive.  Jackson normally tried to make friends with other animals, including a skunk and yeah, it turned out well for the skunk. But he was ball crazy. I guess that's another kind of prey drive? |
|
|
|
Post by maryellen on Apr 19, 2012 18:51:21 GMT -5
rufus and sadie went after a vulture tonight who was eating his dinner minding his own business.. bird wasnt moving, but as soon as rufus saw it he charged it .. luckily he was onleash..
|
|
|
|
Post by marc on Apr 20, 2012 5:46:26 GMT -5
Thanks for all of the posts. Really helps me with observations.
We've only had her for a year but she's already retired a bunny, a snake, countless stink bugs and many butterflies. We've had a couple of on leash encounters with Cats & Groundhogs, and she's been very close to catching a bird.
Funny thing is that when she had the opportunity to go after some gulls on the beach, and shen she got close enough and they scattered she kind of ran the other way.
|
|
|
|
Post by lovemybully76 on Apr 20, 2012 9:02:51 GMT -5
Bella has a really strong prey drive as well. She is very in tune with what's going on around her and if she sees something her hackles go up and she's in "the zone". I'm not sure if it's a prey drive to kill or just case because she has never caught anything. Last summer there was a little bird that must have fallen from a nest. I looked over and saw the bird and Bella going towards it and thought "oh crap". She didn't harm it though. She was just very interested and sniffing. Dugan has a prey drive, but it's just a chasing thing. In his younger days if he saw a critter in the yard he would chase it briefly, turn around, and be done. He still does that on occasion.
|
|
|
|
Post by zaeva06 on Apr 20, 2012 11:20:18 GMT -5
Maxine has a high prey-drive towards anything on the ground.
She'll chase birds from the feeder, squirrels, snakes, centipedes, flies, anything that that can make a target.
She's also more interested in the chase then catching it. We watched her go after a centipede one night, she slam her paw down infront of it whenever it tryed to crawl up a wall or under anything, but other then that she just liked pouncing after it.
|
|
|
|
Post by loverocksalot on Apr 20, 2012 16:45:52 GMT -5
Rocky like Sedona has little to none prey drive, but he HATES HATES HATES vultures with a passion. We have been over run with them. Ever since a hoarder woman died and someone took over her house and cut all the pine trees down they have come out of hiding and hang on the roofs especially on garbage day. . Its the only animal that he will freak out over on a walk. They friggen creep me out too. He also does not care for crows too much either.
|
|
|
|
Post by johnr on Apr 21, 2012 11:06:07 GMT -5
Pablo was by far the most "dog serious" of my Bullies. Not the biggest hothead, mind you. That would be Silly Hillary, the Truly Legendary StaffyRat. But he's the one who was all business WHEN he decided a dog needed to be whooped and only a reliable reaction to the "drop!" command in two instances and a break stick in another stopped three very serious incidents from becoming dire. The drop command saved a cat once, too. Hey, Pablo was my all time A#1 buddy, but not ALL of the memories are pleasant!!! Anyway, he always made like he had a high small animal prey drive as well and joined in many rabbit chasing incidents. But one time when Heather caught a rabbit and made one of her flash kills, while Silly and Heather were on the kill, Pablo sat about 10-15ft off the kill, looked with all sorts of concern at what was happening, looked over to me (I was another 15ft or so off the kill, on a line more or less perpendicular to Pablo's line), looked at the kill site, looked at me and did this over and over, as if to say "Oh man, I had no idea that this was for real!!!!!!"
Dogs are individuals with unique character suites!
|
|
Jackson normally tried to make friends with other animals, including a skunk and yeah, it turned out well for the skunk. But he was ball crazy. I guess that's another kind of prey drive?
I look forward to learning much here