Clarissa von Reinhardt - Chase!: Managing Your Dogs Predatory Instincts

Introduction

Dogs who have a strong desire to chase thingsdeer, squirrels, cars, bicyclists, running children, etc.present their owners many frustrating problems. A dog who suddenly takes off running after whatever he perceives to be prey can cause all sorts of difficulties and become a danger to himself, you, and whoever or whatever he is chasing. The reaction of most owners who face this situation is to try to stop the behavior by such means as keeping the dog tightly on-leash at all times, resorting to the use of shock collars and electronic fences, or even having the dog chained up for hours on end. There are people who are more than happy to try to sell you on a quick and easy solution, but most are ineffective or inhumane. As you will learn in this book, you can use positive training methods to help manage this problem.

The predatory dive your dog may be displaying is both complex and fascinating, and it is important that you understand it in order to keep it under control. Predatory behaviors in dogs are:

• Both hereditary and shaped during early development.
• Are natural instincts aroused by the environment.
• Learned in part by imitation.
• Influenced by the actions of others.
• Frequently, though not always, linked to hunger.
• Need to be practiced.
• May depend on the dogs individual nature and preferences.

Although it is obvious that we cannot allow our pet dogs free rein to always live out this behavior in the modern world, I find the capabilities they come equipped with fascinating. Their olfactory abilities are legendary, but they also utilize other senses to locate prey. In a flash, a strategy is developed and followed, sometimes culminating in the desired resultat least from the dogs point of view! This drive may be so strong that even if the prey does manage to escape, the dog will not give up.

If you want to create a suitable training plan to prevent troublesome prey behavior from developing in your dog, you must first understand how this behavior has evolved. In order to apply effective intervention at the right moment, you need to know about the behavior of the canid in great detailits character, the role of predation, the use of its senses, its body language, how it manifests itself in different types of breeds, and much more.

Intervening to control this behavior must never involve violence toward or pain for the dog. The question of the effectiveness or non-effectiveness of aversive training methods (which I examine in Chapter 6) is of secondary importance. First and foremost, it is a question of fairness and morality. I am completely convinced that we have no right to punish an animal for an instinctive behavior that has been genetically determined through a long evolutionary process.

I have chosen to focus largely on chase and prey behavior that dogs exhibit toward other animals. The rural part of Germany in which I live has extensive forests, game parks, and parklands. Dogs chasing and harming other animals is a very common problem. In more urbanized areas, of course, dogs may exhibit chase and prey behavior toward running children, cars, bicyclists, squirrels, ducks, etc. The techniques and training methods I recommend apply in either circumstance. However, if your dog is exhibiting a prey drive toward people or moving vehicles, the consequences to both the dog and its intended victim can be very serious. In this case, I would recommend that you seek the help and advice of a professional trainer. At the very least, be very careful working with your dog in an area where, if you lose control of him, he runs a risk of harming someone, something, or himself.

This book is my invitation to you to delve into this fascinating and complex behavior which often manifests itself in domestic dogs, and to discover a training program that completely rejects the use of aversive stimuli. This program will strengthen the bond between you and your dog and can be a lot of fun for both of you as well.