The Prey Instinct

[Willow]

Hi, I've found answers to Naykon's recent post about Bruan really helpful but there are some specific questions I'd like to ask for advice about.

This is Rosie. She's a two year old lurcher, an RSPCA rescue from a traveller's site where she'd been left tied up with an injured leg at 6 months old. We've had her since 7 months, and for the first 6 months she was purely on the lead as she went through extensive surgery to put her leg back together. We've since been able to bribe her into pretty good recall and have had quite a bit of success in socialising her with other dogs and teaching her manners when out and about. We do need to keep her on the lead quite a bit as she still has a strong prey drive and when she's fixated on something there's nothing will stop her. But we've got access to an empty beach on weekday mornings where she can be safely let off. We've had quite a lot of success in teaching her to play. The question is are there games and other exercises can we do with her that may help to gradually quell the prey instinct, or to at least not exacerbate it?
Liza

[madmaggie]

She looks absolutely beautiful - luv the ears !!!
I am sure there will be others along shortly but my own feeling is that it is inbuilt, that is hereditary.
Most sighthounds will chase if it moves - I have four at the moment and a cat. When the cat is in the house, fine - when the cat is outside and moves - chase it. I have to watch when we go out as they will chase the neighbours cats and I don't think there intentions are good. I have been teaching my youngest to retrieve a ball when it is thrown and there are tuggers which I wouldn't think would exacerbate the prey drive. As you say, bribery is the best!! Hope it goes well - she is one lucky lady finding you and having a lovely beach to run on.

[julies]

Hiya

I can't see the pics here but Im sure she's beautiful

I teach 'Leave it' from early on - I use very very high value treats as the reward for 'leaving it' and start by putting a biscuit on the floor (not very interesting) and saying 'leave it' then rewarding any kind of look at me, ear twitch, head turn to me etc etc so they get the idea, then I add in more interesting things to ask them to leave - nice biscuits etc then build up to sausages etc .. my very high value treats are corned beef (salty so use only a little) and cooked heart .. the reward has always got to be better than what you want them to leave.

I'd also walk her on a harness and long line so you can practice the 'leave it' when she's got more freedom away from you tho put knots in the line and wear gloves if she's likely to zoom off and pull the line thro your hands ...If you don't already I'd do some socialising (at a distance till she can cope and a a quiet dog club that lets you sit out if need be) with other breeds so she also understands that they're not lunch and you can use 'leave it' when she's on her lead and reward her

If you can find a quiet well behaved dog for her to go off lead with at first that'd help as you can recall her from him and reward her .. I find that like madmaggie said prey drive is inbuilt ... my old girl was always off lead and could play nicely with other dogs - but when they started to run or bounce around she became much more interested in them I've taken my current Lucy to lots of dog shows where there are manic collies running about and used lots of 'leave it' and reward with her and she's doing really well- tho not off lead . We did meet a wriggly Spaniel pup unexpectedly in the woods and she sniffed him lots (on her harness and long line) but carried on our walk .. then we saw him zooming thro the woods (gulp) and I was glad she was on a lead ... but hopefully you'll find places where you can let yours off and as she's more and more obedient she'll get more trustworthy .. don't forget too that she probably had to catch her own food and that's a big mental thing to let go of ...

Good luck with her

Julie

[Willow]

@ madmaggie: I'm sure you're right that it's hereditary - I reckon she probably comes from a long line of rabbiters and she was certainly ravenous around food when we first had her, which we've made progress with but is something we're still working on. She still scavenges a lot. A like the idea of teaching her to retrieve - that will take a more structured approach than we've been using as she generally loses interest when something's stopped moving, as you've said. But one of the advantages of this forum is to get encouragement from other people's successes, eh? Using a long line might work.
@ Julie: again thanks for taking the time for such a supportive and useful reply. Again, your more structured approach to 'leave it' might pay dividends for us, combined with more work on her recall as per the advice on Naykon's thread. I agree that bouncing or noisy targets are an especial risk and there are situations where it's hard to imagine ever feeling safe to have her off the lead. She has been know to chase a motorbike once when she got away from us in the early days (thankfully no harm done to anyone though our hearts were in our mouths). She has also chased trains on a safe lane adjacent to the East Coast line. She even chased the rescue helicopter for half a mile along an empty beach once. With these faster targets, which eventually get away from her, you can see her looking round to reorientate herself once the mist has cleared and she makes her own way back to us. Thank goodness she doesn't jump or there'd be nowhere safe!

Me and my husband are really new to hounds and didn't realise how very different they are when we took her on. I honestly think it's us that needs teaching, much more than Rosie!! Some dogs should come with instruction manuals - or some owners, perhaps!

[sassbu]

No advice but just wanted to say what a beautiful stunning photo competition winning quality if you ask me

Sarah x

[Ted]

My Four Hounds have the prey instinct but that does not include dogs of all types and sizes. They just love any dog, but see a cat, squirrel, rabbit, hare etc and nothing will stop them. Mickey was attacked just below his right eye by an elderly cat and he hit it with both front feet, I am afraid the cat died of fright. It only happened because some idiot called to post junk mail and opened the garden gate so letting Mickey and Kelly out, both of whom I always have on the lead when out of the house. There is a sign stating do not open dogs running loose. I had left the gate latched closed but unlocked as I was working on the caravan cleaning it up. Lucky the neighbours whose cat it was had been expecting the cat to keel over anytime, plus he had left their garden gate wide open so the cat had no where safe to go when Mickey appeared. I had two mobile phone calls within minutes asking me if I had lost a Greyhound, Mickey had come back home but got distracted by the elderly cat, Kelly had followed a Jogger thinking he was me, but a couple of streets away from our home. On a Sunday as well.

[longdoglady]

Channel her need to chase into daily play by using a ball and or dog frisbee, building up gradually as her leg becomes fitter. Teach her to retrieve so that you are not the one doing all the running. Eventually chasing her toys will become more interesting than live prey as long as you combine it with 'leave it' training and make sure to keep her away from temptation. Teaching 'wait', walking backwards then calling her to you is good for fun and encourages self control. Start with a couple of steps backwards and work up to as far as you can, a good beach game. Anything that makes you fun to be with and gives her the run she needs.

P.S She is gorgeous.

[janelund]

Just to say our Dolly has the most incredible prey drive, lunging, squealing, twirling etc whenever she sees cats, small dogs, carrier bags etc. She was a traveller dog, probably used for hare coursing and very under-socialised when we got her. 2 and a half years on, she's just as crackers and we daren't let her off the lead anywhere. We've tried a number of techniques to stop her getting so excited but it's like a switch gets thrown each time she see movement and we've basically resigned ourselves to always keeping her on the lead (and muzzled - she's slipped it twice!).

Maybe we should try the 'leave it' technique?

Jane

[julies]

Definitely worth a go- Lucy's getting less reactive and settles much quicker

J x

[Lisa]

One thing I will always say with sighthounds is buyer beware We can work with them, we can desensitise them, we can channel them and in ways can mould them. However, we can not change what they are and sadly the nature of the beast can always be below the surface waiting for a brain fart to occur and let us down in the most dangerous and spectacular ways imaginable when we least expect it.

Anyone who has sighthounds and allows them off the lead has to accept that there is every chance as they live by the sword they may die by it and hope to goodness nobody elses animals get injured along the way.

I have had hounds for years and grew up with them and know who can and cant be let off and when and where. Even still I have to accept that they will never be 100 per cent fallable and expect the un expected at all times.

Just last night one of mine happened across a bleeding cat in the middle of the fields, gave chase, up out of the fields and across thankfully a minor road before attempting to jump the fence and nail it in its own front garden.

I purposely walk in these fields because they are a bird nature reserve, the ground is damp and there is no quarry...... Well there usually isnt but there is no accounting for a very stupid cat that decided to take itself off hunting then became the hunted. No damage done but in that split second I lost control a car could have hit the dog/cat or a cat could have got killed by my hound!

[gilli176]

Jasper is fantastic off lead but even he will chase a rabbit and go deaf. Dizzy used to be so. Bad she would just wander off or chaes anything that moved even an on lead walk was like she was hunting. Slowly over time she got better and now she's ok off lead. Erin has the highest prey drive I have come across she continuously searches for cats even platic bags and garden gnomes can set her off. She is now muzzled and we are working on finding things to distract her. Training a leave it command can never be.a bad idea even if they do forget all about it when instinct licks in.
Good luck.

[Willow]

All great advice thanks very much! Love the "brain fart" Lisa - glad last night's incident didn't result in any harm. Going to re-read and process all this great advice this weekend and keep pushing Rosie to learn more. Even if we know we can never entirely trust her off the lead I think it's good for her to learn more. She's done so well so far and I think we should keep pushing her a bit more - she loves human interaction anyhow Sarah - thanks for the complement I'll pass it on to my hysband.

[dylansdad]

I have nothing to add except that I have heard good reports about Jim Greenwood dog training

www.jandjgreenwood.co.uk/

Good luck