Dealing with your dog’s ‘prey drive’

Dear Val,

I adopted a dog maybe six months ago. We did a meet and greet session with the entire family as well as our dogs and cats. Things were going well and then one day one of our cats escaped and landed in the dog play yard. The cat did not make it. I am so bothered by this behavior from the dog I want to sent the dog back to the rescue. He is now chasing and killing squirrels on our property which is new as well. Is there any hope for this dog to stop behaving this way? I understand it is natural in some dogs but it doesn't fit in well with my life and my other animals.

Dear Rescue Dog Mom,

It sounds like maybe your dog has what is called a prey drive. A prey drive is a natural instinct in some dogs and animals to chase things. Especially things that run.

It's a wonderful asset in the animal world, but for our domesticated companion pets, not so much.

Kudos to you for reaching out for help to make it work. You can do this!

I have lived this life before. This is actually how I began my career in the animal industry through my challenging dogs. Not so much a prey drive, but aggression issues that resulted in a segregation lifestyle. Maggie was one of them. A beautiful chocolate lab purchased for a small fee from a local backyard breeder. When Maggie was only 3 months old, she was growling at other dogs in our Park and Rec. training class. (That's another story in itself.) Maggie had aggression issues and was fighting with the dogs in the house on a regular basis and one day I came home to an unrecognizable mess of a cat. Maggie had gotten a hold of our sweet long hair orange tabby and by the time I arrived she had but a thread of life left in her.

Maggie also had an incident with a young puppy one time resulting in an injury and I was incredibly sad and frustrated and I wanted to give her away. I posted an ad to re-home her and I had a huge response. Everyone wanted a lab. I even disclosed her issues. One of my favorite applicants had an infant in the crawling stage and I envisioned Maggie biting the baby and I couldn't bear to even live with the thought.

I loved Maggie but I didn't know how much longer I could go on with the disagreements between animals and the lack of trust that was instilled upon me. I spoke with the vet who recommended medication but I felt that the problems were triggered and isolated and not daily or 24/7. I opted out of the medicine and began to research Maggie's' behavior problems. I had a consultant come out but she was not able to detect anything wrong with Maggie during her visit.

It was then that I implemented all the safety and lifestyle protective mechanisms into place. I knew I had a challenge and I loved this Maggie and I wasn't going to allow any more animals to get hurt.

One of the things I could have done better was use positive method of counter-conditioning the way Maggie thought or felt about the other animals. That means offer something pleasant in the presence of the animals. Do this instead of scolding behaviors. Aggression used with aggressive behaviors strengthens the aggression.

Another area I greatly improved upon was a segregation of living quarters. Yes, baby gates, crates, and the great outdoors. Maggie had to be kept safe at bay while the parents were away. The other dogs had the run of the house because they all got along. The cats had to be kept up in their own living quarters so that they wouldn't accidently land in Maggies' den. When Maggie had her leisure turn out, the cats went up, and then Maggie went up, and the cats came out. We also built an amazing Catio to provide for some enrichment for the cats during the day. I would rotate this sequence throughout the day. Maggie also did best when she was exercised and socialized.

Maggie had a good life despite the barriers we had to implement which was obviously more challenging and more work for us. Our trips to the dog's park and hiking and running was sufficient and went well above basic welfare standards for caring for a dog. We lived this life for 9 years until Maggie ended up with a raging pneumonia and lung cancer was also discovered. Maggie lived another month and provided me with years of love, frustration, patience, innovation, tolerance, education, and the ability to teach others that you can do this.

Besides routine rotations, you could apply a technique labeled LAT or Look at That. This process is called desensitizing a prey drive animal and weakening their response. When the dog looks at a potential prey animal you give them a food reward. When they look at the animal and look at you, they get a double whammy food reward. This means they are looking to you for guidance. This is best coached by a trained professional, although you can find many articles and videos on the subject.

Also keep him on a leash and do everything you can to prevent him from having access to squirrel hunting as for this is reinforcing this undesirable behavior. As he ages he will slow down and hopefully this undesirable behavior will become extinct.

Animals that don't get along with other household animals can be given opportunities to live a fulfilling life under limited circumstances and that is ok. They are provably just happy to be with you anyway.

If you love this dog, keep him and try and work it out. New people might not be as forgiving and his life could possibly become worse.

If you have a question about training or behavior, please email me at HappyLabLady77@Yahoo.com

Val S Elliott CPDT Behavior Coach

Make it a Pawsitive Day!

Wags of Wisdom:

You can usually tell if a man is good if he has a dog that loves him.

The Daily Dog:

Meet Captain Meatball. He and his six siblings were found in a box along the side of a road and do-gooders did the right thing and took him to Animal Control to be cared for and hopefully adopted out. He is a happy, chunky, smart, affectionate, curious, easy going, playful mix of a dog that is going to make someone an amazing canine companion. He and his brother Levi are available for adoption at Send Rover on Over Doggie Daycare in Lakeport.

If you would like to send a cute photo with a description or short story about your favorite furry friend, please send it to HappyLabLady77@yahoo.com

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