Workshops

Predatory instincts overview

For the purposes of this course, it is important to understand that however you think about your dog’s predatory behavior that it is instinctive for them. There are many definitions of instinctive behavior but in general, things that happen through instinct are linked to survival. That does

For sure, domestic dogs have not relied on predation for their survival in probably thousands of years. Most modern dogs live by scavenging or are directly fed by humans.

However, modern breeding practices of selecting dogs based on their ability to do specific jobs to help people out has led to instinctive predatory behavior being more common in dogs than might be expected in a species that is many generations away from living as predators.

Predatory behavior is not just one single behavior, it is a linked string of different behaviors known as the predatory motor sequence. Selective breeding has created many dogs who are specialists in one or more parts of the motor sequence.

Predatory Motor Sequence

Hunt – The searching behavior that allows dogs such as Springer Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels, English Pointers, German Shorthaired Pointers, English Setters, Brittany Spaniels and Vizslas to locate birds for hunters. It is sometimes described as hunting drive by some breed clubs.

Orient – This is where the dog will turn toward a prey animal. If you have ever done any scentwork with your dog, orient is the moment when you know the dog has located the hide. Then they usually work their way toward it.

Eye – In their book, How Dogs Work, Ray Coppinger and Mark Feinstein describe this as happening when the dog is motionless and intently fixated on the prey. The name of this step would suggest that it is a visual behavior but it does not necessarily include looking at prey. Some dogs will become motionless and fixated due to the scent or sound of the prey.

Stalk – A stalking dog will lower their body and head and slowly advance towards the prey. The behavior has been selectively exaggerated in some breeds including Border Collies and Setters. Normally Collies will be staring at the sheep while stalking but Setters may be stalking toward the location of a bird that they have located by the scent.

Chase – is familiar to almost everybody and in my experience chase is what most people say is their problem if they have a dog with a high prey drive. Selective breeding of some dogs, commonly sighthounds like Greyhounds, has aimed to increase the dog’s ability and desire to chase.
However, even with selective breeding and extensive training, some Greyhounds do not reliably chase. Researchers have noted that very little is understood about what motivates dogs to chase. Do they chase because chasing itself feels good to them, do they chase because they want to do something with the prey animal or does it differ from individual dog to individual dog? My research and experience would suggest that the latter is the case. There is a great deal of individual variation between dogs and each dog really does need to be understood for who they are.

Grab-bite – Predator species, on catching prey will use their mouths to grab the prey. The grab-bite is a hard bite which is intended to injure and disable the prey animal. In the UK prior to the 19th century bull and bear baiting along with dog fighting were popular in the UK. The dogs bred for baiting were mixes of bulldogs and terrier breeds. They were known as bull and terriers. The sports were outlawed in the UK in 1835 so finding clear information is difficult but it is likely that at least part of what breeders were attempting to enhance was the grab-bite.

Possess – Involves a very different sort of bite. Possess is the behavior that retrieving breeds excel at. It is a hold and carry that is often characterised by the dog seeming to gain pleasure from being able to hold items in their mouth. The bite here should be a soft hold that will not cause injury and which should then be followed by the dog maintaining that soft hold while moving. It should be noted that in some dogs, the desire to have and hold is strong enough that should the dog live with people who don’t understand the behavior well, it can lead to behavior problems such as the dog swallowing items, running away with them or aggressively preventing people from coming close when they have an item.

Kill-bite – You might have seen your dog do this with toys and many people I know describe it as the dog killing their toy. It is where the dog holds and shakes their head violently from side to side. Terrier breeds have been selectively bred to decrease the prevalence of animals that are a nuisance to people. This is one of the things that is desirable in them as it allows them to quickly kill the unwanted animals.

Dissect – In this step, the dog often uses their front paws to hold while they pull and tear with their teeth. If prey is to be eaten, this is what lets the dog get to meat and organs. In companion dogs, it is more often seen during play with toys – the dogs who destroy their toys are usually performing this step. In a study from 1976 titled Effects of domestication on prey catching and killing in beagles, coyotes and F2 hybrids, the researcher, Michael Fox, noted that the Beagles in his study did not consistently perform dissect with prey. It could be that selective breeding has inhibited this step in many dogs meaning that it is usual to only see it with toys.

Consume – The final step in the predatory motor sequence – and the whole point of it for wild predators is eating the prey. In dogs, it is broadly considered undesirable as it would interfere with the roles they have been selectively bred for. Some dogs will catch, kill and eat prey animals but they are in the minority.

Ethogram for dogs

In 2024 an article written by a team of researchers in Italy was published. This article is the first to research what high prey drive dogs do at times when they are working with human hunters. This research simplified the long sequence above into four phases:

Search Phase: In the search phase, dogs explore an area using their nose and eyes, often moving in wide zig-zags while sniffing the ground or air. As they start to pick up signs of prey, they slow down, become more focused, and their body language shifts to show growing tension and concentration.

This phase consists of hunt from the above sequence and it ends when the dog orients on prey.

Approach Phase: In the approach phase, dogs become intensely focused on their prey, moving slowly and carefully or following a scent trail with purpose. As they get closer, their body language becomes more controlled and deliberate - until the moment they’re ready to chase.

This phase consists of orient, eye and stalk from the above sequence. It ends when the dog is close enough for the prey to move.

Chase Phase: The chase phase begins when the prey moves, triggering a fast, focused pursuit. Most dogs stay silent, but some may bark or shriek with excitement as they run. This phase ends when the dog gets close enough to catch the prey - or the prey escapes.

This phase consists of chase from the sequence above.

Bite Phase: The bite phase begins when the dog gets close enough to catch the prey. If the prey is still moving, the dog uses firm bites to bring it down; if it’s already down, the dog may retrieve it. After capture, some dogs shake, assess, or tug at the prey. Of the dogs observed by the researchers, none of the dogs dissected or consumed the prey. Throughout, dogs stay focused but silent.

Included in this phase are grab-bite, possess, kill-bite and dissect from the sequence above.