On a canicross run with my rescue Welsh collie this week, we passed a couple with a young yellow Labrador. The female owner was clearly distressed and appalled that she had just witnessed her pet dog kill a mouse, which he was still holding it in his mouth while the male owner wrestled with him.
Ruby and I had been watching the dog in preparation for passing it and I had seen him expertly and efficiently pounce into the bushes and pop up with the tiny animals legs dangling out of his mouth.
As I ran past I wondered if the Labrador was soft mouthed enough not to have killed the mouse and if on releasing it, the little mouse might scurry away, thereby reducing the poor lady’s distress. Labradors predatory chase sequence does not normally run to kill and consume like a Jack Russell might. Labradors were bred to hunt, but also to carry prey softly in their mouths, so there was some hope for the little mouse.
The poor dog was no doubt going to be chastised for his behaviour and I felt sorry for him and for his owners in that they didn’t understand that he hadn’t done anything wrong. He was simply doing what he has been bred to do.
Predatory chase behaviour is a natural part of our dog’s behaviour. Every dog has the predatory chase sequence to some extent, but it has been curtailed at different points in different breeds.
The predatory chase sequence is a series of motor patterns, each one triggering the next. Orient – Eye – Stalk – Chase – Grab-Bite – Kill- bite -Dissect – Consume.
In some breeds, different elements of the sequence have been exaggerated, such as my collies with their eye-stalk-chase behaviours.
The breed of dog you have, and whether they are from working lines, will effect the behaviour you see. Without a natural outlet for their instinctive behaviours, you may find your dog tries to express them in different/undesirable ways, such as collies chasing cars or herding children. Spaniels may repetitively circle with their nose to the floor for no apparent reason in an attempt to express their need to scent search for prey. Many hunting breeds will chase wildlife, often running large distances without thought for the danger of barbed wire fences or roads in their pursuit. This prey drive is often a problem for owners and something they try and often fail to stop.
For some dogs chasing a ball or frisbee is enough to mimic the thrill of chasing prey, for others it is the process of finding (scenting) the prey that they love so playing search games is more appropriate.
By providing games that allow your dog to use their natural instincts and do the things they are hard-wired to do, means they are less likely to look for their own outlets (which we might find distressing/dangerous) for these behaviours.
In response to seeing their dog’s predatory behaviour in action, many owners subsequently limit their dog’s freedom. Never allowing them off the lead in case they run off after prey or shortening the lead they walk them on so, like our young Labrador, they can’t dart into hedgerows to catch little critters. For those dogs, their lives will become less fulfilling. This can result in behaviour problems as their frustration grows and they have no outlet for a behaviour they need to express. It also doesn’t reduce the desire to hunt, so any opportunity is more likely to be taken. This can result in slipping collars/harnesses on walks or finding ways to escape your garden.
To cohabit happily with our pet predator, we need to understand and work with our dog’s natural instincts not battle against them.
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