Too much prey drive?

moellermd

moellermd

Super Moderator
Is there such a thing as too much prey drive. My labs want to hunt and kill everything. Chickens, bunnies, anything that flies, cats, grasshoppers, crickets, rodents you name it. They are fine around kids and people. They will spend all day in the shed trying to dig under the snow blower to get to the frog that is under it. A bird built a nest under the deck this summer and the dogs would spend hours drooling on top of the nest and trying to dig through the deck to get to the nest. At times it can be kind of annoying and inconvenient when they kill your friends kids 14 chickens and 2 bunnies when they were dog sitting.
 
It is what we all want in our dogs!!!! We are just the lucky ones who have to find a way to Bridle that drive and turn out a fine bird dog and companion!!! I would rather try and Bridle that drive than to create it!!!!!!!!!:cheers:
 
Moe, I have a picture for you.
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Believe me there was more than a few dead chickens before this picture was taken and my dog has no lack of prey drive. Dogs are smart, they can learn when something is off limits, it just takes some persistence.
 
moe,
Sold one of my pups to a guide dog agency after 2 weeks they called said they were washing dog out to much prey drive. So I guess that is burden we bear for high drive dogs mine do not care to play nice with any animals either. the only thing that make mine tolerable is lots of exercise otherwise they drive me nuts chasing flies or a tweety bird what ever strikes their fancy. If nothing else is available they wrestle each other non stop.
 
The problem I see is he's hunting for himself. You need to instill so direction in that boy.

Mine embarrasses me by chasing butterflies. When he can't catch them he chases their shadows.
 
Mine are pretty much the same--includes toads, coons ,skunks and cats, which has caused some problems. Never with other dogs or people and I have broke them on deer and rabbits, rather easily. I'll take the prey drive over the problems and try to minimize it.
 
I am with Buck, I want that drive. But they can be taught how to channel it into the type of prey.........Bob
 
You guys ever see a british rabbit pen? The brits put all manner of game and non game in the cage about 20x40 foot, rabbits, sheep, pheasants, chickens, ducks, etc. then sit the dog in the pen on sit stay, and drive the critters past him and around, as he remains staunch and unconcerned. I don't have any of those dogs, as my french brits, true to their poacher dog heritage, are also into the "any game in town theory." Dog wrestling is also great. It bothers me, but it may be the price you pay. I previously had always had pointers or setters, never had any issue with those. But the european dogs all seem to have this "sharpness", ( the new in word, which I hate), If they were sharp enough, IMO, the darn things would just hunt birds. As I said in a previous post, I almost want to punch the next guy who promotes sharpness, we used to call it birdy, or bird crazy, now sharpness, sounds like a term we borrowed from the attack dog training set, who used the term for man killing sheperds, rott's, and dob's. I don't want any association with it.
 
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old and new I feel your pain my britts will have a go with anything that will run birds rabbitt skunks and even cats cats don't bother me so much as I think they out number the population in my town but the rest oh lord no wonder I have no hair they are smart to they only run other things without their e-collars on the minut i put them on the crap stops and then they are all business
 
it's called channeling the pup at a young age as to what it should or shouldn't be after- been hearing for years- huge prey drive- then it's cats, skunks, porqupines- I've never had one of mine sprayed, or quilled- why is that- because we hunt birds- leave everything else alone- starts at a young age- you correct- or you have a problem dog- I'm in snake country- you better believe I teach them to stop, bark, jump back- whatever- oh- I've never had shocker collars- don't believe in a good dog needing one in the field- need one in the field all the time- you messed up somewhere
 
Gove, the e-collar thing caused me to remember a great story. Years agowhen e-collars were new, I had a professional trainer, take my latest prodigy, mother 40 time winner, open all age dog, father two time National Champion, to South Dakota to run off horseback in August. He had a collar, and extolled the virtues. This dog took one hit on the collar, and realized that if she got far enough out front collar couldn't bite, and she would lead him on a long circuitous route back to the truck, leaving a wake of sharptails, and pheasants. There after, either refused to leave the truck with a collar on, or blew out of the county like she had wings, but always made it back to the truck ahead of the guy with the collar. She came home and became one tough monkey bird dog, I never did buy a collar.
 
GCB- you saying yours will point and chase all those things-

I've made a rule long long ago- I won't go out with dogs that chase point fur-
I have stories as to why
 
oldandnew- I can do one better- knew a real good AKC female Britt who was collar wise- she would run straight out till she got out of range- couple times we chased her on horses

and- because the breeder said she needed the work- and because I needed another dog on a 5 day hunt trip-I took her home, slept with her for three days before we went out- hunted her for three days- she was dynamite- we had to keep watch sometimes run to keep her in sight- 60% of the time she had a covey pinned and I had my 3

she was the mother of my first field trial bred Britt

got a lot of pictures of her and some hunts
 
FCSpringer said:
Too much can be a bad thing, as long as the dog delivers good and does not have hard mouth bad, I wouldn't worry too much. maybe just some Stern discipline.
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Never had a problem with hard mouth and they retrieve well. Don't have too many issues with them chasing trash. Every now and then they find a coon and try to bring a half dead coon to me and look at me funny when I don't put it in my game bag.
 
i don't have to use my collars anymore on the dogs i have but there is always that little extra stoping power when it comes to a road or a dogfight or even a skunk or badger and as far as fur goes they are a poachers breed so its more or less bred into them and so their old habits are hard to break and i dont let them chase fur or anything else sometimes it just happens in the yard or when the kid takes them out for a run
 
If anyone wants to see a dog with excessive prey drive, feel free to dogsit my Jack Russell Terrier.

Just last night, I was awoken from my slumber when he leaped onto my head while chasing a fly through my bedroom in the dark.

Funny thing is, he caught it.

Nearly every day in the summer, he comes into the house covered in mud and blood (not his) from digging for and catching gophers. I actually loaned him to a friend who had a mole problem. Dug the $4!t out of his yard, but he no longer has that mole problem. :)
 
tOlzon said:
If anyone wants to see a dog with excessive prey drive, feel free to dogsit my Jack Russell Terrier.
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I know exactly what you mean. Heres my jrt after a tomorrow with a squirrel.:eek:

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