Prey drive
Encyclopedia
Prey drive is the instinct
ive inclination of a carnivore
to pursue and capture prey.
In dog training
, prey drive can be used as an advantage because dogs with strong prey drive are also willing to pursue moving objects such as toys, which can then be used to encourage certain kinds of behavior, such as that of greyhound racing
or the speed required in dog agility
. The prey drive can be an important component of pet dog training
, obedience training
and schutzhund
as well. Games such as fetch and tug-of-war, can be an effective motivator and reward for learning.
In all predators the prey drive follows an inevitable sequence: the search, the eye-stalk, the chase, the grab bite, and the kill bite. In wolves the prey drive is complete and balanced. In different breeds of dog certain of these five steps have been amplified or reduced by human-controlled selective breeding
, for various purposes. The search aspect of the prey drive, for example, is very valuable in detection dogs such as bloodhounds and beagles. The eye-stalk is a strong component of the behaviors used by herding dog
s, who find herding its own reward. The chase is seen most clearly in racing dogs, while the grab-bite and kill-bite are valuable in the training of terriers. In many breeds of dog, prey drive is so strong that the chance to satisfy the drive is its own reward, and extrinsic reinforcers are not required to compel the dog to perform the behaviour.
Certain aspects of the prey drive can be a disadvantage in some dogs. In retriever
s for example, the dog is expected to chase prey and bring it back to the human hunter, but not bite or damage it. Herding dogs must exhibit the stalking and chasing aspects of prey drive, but should have strongly inhibited grab bite and kill bite stages to prevent them wounding stock. Bull Terriers such as the Staffordshire bull terrier
have an amplified grab-bite as in they were originally bred to "bait bulls" (restrain bulls by hanging onto their noses), but were never needed to find or stalk the prey.
Levels of prey drive often vary substantially in different dogs. Narcotics detection dogs and search and rescue dog
s must have enough prey drive to keep them searching for hours in the hope of finding their quarry (a find which is generally rewarded with a game of tug). Therefore, a dog with low drive will not make a successful detection or search dog, but a dog who is too high in prey drive may be unsuitable as a pet for a suburban home, as it may become bored and destructive when its high drive is not regularly satisfied.
Dogs are happiest and most balanced in overall behavior when their prey drive is properly stimulated and satisfied through play.
ive behavior of a herbivore
to flee or evade capture by a predator.
With various types of animal
s, there are many examples of prey animals that exhibit the fight or flight response or instinct. A popular example is seen on documentaries about animals. The prey animal is usually a gazelle that is seen loping across the savannah
s of Africa
being chased by a predatory lion hunting dinner.
In any instance where a prey animal smells, hears, sees or otherwise senses a predator in the vicinity, the prey animal will immediately react. The first reaction seen may only take a split second but may include an alert to other prey animals in the area. The alert may be a sound, a sudden and obvious raising of the head and neck, sudden pricking of the ears, a stomping or striking of the ground with a front foot, a flick of a tail, aka: flagging, or even a bounding leap away from the predator in pursuit and other prey animals in the area that are vulnerable to attack. These gestures are a means of alerting and even protecting other prey animals in the group or area.
This fight or flight instinct
that has been passed down from generation to generation of prey animals and is also a learned skill. Fight or flight is an instinct when, (for example an orphan) an animal recognizes a predator without training from its parents or other prey animals. Prey animals teach their young about predators, evading predators, hiding from predators and even physically defending themselves from predators. This "fight or flight Instinct" is actually a feeling of anxiety, fear or terror when an unfamiliar or predatorial animal is approaching. The Fight or Flight instinct, tells the prey animal to defend itself or run away. Prey animals exhibiting a "Flight Instinct" or response will run away from a predator and/or run in random directions, kick with the back legs, climb rocks, trees, fences, etc. A prey animal exhibiting the "Fight Instinct" will exhibit signs of self defense in the form of stomping the ground with front foot, charging the predator, head butting, rearing or even defensive grunts, bugles, roars and other sounds including snorting (making noise by forcing air through the nostrils in a sudden way).
Prey animals are those that most often can be found in a herd or group setting with family members. There is usually one animal in the group that exhibits dominance and one that exhibits leadership. There are some instances when one animal will do both jobs. The dominant animal in some prey animal herds will try to ward off danger by showing dominance to a predator or potential predator, (Fight Instinct). The leader in the prey animal group usually is the decision maker for the herd deciding when and where to eat, when to go to the watering hole, what time of day to get there, when to rest and who will stand guard while the others sleep, (Flight Instinct).
Instinct
Instinct or innate behavior is the inherent inclination of a living organism toward a particular behavior.The simplest example of an instinctive behavior is a fixed action pattern, in which a very short to medium length sequence of actions, without variation, are carried out in response to a...
ive inclination of a carnivore
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
to pursue and capture prey.
In dog training
Dog training
Dog training is the process of teaching skills or behaviors to a dog. This can include teaching a dog to respond to certain commands, or helping the dog learn coping skills for stressful environments. Dog training often includes operant conditioning, classical conditioning, or non-associative...
, prey drive can be used as an advantage because dogs with strong prey drive are also willing to pursue moving objects such as toys, which can then be used to encourage certain kinds of behavior, such as that of greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
or the speed required in dog agility
Dog agility
Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles...
. The prey drive can be an important component of pet dog training
Dog training
Dog training is the process of teaching skills or behaviors to a dog. This can include teaching a dog to respond to certain commands, or helping the dog learn coping skills for stressful environments. Dog training often includes operant conditioning, classical conditioning, or non-associative...
, obedience training
Obedience training
Obedience training usually refers to the training of a dog and the term is most commonly used in that context. Obedience training ranges from very basic training, such as teaching the dog to reliably respond to basic commands such as "sit", "down", "come", and "stay", to high level competition...
and schutzhund
Schutzhund
Schutzhund is a dog sport that was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a breed suitability test for the German Shepherd Dog. The test would determine if the dog displayed the appropriate traits and characteristics of a proper working German Shepherd Dog...
as well. Games such as fetch and tug-of-war, can be an effective motivator and reward for learning.
In all predators the prey drive follows an inevitable sequence: the search, the eye-stalk, the chase, the grab bite, and the kill bite. In wolves the prey drive is complete and balanced. In different breeds of dog certain of these five steps have been amplified or reduced by human-controlled selective breeding
Selective breeding
Selective breeding is the process of breeding plants and animals for particular genetic traits. Typically, strains that are selectively bred are domesticated, and the breeding is sometimes done by a professional breeder. Bred animals are known as breeds, while bred plants are known as varieties,...
, for various purposes. The search aspect of the prey drive, for example, is very valuable in detection dogs such as bloodhounds and beagles. The eye-stalk is a strong component of the behaviors used by herding dog
Herding dog
A herding dog, also known as a stock dog or working dog, is a type of pastoral dog that either has been trained in herding or belongs to breeds developed for herding...
s, who find herding its own reward. The chase is seen most clearly in racing dogs, while the grab-bite and kill-bite are valuable in the training of terriers. In many breeds of dog, prey drive is so strong that the chance to satisfy the drive is its own reward, and extrinsic reinforcers are not required to compel the dog to perform the behaviour.
Retriever
A retriever is a type of gun dog that retrieves game for a hunter. Generally gun-dogs are divided into three major classifications: retrievers, flushing spaniels, and pointing breeds. Retrievers were bred primarily to retrieve birds or other prey and return them to the hunter without damage...
s for example, the dog is expected to chase prey and bring it back to the human hunter, but not bite or damage it. Herding dogs must exhibit the stalking and chasing aspects of prey drive, but should have strongly inhibited grab bite and kill bite stages to prevent them wounding stock. Bull Terriers such as the Staffordshire bull terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a medium-sized, short-coated, old-time breed of dog. It is an English dog, where it is the 5th most popular breed, and related to the bull terrier...
have an amplified grab-bite as in they were originally bred to "bait bulls" (restrain bulls by hanging onto their noses), but were never needed to find or stalk the prey.
Levels of prey drive often vary substantially in different dogs. Narcotics detection dogs and search and rescue dog
Search and rescue dog
The use of dogs in search and rescue is a valuable component in wilderness tracking, natural disasters, mass casualty events, and in locating missing people. Dedicated handlers and well-trained dogs are required for the use of dogs to be effective in search efforts...
s must have enough prey drive to keep them searching for hours in the hope of finding their quarry (a find which is generally rewarded with a game of tug). Therefore, a dog with low drive will not make a successful detection or search dog, but a dog who is too high in prey drive may be unsuitable as a pet for a suburban home, as it may become bored and destructive when its high drive is not regularly satisfied.
Dogs are happiest and most balanced in overall behavior when their prey drive is properly stimulated and satisfied through play.
Fight or Flight
Fight or Flight is the instinctInstinct
Instinct or innate behavior is the inherent inclination of a living organism toward a particular behavior.The simplest example of an instinctive behavior is a fixed action pattern, in which a very short to medium length sequence of actions, without variation, are carried out in response to a...
ive behavior of a herbivore
Herbivore
Herbivores are organisms that are anatomically and physiologically adapted to eat plant-based foods. Herbivory is a form of consumption in which an organism principally eats autotrophs such as plants, algae and photosynthesizing bacteria. More generally, organisms that feed on autotrophs in...
to flee or evade capture by a predator.
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s, there are many examples of prey animals that exhibit the fight or flight response or instinct. A popular example is seen on documentaries about animals. The prey animal is usually a gazelle that is seen loping across the savannah
Savannah
Savannah or savanna is a type of grassland.It can also mean:-People:* Savannah King, a Canadian freestyle swimmer* Savannah Outen, a singer who gained popularity on You Tube...
s of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
being chased by a predatory lion hunting dinner.
In any instance where a prey animal smells, hears, sees or otherwise senses a predator in the vicinity, the prey animal will immediately react. The first reaction seen may only take a split second but may include an alert to other prey animals in the area. The alert may be a sound, a sudden and obvious raising of the head and neck, sudden pricking of the ears, a stomping or striking of the ground with a front foot, a flick of a tail, aka: flagging, or even a bounding leap away from the predator in pursuit and other prey animals in the area that are vulnerable to attack. These gestures are a means of alerting and even protecting other prey animals in the group or area.
This fight or flight instinct
Instinct
Instinct or innate behavior is the inherent inclination of a living organism toward a particular behavior.The simplest example of an instinctive behavior is a fixed action pattern, in which a very short to medium length sequence of actions, without variation, are carried out in response to a...
that has been passed down from generation to generation of prey animals and is also a learned skill. Fight or flight is an instinct when, (for example an orphan) an animal recognizes a predator without training from its parents or other prey animals. Prey animals teach their young about predators, evading predators, hiding from predators and even physically defending themselves from predators. This "fight or flight Instinct" is actually a feeling of anxiety, fear or terror when an unfamiliar or predatorial animal is approaching. The Fight or Flight instinct, tells the prey animal to defend itself or run away. Prey animals exhibiting a "Flight Instinct" or response will run away from a predator and/or run in random directions, kick with the back legs, climb rocks, trees, fences, etc. A prey animal exhibiting the "Fight Instinct" will exhibit signs of self defense in the form of stomping the ground with front foot, charging the predator, head butting, rearing or even defensive grunts, bugles, roars and other sounds including snorting (making noise by forcing air through the nostrils in a sudden way).
Prey animals are those that most often can be found in a herd or group setting with family members. There is usually one animal in the group that exhibits dominance and one that exhibits leadership. There are some instances when one animal will do both jobs. The dominant animal in some prey animal herds will try to ward off danger by showing dominance to a predator or potential predator, (Fight Instinct). The leader in the prey animal group usually is the decision maker for the herd deciding when and where to eat, when to go to the watering hole, what time of day to get there, when to rest and who will stand guard while the others sleep, (Flight Instinct).