Are you working on training in public? You'll probably find this video helpful as you begin "real world" training! ua-cam.com/video/YY0TYw3C7Qg/v-deo.html
Thank you, i have a pointer that loves to chase farmyard animals, a goose fell victim to her boisterous "play". This video is the first ive found that can really help me overcome my dogs prey drive problem.
If you can't get your dog to look in your direction at all than the cat is too close! There will be some distance away (might be pretty far!!) that your dog is comfortable enough to look away from the cat. This is where you will need to start training. Sometimes this distance is 10 feet, sometimes 100! :)
@@Pawsitivefutures problem is in the UK the houses and streets are close to each other - including the cats! All of a sudden you see a cat - then it's too late! What about rabbits and squirrels? I have to keep her on a lead because she has killed a squirrel before. Thanks though!
Mine too, shes a rescue and even after 2 years she still chases cats, squirrels, ducks etc. I found the only thing that works is if I hold her close to me in a heel position and make sure she is really paying attention to me before I go outside. If she pulls on the leash or stops paying attention to me I immediately turn around, and keep doing that until I have her full attention, and of course rewarding with treats. I will admit, it is very tough. She sometimes still chases things but persistence is key! Just remember that you are the boss! Perhaps this might work on your dog?🙂
@@musicenjoyer11 if I did all you suggested I wouldn't be able to leave the house! She gets the treat then she is back to searching for threats - she is so reactive and she is so big - she pulls me over all the time. I am not the boss unfortunately! Thank you for the help though! 😭
Check out Suzanne Clothier's automatic check in - should help a lot. Even if you just acknowledge them looking at you without using treats - like every single time throughout the day. The more you acknowledge them, the more they check in. This is you rewarding them for them deciding on their own to look at you, rather than bribing them or making noises, calling their name, etc. They're doing more work than you, which is always better for everyone, including the dog. I also do a few about turns, especially when I see feral cats, before I even think about passing. Proactive stops - do they stop with you or no? If no, you're not continuing forward on the walk. They earn their way on the walk. My assistant spent a whole week going back and forth in her driveway before ever leaving the driveway. Now the dog is right by her side all the time. If you put the work in up front, you shouldn't have to worry about a tight leash after that. McCann and instructor Carol have a video with Cheerio, the field Spaniel, and an empty dish across the room. The dish represents anything the dog wants. 180 degree turns until you can reach the dish on a loose leash. Hope that helps.
Great video! I am fostering a husky or husky mix. We also have a 3 year old cat. The dog has started waiting outside of the room where the cat is located. We have only been fostering a week. Otherwise shes very good. Just not sure how to get this to work or if it can. She is 2.
Yeah! Hope it helps! Make sure you keep enough distance that the brain can function as you work! Keeping them under threshold is very important for your progress.
Hi! Your video looks so clear and makes a lot of sense. We just adopted a sweet 1 year old pit mix who wants to go after every bird and squirrel on our walk! My question is, it looks like your dog manages themselves well on that stretch of road. Any advice for how to do this in a busier neighborhood? We have a small open patch (about the size of a basketball court). But im curious how to do this training if he is already interested in squirrels or other animals just from walking out our front door? Thank you!
Good question! We do always want to have some foundation of attention and loose leash walking established. We have a few videos on attention and loose leash I would recommend you take a peek at. Ideally if the distraction starts the moment you exit the door I would work attention on cue inside then just on the doorstep. When that goes well I would add in short sessions of loose leash walking in the driveway. As he does well you can slowly increase the distance away from the house!
Hi! Your instructions were very clear, thanks for the video! My dog is extremely distracted by small animals, even lizards, and has caught multiple animals before, most of which ended sadly. I really want to get to her stop chasing and reacting so harshly to other animals and get rid of her hunting instinct as much as possible. Sounds don't attract her attention at all, even when I call her name when she is distracted. What can I do, and where can I start?
Glad you found it helpful! I would recommend checking out our positive interrupter video or our name game video. You’ll want to work on a cue/noise and pair it with food in quiet environments and train it as a behavior before applying it In this moment. If in the head of the moment your dog won’t respond to your cue or a noise then it means your dog is over threshold! This means your pup is already too overwhelmed by the distraction and their brain isn’t in a “learning mode” but rather a “reacting mode”. This means more distance is needed! If I notice this happening in a training session I often will continue to sound inviting and just keep backing away slowly and when the dog follows have a big party! Then moving forward think on how you can change the environment. Maybe more distance from the distraction for a while where your dog can remain in thinking mode!
Ok, thanks for the advice! I watched the positive interrupter video. Is there another way I can train her without using treats because I don't have treats on me 24/7, and she would lose trust in me if I use the command and realizes I don't actually have a treat? These incidents only began occurring this past year, and she's already five years old. Do you consider this too late to change a dog's behavior?
@@xclwoamber5980 Definitely not too late to change behavior! It is important to pair this novel sound with food in the beginning to make the sounds worthy for her. After the behavior is established it is then followed up with a redirection or another cue, which can be rewarded. So you do more away from using food all the time immediately after using food. BUT it is always important to reward your dog in some capacity for behaviors we value that are hard for them. Us humans go to work for a paycheck. Would you feel differently about your job if that paycheck went away? But the paycheck for our dogs can vary as they become more advanced in these skills towards play, praise, access to an environment, another well-rewarded cue etc. But in the beginning that food is essential!
Nice idea, but as an owner of a Jack Russell, the cat doll is not effective because dogs go for scents first. That nose is turned on always. For my Jack Russell, he would approach that as a stuffy because that’s what it is. Prey Instinct triggers ‘blood in their mouth’ , basically the kill drive-a squirrel or cat. This looks like the dog just thinks this is a new game in order to eat treats. The prey drive has to be activated in order to redirect it.
Would it be the same with a whistle than a clicker? My Siberian Husky is male, 4 years when we adopted him. He had no training whatsoever and we've been doing well with getting him to recall etc. The only thing we can't break him from is the prey drive.
The clicker is designed to be a marker. So it tells the dog "Yes! That is what I wanted and a treat is coming!" Clickers are great tools to make a repeatable noise, but a marker can certainly change form to whatever else you might like. Many people, us included, also use a verbal marker like a "Yes!" or "Good!".
Everyone hates having their shoulder jerked? What I hate is when my dog sees a rabbit or a squirrel behind me and takes off at a thousand miles an hour, causing me to fall on my ass and be dragged backwards. If the furry critter is in front of us, then he bolts and brings me down and drags me forward. I just don't think a motionless cat shape is going to work. I think I need a remote-controlled squirrel to train him with.
Yes! Dragging a human down is also undesirable! :) About the stuffed animal, you would be surprised. As professional trainers, we often use stuffed dogs and cats to start the training process. It helps give the handlers and their dogs some foundation skills. After that then we begin working with the real deal. But MANY dogs react to the fake ones- much to their owner's surprise!
Thanks for the tips! I’m assuming the progress seen on this video could take multiple training sessions and many days or even months to achieve. My challenge is that my dog always sees the squirrels way before I do. She’s already in the NOT RESPONDING state and I had to pull her or remove her from the location with the harness handle.
Hey Morgan! That is correct, the progress shown here could be days-months of work depending on the intensity of your dog’s prey drive. It can be so hard when they jump out at our dogs before we see them. That’s one of the reasons having some kind of stuffed animal like in this video to work on can be so helpful in getting some successful repetitions under your belt!
I would try to build more focus this dog shows towards you before you walk in places that will have triggers for your dog. You can’t take away or reduce a dogs prey drive but you can build up their desire to stay in a loose leash position. I’ll argue that some dogs have so much drive that you won’t be able to have 100% reliable loose leash in some situations. You would need to build compliance in your obedience if you choose to engage in those environments. If you choose not to have that sort of relationship with your dog you need to be much more mindful of where you take them. The more they rehearse the prey seeking reaction, they build value in that behavior. This is a great video !
How aggressive was your dog before you trained him not to be when he/she sees a cat or squirrel ? I can walk my dog past a cat from the wide birth you started at.. Even a lil closer.. But to close and even if a see the cat first and tighten up. Bam! I literally have to stand atop him , hold his harness and try to pull him away.. I even try to shove treats in his but he aint having it.. It all about the cat..Pretty much have to wait for the cat to go away.. I have had I'm about nine months now..Hes a Pitt and hes about one and a half maybe a bit more...Nothings happening..no change. How long dose training for this take... Great video..
Hi! Glad you're enjoying the video. We have certainly worked with a variety of breeds on this challenge. When working on this training it is important to find that distance where the dog CAN be successful. We want to build up that history of looking away and rewards for a while. Only decreasing the distance in a small capacity when the dog finds it "easy". I would guess if you observe the dog, even at the distance the dog is successful, they are still a bit "intense" or "on edge". If you watch the body language of the dog in this video, in the beginning even when she is "successful" at turning away, her body is a bit stiff. She is very alert. By the end as she passes her head drops, her tail is relaxed... it is a different dog. That amount of relaxation is what I would want to be looking for before decreasing that distance ESPECIALLY in uncontrolled settings where the cat is real. Safety first!
I am going to take n educated guess that Lucy is a Siberian Husky; for a breed to have such a strong prey instinct, she's extraordinarily in self control even if you have to coax her a little. I have a 1.5 year old male German shepherd who's fascinated with my sister in law's two cats; I am somewhat concerned that he might chase them not out of malice but simply because he wants to play. I am sure the cats would not take very kindly or an interest in a 43 kilos big oaf coming anyway near them. Very well done. Kind regards.
@@Pawsitivefutures Thank you very much for your courteous reply. I was hesitating between Alaskan Malamute & Siberian husky as her physique is indeed quite slender & not a butch as my neighbour's. At any rate she's an absolute darling; keep up the great work. I am sure she'll be the talk of the town soon. Kind regards.
If you'd shown us with a dog with an actual prey drive I might have been impressed. She showed only mild interest at about 5 yards! My GSD loses her mind if she spots a cat 500 yards away and it takes 20mins to calm her down again even if I turn around and go the other way.
Love this video but I have a question. I have a treeing walker coonhound. His prey drive is extremely high. When I try to do this exercise , he completely ignore the treats. I also try his favorite toy ( did not work ). I even try an e-Collar. He’s my fist dog . I don’t want to confuse him during the training. Any tips?
If your dog won't take food it indicates a pretty high level of arousal. Basically inability to take food means the dog is not in an environment/situation that is conducive to learning. So the distraction level needs to be brought way down. Try working on some basics indoors. When that is ok, go to the front step, then the driveway, then the road, then a park etc. Slowly increasing distractions each time making sure your dog can eat. We have an upcoming webinar (plus online coaching for 2 weeks) all about arousal and how to solve it that would be a great low-cost learning option for you! www.pawsitivefutures.com/webinars
My dog, an almost 4 year old labrabull does so well on loose leash inside does a great heel and follows and pays attention to me but as soon as i take him outside ne and the treats might as well not exist. He is immediately on the hunt. He is very strong and hard to handle when he sees any cat, rabbit, similar size and shape animals, or for some reason horses. I cant get his attention no matter what.
Thats so great that you have good focus and skills inside! That is a great place to start building foundations. If the moment you step outside your dog no longer will take food then this indicates a significant amount of arousal. This could be stress, it could be excitement. Do you see signs of stress like frantic, hypervigillance, lip licking, vocalizations, stiff body, etc?
@Pawsitivefutures he is on the hunt, he remembers everywhere he has seen an animal like a cat or rabbit and just stares it down looking for it. He has good memory stopping to look up between 2 houses where he has seen a cat a couple of times looking under a couple of cars that he's seen cats under before. I have had some decent succes with a training collar (not shocking just tones and vibration) a lot less pulling and paying less attention to other animals when walking though I still have trouble getting his attention on me. The only commands he listens too on walks are wait and come on and even then it takes a few times to get him to listen.
Gotcha. Sounds like there could be a few different things going on. A few things to try: 1) Staying closer to home ie right outside the front door to work on relaxation, rewarding check ins, and reinforcing cued eye contact. This proximity to home can help make the distractions easier to handle and can give you a chance to reward behaviors that you do want. 2)Work in general on impulse control. Games like jazz up settle down are great ways to help dogs learn to manage arousal and impulse control. They can learn in different "non prey" exciting circumstances that calming down and disengaging is great. We have a vide on this game on our channel. Ultimately IMO this case sounds like there are a few layers of things that would need to be unpacked. If you are interested in a virtual consultation to start addressing this with some individualized attention, let us know! www.pawsitivefutures.com/contactregister
Oh wow. None of that works with me over excited dog. It doesn’t matter which direction I turn there’s a squirrel or a squirrel. He will engage for a bit with the treat and the. Go right back to his summersaults and jumps at treats. I think these are good tricks for certain breeds.
My husky has really strong prey drive. I've been practising what you teach in this vedeo for almost a year. I've seen great progress. He's a lot clamer when he sees a cat. But today he catched a cat while walking a leash. The cat came out of nowhere in the dark and before you knew it, my husky had a cat in his month. Luckily I had time to save it. The cat is mildly ingured and imeediately sent to the vet. I feel sad for the cat and maybe that's why I want to shrare it with you. I know that I am doing a good job training my dog and it's a process before your dog is fully trained. But I can't help but feeling a little down. I had another husky before this one and he had really strong prey drive too. He was quite well-trianed. But he's still not fully trusted with cats all his life. Maybe what happended today reminds me of him who passed away not long ago. I don't know...
It’s not your fault sometimes cats just jump out of nowhere esp when it dark, her training is good but I disagree with letting her dog walk on a loose leash right next to the cat esp w out a muzzle or sliplead or prong, not just a harness lol. Her dog was still looking at the cat by the end of the video. It doesn’t help when they are right next to them.
@@annacoulter9200 Thanks for reply. I think she's using BAT and desensitization. She lets the dog choose freely. Dogs get to decide what they are going to do and learn to make a better choice. I know everyone has their opinion and experience about this method. If it's gonna be sutible for all dogs I do'nt know. I am hoping that it helps mine. Muzzle is my choice now. As for prone collar I would never be able to consider. Anyways I am doing all I can to make sure everyone is safe and of course that includes the neighborhood cats.
Besides continuing doing this training, I'm also starting to read about hunting dogs training. Maybe something for people who have the same problem to consider.
If a fake model of an animal doesn't work, what you could do is train near an area where there are critters out of sight. For example, my dog is obsessed with a certain pile rocks because she knows mice are there in between the rocks. She acts very similarly around the rocks as this dog does around the fake cat.
You could definitely work on this same exercise with that rock pile! Since there won't be any critters in sight I would focus on rewarding loose leash, attention to you, and "let's go" movement away!
I'm trying to reduce prey drive in my Shiba Inu... She learns extremely fast, but I cannot seem to figure out how to reduce her fascination/aggression with bugs. She is obsessed with ants, beetles, grasshopper sounds, mosquitos and flies, she refuses to move from or look away from bugs. If I change directions she sits and stares at the ground. If I pick her up and place her 10 yards away she just stares off in to the void where the bugs were. She might walk for a few seconds, but just finds another ant to chase on the concrete. I tried for 2 weeks straight, collar, harness, leashless at dogpark, brought toys, treats, make nice noises and words of encouragement -- nothing, she ignores everything. She is laser focused on bugs. All bugs. After watching about 10 of these videos now, I'm just going to start over with leash training her in doors *shrugs* because nothing works. I tried the dog park and she ignores everyone to dig at ant hills. I'd kill just to have a dog that goes crazy over the occasional rodent or other dog, at this point, lol. Having a tough time finding advice on bugs.
@@patmunro3531 genuinely asking are you all well with like your IQ levels? The point is that if the dog KNOWS the command and LISTENS that won't happen because the dog will IGNORE the animal and FOCUS on the owner INSTEAD of chasing after the animal. So if you train your dog correctly you won't have a dog with a "screaming rabbit" in its Jaws.
Akitas and Malamutes are similar in their prey drive. And while, yes, these dogs will always have strong instincts for the desire to chase, you CAN modify behavior! By creating structured set ups like this you can start to reinforce the dog for more desired alternatives like looking away and moving away. You can also use Premack Principle and allow structured outlets to chase after they disengage. Toys like flirt poles can also help with building impulse control and allowing structured chase outlets. Depending on how old the dog is, or how strong the instinct is, it certainly can impact how long the training takes... but all behavior can be modified! :)
@@Pawsitivefutures My akita if she see a rabbit or cat at night time don’t care what trainer you are ain’t no stopping her from going after it or my akita /shepherd and my wolf dog the same way
All dogs can be in a situation where they are unable to handle the moment, which always leads us back down the training path. And even when engaged in a training plan there will be moments where it is too much or or dog is overthreshold and we have to just "hang on" and try to get out of there. But the goal is always to introduce them slowly enough that we can work on desensitization and counter conditioning. Malmutes are freighting dogs, you are right! But they also were used as hunting dogs for seal and reindeer- so prey drive is certainly there! ;) But of course with all dogs even those in the same breed there can be variation! We all start somewhere in the training program, but you are right if the dog is overthreshold their thinking brain cannot work! We just have to be creative, patient, and consistent with training to slowly build them up so they are in a place where the brain CAN work- thats where the learning happens.
If you had a pure bred Siberian Husky on the end of that leash with extremely bad prey drive that cat would be dead and the dog would care less about the treats. What if the dog was off leash in your back yard? Recall does not exists without proper POSITIVE e-collar training when it comes to prey drive. Your not doing anything but making that dog fat.
Hey Samantha, prey instincts certainly vary based on breed and even within individuals amongst the same breed. This is just one of many exercises that can be done to help dogs learn that calm behavior and disengaging/looking away/moving away are all better and more rewarding options. We always want to look at each individual dog when constructing a custom training plan and do certainly add in different activities, management, and safety measures depending on the severity of the case. We only recommend and use positive reinforcement training techniques that are humane and effective. These methods are science backed and recommended by the American veterinary and veterinary behavior community. These methods can change behaviors, create new more desired behavior patterns and can be done so without causing dogs to become overweight.
Are you working on training in public? You'll probably find this video helpful as you begin "real world" training! ua-cam.com/video/YY0TYw3C7Qg/v-deo.html
Just adopted a 2 year old German Shepherd. This is very helpful. We’re working on getting the dog & cat at peace.
Thank you, i have a pointer that loves to chase farmyard animals, a goose fell victim to her boisterous "play". This video is the first ive found that can really help me overcome my dogs prey drive problem.
The realistic cat is awesome!
Right? When I bring it to lessons even people think it is real! Its a great training tool to help our dogs! :)
Sounds great but I cannot get my rescue street dog to even look at me after over a year of training. She sees a cat - I hold on!
If you can't get your dog to look in your direction at all than the cat is too close! There will be some distance away (might be pretty far!!) that your dog is comfortable enough to look away from the cat. This is where you will need to start training. Sometimes this distance is 10 feet, sometimes 100! :)
@@Pawsitivefutures problem is in the UK the houses and streets are close to each other - including the cats! All of a sudden you see a cat - then it's too late! What about rabbits and squirrels? I have to keep her on a lead because she has killed a squirrel before. Thanks though!
Mine too, shes a rescue and even after 2 years she still chases cats, squirrels, ducks etc. I found the only thing that works is if I hold her close to me in a heel position and make sure she is really paying attention to me before I go outside. If she pulls on the leash or stops paying attention to me I immediately turn around, and keep doing that until I have her full attention, and of course rewarding with treats. I will admit, it is very tough. She sometimes still chases things but persistence is key! Just remember that you are the boss! Perhaps this might work on your dog?🙂
@@musicenjoyer11 if I did all you suggested I wouldn't be able to leave the house! She gets the treat then she is back to searching for threats - she is so reactive and she is so big - she pulls me over all the time. I am not the boss unfortunately! Thank you for the help though! 😭
Check out Suzanne Clothier's automatic check in - should help a lot. Even if you just acknowledge them looking at you without using treats - like every single time throughout the day. The more you acknowledge them, the more they check in. This is you rewarding them for them deciding on their own to look at you, rather than bribing them or making noises, calling their name, etc. They're doing more work than you, which is always better for everyone, including the dog. I also do a few about turns, especially when I see feral cats, before I even think about passing. Proactive stops - do they stop with you or no? If no, you're not continuing forward on the walk. They earn their way on the walk. My assistant spent a whole week going back and forth in her driveway before ever leaving the driveway. Now the dog is right by her side all the time. If you put the work in up front, you shouldn't have to worry about a tight leash after that. McCann and instructor Carol have a video with Cheerio, the field Spaniel, and an empty dish across the room. The dish represents anything the dog wants. 180 degree turns until you can reach the dish on a loose leash. Hope that helps.
Were do we get that cat
Great video! I am fostering a husky or husky mix. We also have a 3 year old cat. The dog has started waiting outside of the room where the cat is located. We have only been fostering a week. Otherwise shes very good. Just not sure how to get this to work or if it can. She is 2.
Thank you for this. Currently trying to train my 11mth Samoyed with a very high prey drive and real hate for cats!!
Yeah! Hope it helps! Make sure you keep enough distance that the brain can function as you work! Keeping them under threshold is very important for your progress.
Oof working with my Sammy as well, her prey drive is awful, has no food motivation what so ever, just critter drive. How's yours now?
i am wondering what would happen if it would be a real cat running away. Would the dog still be interested in the clicker and treat?
Malinois with real cat
Hi! Your video looks so clear and makes a lot of sense. We just adopted a sweet 1 year old pit mix who wants to go after every bird and squirrel on our walk! My question is, it looks like your dog manages themselves well on that stretch of road. Any advice for how to do this in a busier neighborhood? We have a small open patch (about the size of a basketball court). But im curious how to do this training if he is already interested in squirrels or other animals just from walking out our front door? Thank you!
Good question! We do always want to have some foundation of attention and loose leash walking established. We have a few videos on attention and loose leash I would recommend you take a peek at. Ideally if the distraction starts the moment you exit the door I would work attention on cue inside then just on the doorstep. When that goes well I would add in short sessions of loose leash walking in the driveway. As he does well you can slowly increase the distance away from the house!
Beautiful work great video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi! Your instructions were very clear, thanks for the video!
My dog is extremely distracted by small animals, even lizards, and has caught multiple animals before, most of which ended sadly.
I really want to get to her stop chasing and reacting so harshly to other animals and get rid of her hunting instinct as much as possible.
Sounds don't attract her attention at all, even when I call her name when she is distracted. What can I do, and where can I start?
Glad you found it helpful! I would recommend checking out our positive interrupter video or our name game video. You’ll want to work on a cue/noise and pair it with food in quiet environments and train it as a behavior before applying it In this moment.
If in the head of the moment your dog won’t respond to your cue or a noise then it means your dog is over threshold! This means your pup is already too overwhelmed by the distraction and their brain isn’t in a “learning mode” but rather a “reacting mode”. This means more distance is needed!
If I notice this happening in a training session I often will continue to sound inviting and just keep backing away slowly and when the dog follows have a big party! Then moving forward think on how you can change the environment. Maybe more distance from the distraction for a while where your dog can remain in thinking mode!
Here is a link to the positive interrupter video!
ua-cam.com/video/noHI0ClrDdk/v-deo.html
Ok, thanks for the advice! I watched the positive interrupter video.
Is there another way I can train her without using treats because I don't have treats on me 24/7, and she would lose trust in me if I use the command and realizes I don't actually have a treat?
These incidents only began occurring this past year, and she's already five years old. Do you consider this too late to change a dog's behavior?
@@xclwoamber5980 Definitely not too late to change behavior! It is important to pair this novel sound with food in the beginning to make the sounds worthy for her. After the behavior is established it is then followed up with a redirection or another cue, which can be rewarded. So you do more away from using food all the time immediately after using food.
BUT it is always important to reward your dog in some capacity for behaviors we value that are hard for them. Us humans go to work for a paycheck. Would you feel differently about your job if that paycheck went away? But the paycheck for our dogs can vary as they become more advanced in these skills towards play, praise, access to an environment, another well-rewarded cue etc.
But in the beginning that food is essential!
Great job. Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nice idea, but as an owner of a Jack Russell, the cat doll is not effective because dogs go for scents first. That nose is turned on always. For my Jack Russell, he would approach that as a stuffy because that’s what it is. Prey Instinct triggers ‘blood in their mouth’ , basically the kill drive-a squirrel or cat. This looks like the dog just thinks this is a new game in order to eat treats. The prey drive has to be activated in order to redirect it.
Would it be the same with a whistle than a clicker?
My Siberian Husky is male, 4 years when we adopted him. He had no training whatsoever and we've been doing well with getting him to recall etc. The only thing we can't break him from is the prey drive.
The clicker is designed to be a marker. So it tells the dog "Yes! That is what I wanted and a treat is coming!" Clickers are great tools to make a repeatable noise, but a marker can certainly change form to whatever else you might like. Many people, us included, also use a verbal marker like a "Yes!" or "Good!".
Another great video! Thank you!
Everyone hates having their shoulder jerked?
What I hate is when my dog sees a rabbit or a squirrel behind me and takes off at a thousand miles an hour, causing me to fall on my ass and be dragged backwards. If the furry critter is in front of us, then he bolts and brings me down and drags me forward. I just don't think a motionless cat shape is going to work. I think I need a remote-controlled squirrel to train him with.
Yes! Dragging a human down is also undesirable! :) About the stuffed animal, you would be surprised. As professional trainers, we often use stuffed dogs and cats to start the training process. It helps give the handlers and their dogs some foundation skills. After that then we begin working with the real deal. But MANY dogs react to the fake ones- much to their owner's surprise!
“This cat looks really real!”
Me: “how does that cat stand perfectly still like that?”
Hahah the dog thinks so too! 😉
Thanks for the tips! I’m assuming the progress seen on this video could take multiple training sessions and many days or even months to achieve. My challenge is that my dog always sees the squirrels way before I do. She’s already in the NOT RESPONDING state and I had to pull her or remove her from the location with the harness handle.
Hey Morgan! That is correct, the progress shown here could be days-months of work depending on the intensity of your dog’s prey drive. It can be so hard when they jump out at our dogs before we see them. That’s one of the reasons having some kind of stuffed animal like in this video to work on can be so helpful in getting some successful repetitions under your belt!
I would try to build more focus this dog shows towards you before you walk in places that will have triggers for your dog. You can’t take away or reduce a dogs prey drive but you can build up their desire to stay in a loose leash position. I’ll argue that some dogs have so much drive that you won’t be able to have 100% reliable loose leash in some situations. You would need to build compliance in your obedience if you choose to engage in those environments. If you choose not to have that sort of relationship with your dog you need to be much more mindful of where you take them. The more they rehearse the prey seeking reaction, they build value in that behavior. This is a great video !
How aggressive was your dog before you trained him not to be when he/she sees a cat or squirrel ? I can walk my dog past a cat from the wide birth you started at.. Even a lil closer.. But to close and even if a see the cat first and tighten up. Bam! I literally have to stand atop him , hold his harness and try to pull him away.. I even try to shove treats in his but he aint having it.. It all about the cat..Pretty much have to wait for the cat to go away.. I have had I'm about nine months now..Hes a Pitt and hes about one and a half maybe a bit more...Nothings happening..no change. How long dose training for this take... Great video..
Hi! Glad you're enjoying the video. We have certainly worked with a variety of breeds on this challenge. When working on this training it is important to find that distance where the dog CAN be successful. We want to build up that history of looking away and rewards for a while. Only decreasing the distance in a small capacity when the dog finds it "easy". I would guess if you observe the dog, even at the distance the dog is successful, they are still a bit "intense" or "on edge". If you watch the body language of the dog in this video, in the beginning even when she is "successful" at turning away, her body is a bit stiff. She is very alert. By the end as she passes her head drops, her tail is relaxed... it is a different dog. That amount of relaxation is what I would want to be looking for before decreasing that distance ESPECIALLY in uncontrolled settings where the cat is real. Safety first!
You could tie a string to the cat with someone behind a tree or walk to make it move, slowly then faster as the dog gets used to it
I am going to take n educated guess that Lucy is a Siberian Husky; for a breed to have such a strong prey instinct, she's extraordinarily in self control even if you have to coax her a little. I have a 1.5 year old male German shepherd who's fascinated with my sister in law's two cats; I am somewhat concerned that he might chase them not out of malice but simply because he wants to play. I am sure the cats would not take very kindly or an interest in a 43 kilos big oaf coming anyway near them. Very well done. Kind regards.
Close! She is an Alaskan Malamute- and did start her early life with very high prey drive and has made some wonderful progress! :) Thank you!
@@Pawsitivefutures
Thank you very much for your courteous reply. I was hesitating between Alaskan Malamute & Siberian husky as her physique is indeed quite slender & not a butch as my neighbour's. At any rate she's an absolute darling; keep up the great work. I am sure she'll be the talk of the town soon. Kind regards.
If you'd shown us with a dog with an actual prey drive I might have been impressed. She showed only mild interest at about 5 yards!
My GSD loses her mind if she spots a cat 500 yards away and it takes 20mins to calm her down again even if I turn around and go the other way.
Love this video but I have a question.
I have a treeing walker coonhound. His prey drive is extremely high. When I try to do this exercise , he completely ignore the treats. I also try his favorite toy ( did not work ). I even try an e-Collar.
He’s my fist dog . I don’t want to confuse him during the training. Any tips?
If your dog won't take food it indicates a pretty high level of arousal. Basically inability to take food means the dog is not in an environment/situation that is conducive to learning. So the distraction level needs to be brought way down. Try working on some basics indoors. When that is ok, go to the front step, then the driveway, then the road, then a park etc. Slowly increasing distractions each time making sure your dog can eat. We have an upcoming webinar (plus online coaching for 2 weeks) all about arousal and how to solve it that would be a great low-cost learning option for you! www.pawsitivefutures.com/webinars
@@Pawsitivefutures thank you
My dog, an almost 4 year old labrabull does so well on loose leash inside does a great heel and follows and pays attention to me but as soon as i take him outside ne and the treats might as well not exist. He is immediately on the hunt. He is very strong and hard to handle when he sees any cat, rabbit, similar size and shape animals, or for some reason horses. I cant get his attention no matter what.
Thats so great that you have good focus and skills inside! That is a great place to start building foundations. If the moment you step outside your dog no longer will take food then this indicates a significant amount of arousal. This could be stress, it could be excitement. Do you see signs of stress like frantic, hypervigillance, lip licking, vocalizations, stiff body, etc?
@Pawsitivefutures he is on the hunt, he remembers everywhere he has seen an animal like a cat or rabbit and just stares it down looking for it. He has good memory stopping to look up between 2 houses where he has seen a cat a couple of times looking under a couple of cars that he's seen cats under before. I have had some decent succes with a training collar (not shocking just tones and vibration) a lot less pulling and paying less attention to other animals when walking though I still have trouble getting his attention on me. The only commands he listens too on walks are wait and come on and even then it takes a few times to get him to listen.
Gotcha. Sounds like there could be a few different things going on. A few things to try: 1) Staying closer to home ie right outside the front door to work on relaxation, rewarding check ins, and reinforcing cued eye contact. This proximity to home can help make the distractions easier to handle and can give you a chance to reward behaviors that you do want. 2)Work in general on impulse control. Games like jazz up settle down are great ways to help dogs learn to manage arousal and impulse control. They can learn in different "non prey" exciting circumstances that calming down and disengaging is great. We have a vide on this game on our channel. Ultimately IMO this case sounds like there are a few layers of things that would need to be unpacked. If you are interested in a virtual consultation to start addressing this with some individualized attention, let us know! www.pawsitivefutures.com/contactregister
Oh wow. None of that works with me over excited dog. It doesn’t matter which direction I turn there’s a squirrel or a squirrel. He will engage for a bit with the treat and the. Go right back to his summersaults and jumps at treats. I think these are good tricks for certain breeds.
My husky has really strong prey drive. I've been practising what you teach in this vedeo for almost a year. I've seen great progress. He's a lot clamer when he sees a cat. But today he catched a cat while walking a leash. The cat came out of nowhere in the dark and before you knew it, my husky had a cat in his month. Luckily I had time to save it. The cat is mildly ingured and imeediately sent to the vet.
I feel sad for the cat and maybe that's why I want to shrare it with you. I know that I am doing a good job training my dog and it's a process before your dog is fully trained. But I can't help but feeling a little down.
I had another husky before this one and he had really strong prey drive too. He was quite well-trianed. But he's still not fully trusted with cats all his life. Maybe what happended today reminds me of him who passed away not long ago. I don't know...
It’s not your fault sometimes cats just jump out of nowhere esp when it dark, her training is good but I disagree with letting her dog walk on a loose leash right next to the cat esp w out a muzzle or sliplead or prong, not just a harness lol. Her dog was still looking at the cat by the end of the video. It doesn’t help when they are right next to them.
@@annacoulter9200 Thanks for reply. I think she's using BAT and desensitization. She lets the dog choose freely. Dogs get to decide what they are going to do and learn to make a better choice. I know everyone has their opinion and experience about this method. If it's gonna be sutible for all dogs I do'nt know. I am hoping that it helps mine. Muzzle is my choice now. As for prone collar I would never be able to consider. Anyways I am doing all I can to make sure everyone is safe and of course that includes the neighborhood cats.
Besides continuing doing this training, I'm also starting to read about hunting dogs training. Maybe something for people who have the same problem to consider.
If a fake model of an animal doesn't work, what you could do is train near an area where there are critters out of sight. For example, my dog is obsessed with a certain pile rocks because she knows mice are there in between the rocks. She acts very similarly around the rocks as this dog does around the fake cat.
You could definitely work on this same exercise with that rock pile! Since there won't be any critters in sight I would focus on rewarding loose leash, attention to you, and "let's go" movement away!
I'm trying to reduce prey drive in my Shiba Inu... She learns extremely fast, but I cannot seem to figure out how to reduce her fascination/aggression with bugs.
She is obsessed with ants, beetles, grasshopper sounds, mosquitos and flies, she refuses to move from or look away from bugs. If I change directions she sits and stares at the ground. If I pick her up and place her 10 yards away she just stares off in to the void where the bugs were. She might walk for a few seconds, but just finds another ant to chase on the concrete.
I tried for 2 weeks straight, collar, harness, leashless at dogpark, brought toys, treats, make nice noises and words of encouragement -- nothing, she ignores everything. She is laser focused on bugs. All bugs.
After watching about 10 of these videos now, I'm just going to start over with leash training her in doors *shrugs* because nothing works. I tried the dog park and she ignores everyone to dig at ant hills. I'd kill just to have a dog that goes crazy over the occasional rodent or other dog, at this point, lol. Having a tough time finding advice on bugs.
You can apply this same concept. I agree though that if she is that focused then it is time to rebuild and strengthen some of the foundation cues!
Now try it with a real cat that actually moves! ;)
my husky isn't getting rid of his prey drive its who he is
That training won't work if the cat moves.
It will once the dog knows the command. The point of the fake animal is to train the dog the command
@@moonlitmeaows Does the dog then obey the command with a live, struggling, screaming rabbit in its jaws? It KNOWS the command right?
@@patmunro3531 genuinely asking are you all well with like your IQ levels? The point is that if the dog KNOWS the command and LISTENS that won't happen because the dog will IGNORE the animal and FOCUS on the owner INSTEAD of chasing after the animal. So if you train your dog correctly you won't have a dog with a "screaming rabbit" in its Jaws.
@@moonlitmeaows The "screaming rabbit" is the PROOF your dog understands command. Will the dog drop the rabbit??
You can’t stop prey drive with a akita lol
Akitas and Malamutes are similar in their prey drive. And while, yes, these dogs will always have strong instincts for the desire to chase, you CAN modify behavior! By creating structured set ups like this you can start to reinforce the dog for more desired alternatives like looking away and moving away. You can also use Premack Principle and allow structured outlets to chase after they disengage. Toys like flirt poles can also help with building impulse control and allowing structured chase outlets. Depending on how old the dog is, or how strong the instinct is, it certainly can impact how long the training takes... but all behavior can be modified! :)
@@Pawsitivefutures A akita prey drive is way stronger than a Alaskan malamute. They hunting dogs the other a sled puller.
@@Pawsitivefutures My akita if she see a rabbit or cat at night time don’t care what trainer you are ain’t no stopping her from going after it or my akita /shepherd and my wolf dog the same way
All dogs can be in a situation where they are unable to handle the moment, which always leads us back down the training path. And even when engaged in a training plan there will be moments where it is too much or or dog is overthreshold and we have to just "hang on" and try to get out of there. But the goal is always to introduce them slowly enough that we can work on desensitization and counter conditioning.
Malmutes are freighting dogs, you are right! But they also were used as hunting dogs for seal and reindeer- so prey drive is certainly there! ;) But of course with all dogs even those in the same breed there can be variation! We all start somewhere in the training program, but you are right if the dog is overthreshold their thinking brain cannot work! We just have to be creative, patient, and consistent with training to slowly build them up so they are in a place where the brain CAN work- thats where the learning happens.
@@Pawsitivefutures Akita a way more aggressive and dominant breed to and you can’t train it out of a akita no off leash walking with Akitas lol
Horrible training strategy it doesn't feel natural giving him snack all the time
This dog is not even reactive.
If you had a pure bred Siberian Husky on the end of that leash with extremely bad prey drive that cat would be dead and the dog would care less about the treats. What if the dog was off leash in your back yard? Recall does not exists without proper POSITIVE e-collar training when it comes to prey drive. Your not doing anything but making that dog fat.
Hey Samantha, prey instincts certainly vary based on breed and even within individuals amongst the same breed. This is just one of many exercises that can be done to help dogs learn that calm behavior and disengaging/looking away/moving away are all better and more rewarding options. We always want to look at each individual dog when constructing a custom training plan and do certainly add in different activities, management, and safety measures depending on the severity of the case.
We only recommend and use positive reinforcement training techniques that are humane and effective. These methods are science backed and recommended by the American veterinary and veterinary behavior community. These methods can change behaviors, create new more desired behavior patterns and can be done so without causing dogs to become overweight.
Positive e collar training is forbincompetent owners, i live with wolfdog and never had the idea of using such an abusive tool as an e collar