07/14/2025
What is “Prey Drive”?
The predation sequence is hardwired into all carnivores: orient → eye → stalk → chase → grab → kill → dissect → consume. Wild predators do the entire sequence without flaw. If they don't do it perfectly, they don't survive.
But domestic dogs don't always have the complete sequence. Border collies and other herding breeds were selected to exaggerate the first half. That’s why they stare, stalk, and chase but (hopefully) stop before the bite.
Predation isn’t aggression. Aggression is about fear: dogs trying to make something go away by acting big and scary. Predation is different. Predatory dogs don’t want the thing to go away. They want it very much.
Owners are often shocked when their dog kills a baby bird or chases a cat. But even squeaky toys are designed to mimic dying prey, because it excites our dogs!
It’s "Animal Planet in your living room." It can be an eye opener when Fluffy is a stone cold killer!
But this doesn't mean dogs are dangerous. While dogs can show aggression AND predation, predatory behaviour is not predictive of a dog's danger to humans.
We even use predation as a reward. Agility dogs tug. Search and rescue dogs get a toy. Detection dogs earn a ball.
Learn more in Urban Sheepdog:
https://amzn.to/4g0o6VT
