31/05/2025
We still have spaces on this free presentation scheduled for Monday
PREY DRIVE IS MAKING YOUR WALKS A MISERY?
Sometimes we worry, stress & don’t feel safe walking our high prey drive dogs but there are things we can do to help ourselves and them whilst we are working on changing their behaviour around prey.
Of course our dog’s response to seeing prey will not change if we don’t change ourselves, so we must learn to understand what is happening for him when he sees prey & then we can work on changing his behaviour & his responses to prey. Importantly, in the meantime we can help him by making his walks easier! That will help him & us both, so here are some tips for you.
No 1 is to think about a walks rest & investigate other ways to provide for your dog’s mental & physical needs instead. This could be enrichment, sniffy games, relationship building activities such as tricks and other fun physical games which you can play together. Tbh I dont walk my own dogs every day as the training we do at home and in safe spaces is far more beneficial to us both & creates learning & connection for the real world walks that we want to do.
It’s far easier to work with prey drive with a dog who has learned to focus on us & participate in simple games with us, than one who is so focussed on the world outside he drags us through our door or gateway immediately alert & looking for prey and this is the stage generally where I start helping owners to change the story.
Whilst working with your dog to change, it’s worth exploring other spaces where you and your dog can enjoy a more relaxing experience. This is a much better option than the woods for example where prey & smells are rife, or right outside your house where your dog knows next door’s cat is hiding in the hedge! If our dog is high prey drive to the point of obsession then keeping our Distance & space from prey for a while is important to enable us to work on training what we do want from our dog instead.
Thinking outside the norm is really helpful, Industrial Estates at a weekend for example can provide a great training space & there are usually grass areas & hedges for your dog to sniff & explore safely too, and will also provide a much lower prey impact training environment for both of you.
Secure fields provide super safe spaces these days for us with our dogs and they often provide other fun outlets for you and your dog too, to practice such as tug or flirtpole activities, setting up searches and many also have fun obstacle courses or sniffaris. I highly recommend you Always visit the field first to ensure its suitability. The last thing you want is to turn up & find a field of sheep next door with a high prey drive dog.
Always avoid taking your dog down heavily populated “pheasant alley” or across the rabbit run areas where there are masses of bunny holes & p**p to go mad over. Don’t continue walking past your neighbours’ gateway where you know your dog’s nemesis (their cat) is waiting to spread his smell either. Dealing with prey drive is about change & having the necessary knowledge & skills to work on making that change.
Having a selection of exercises at your fingertips & well practiced to get you out of trouble when you do run into it & when you desperately need them, such as pattern games your dog really enjoys or an emergency about turn response to his ball, or a “with me” catch game will enable you to take the necessary action required on a walk to avoid prey & keep you and him safe and happy. These are crucial game changers and should be well practiced.
Don’t be stuck in a rut and fall into the habit of the same walk every day because of where you live, or it’s convenient. Be prepared to change your habits. If we want to help our dogs we need to change what we are doing ourselves.
Albert Einstein once said, ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’.
On Monday 2nd June at 7pm we are running a free online session when we will be introducing you to a different way of thinking & working with your high prey drive working dog, plus we will give you an introduction to our High Prey Drive fully supported professional 8 week programme starting 16th June to help you make the change.
Don’t miss this opportunity: book on the link below for free and you will receive details of how to join us.
https://portal.busypaws.app/customers/dobercademy?booking_id=1309366
PREY DRIVE IS MAKING YOUR WALKS A MISERY?
Sometimes we worry, stress & don’t feel safe walking our high prey drive dogs but there are things we can do to help ourselves and them whilst we are working on changing their behaviour around prey.
Of course our dog’s response to seeing prey will not change if we don’t change ourselves, so we must learn to understand what is happening for him when he sees prey & then we can work on changing his behaviour & his responses to prey. Importantly, in the meantime we can help him by making his walks easier! That will help him & us both, so here are some tips for you.
No 1 is to think about a walks rest & investigate other ways to provide for your dog’s mental & physical needs instead. This could be enrichment, sniffy games, relationship building activities such as tricks and other fun physical games which you can play together. Tbh I dont walk my own dogs every day as the training we do at home and in safe spaces is far more beneficial to us both & creates learning & connection for the real world walks that we want to do.
It’s far easier to work with prey drive with a dog who has learned to focus on us & participate in simple games with us, than one who is so focussed on the world outside he drags us through our door or gateway immediately alert & looking for prey and this is the stage generally where I start helping owners to change the story.
Whilst working with your dog to change, it’s worth exploring other spaces where you and your dog can enjoy a more relaxing experience. This is a much better option than the woods for example where prey & smells are rife, or right outside your house where your dog knows next door’s cat is hiding in the hedge! If our dog is high prey drive to the point of obsession then keeping our Distance & space from prey for a while is important to enable us to work on training what we do want from our dog instead.
Thinking outside the norm is really helpful, Industrial Estates at a weekend for example can provide a great training space & there are usually grass areas & hedges for your dog to sniff & explore safely too, and will also provide a much lower prey impact training environment for both of you.
Secure fields provide super safe spaces these days for us with our dogs and they often provide other fun outlets for you and your dog too, to practice such as tug or flirtpole activities, setting up searches and many also have fun obstacle courses or sniffaris. I highly recommend you Always visit the field first to ensure its suitability. The last thing you want is to turn up & find a field of sheep next door with a high prey drive dog.
Always avoid taking your dog down heavily populated “pheasant alley” or across the rabbit run areas where there are masses of bunny holes & p**p to go mad over. Don’t continue walking past your neighbours’ gateway where you know your dog’s nemesis (their cat) is waiting to spread his smell either. Dealing with prey drive is about change & having the necessary knowledge & skills to work on making that change.
Having a selection of exercises at your fingertips & well practiced to get you out of trouble when you do run into it & when you desperately need them, such as pattern games your dog really enjoys or an emergency about turn response to his ball, or a “with me” catch game will enable you to take the necessary action required on a walk to avoid prey & keep you and him safe and happy. These are crucial game changers and should be well practiced.
Don’t be stuck in a rut and fall into the habit of the same walk every day because of where you live, or it’s convenient. Be prepared to change your habits. If we want to help our dogs we need to change what we are doing ourselves.
Albert Einstein once said, ‘Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’.
On Monday 2nd June at 7pm we are running a free online session when we will be introducing you to a different way of thinking & working with your high prey drive working dog, plus we will give you an introduction to our High Prey Drive fully supported professional 8 week programme starting 16th June to help you make the change.
Don’t miss this opportunity: book on the link below for free and you will receive details of how to join us.
https://portal.busypaws.app/customers/dobercademy?booking_id=1309366
