09/22/2022
This may explain why I DO NOT support dog parks. A well written explanation from a UK behavioralist.
Predatory drift.
Although the name ‘predatory drift’ implies the gradual movement from the PLAY circuitry in the brain to the SEEKING circuitry it is not (Panksepp and Biven, 2012). It is an instant switch that happens with observable physiological signals that are antecedents to predatory behaviours.
Dog breeds are wired differently in their brains, through selective breeding processes and selection (Coppinger and Coppinger, 2001).
Although you can train a breed to do a job that they are not ‘predisposed’ to do, such as a collie to do a retrieve, there is a genetic predisposition and a 'body conformity' for that specific skill (Coppinger and Coppinger, 2001).
So, a collie can be trained to do a water retrieve, however they do not have the body conformity as in body composition and feel the cold more than a retriever.
Let us look at PLAY and SEEKING.
PLAY
According to Panksepp and Biven (2012) brain circuitry of PLAY is evident with dogs that are relaxed and happy. PLAY does not happen if there is hunger, thirst, pain, discomfort, or threat.
If the dog is feeling grief, rage, frustration, anxiety, fear, you will not see PLAY.
It is also impeded by an excess of dopamine.
PLAY BEHAVIOURS can be seen by the following:
• Play signals that are used throughout the PLAY session such as happy play face, play bow.
• Larger exaggerated movements – you see this with the puppies that jump and lunge.
• Very loose face and body physiology
• Fragmented incomplete behaviours
• Use of other objects such as the chasing of play objects.
• Quick responses to the situation that seem very reflexive.
PLAY facilitates some dopamine, and oxytocin, but also has other opioids and neurotransmitters such as Glutamate and Acetylcholine.
Play is extremely useful for dogs to learn about emotions of other dogs (or their humans) and to build up some cognitive skills. It supports the dogs in how to build up relationships, how to maintain relationships and how to work cooperatively.
With family dogs in a large group, or extremely familial dogs there may be boisterous play that has a lot of rough and tumble. This is not usually seen in dogs that are unfamiliar or dogs that meet up for an occasional play date. If it is seen a dog may not have 'social skills', or understand the language of the 'dog'.
For puppies and young dogs PLAY helps them through the process of building up their non-social skills. These can often be seen in their predatory motor patterns but are truncated (broken bits) or in different orders. It is practice time 🙂
When a larger dog, then plays with a smaller dog (but not always) there may be a situation through over-arousal whereby the larger dog switches into SEEKING.
There is a dopamine dump into the system and there is an ‘alert arousal’ without any given emotion, within this type of SEEKING behaviour.
SEEKING behaviour is dopamine-driven and supports the predatory motor pattern (PMP) of that dog. It is not the ‘reward’ or ‘reinforcement’ that is important it is the ‘SEEKING’ part of the behaviour pattern. SEEKING can be involved with other systems specifically those within the emotional systems.
A dog that is seeking (think of the Labrador after that bit of sausage you threw in the bushes) is highly motivated, highly enthusiastic, as it supports the dog’s exploration and has a high amount of curiosity.
The PREDATORY MOTOR PATTERN (PMP) depends on the type of dog or mix of dog that is in front of you.
The entire PMP is as follows:
Orient --> eye-stalk --> chase--> grab-bite --> kill-bite--> dissect --> consume
A border collie has the following behaviours bred over years that are hypertrophied (those in capitals) in other words they are exaggerated.
Orient --> EYE-STALK --> CHASE --> grab-bite --> kill-bite --> dissect -> consume
A border collie that bites is a 'failed' dog. Usually ending up in the pet owners care….then think children and groups of dogs on parks! Anyway, that is another story.
So, looking at say the German Shepherd Dog, some lines are working lines, so what was their job originally? In 1850’s dogs were bred to do a job.
The UK Kennel Club had 54 dogs registered in 1919. The original dog was bred for herding and protecting sheep and perhaps the shepherd too!
GSD’s PMP may look like this (Coppinger and Coppinger, 2001; Serpell, 2005) with the CHASE --> GRAB-BITE parts of the PMP that are exaggerated through breeding.
Orient --> eye-stalk --> CHASE --> GRAB-BITE --> kill-bite -->dissect_-> consume
How does this affect you?
In a given situation where they are at PLAY, may mean that the dog switches from PLAY to SEEKING, called PREDATORY DRIFT, and is nothing like drifting in the movie The Fast and the Furious (Tokyo) 🙂
This is especially prevalent when larger dogs play with smaller ones, increased arousal, with an associative increase in dopamine that supports each pattern part of the PMP, there is the SWITCH! BOOM!
It may happen when the little dog makes a squeal, it may be through frustration because they can not catch the little dog or just generally an increased arousal during PLAY.
PLAY circuitry is switched off and SEEKING is switched on.
There are often the signals of a change in body language from the above play behaviours to some of the following:
• Lip-licking
• Intense staring
• Fixed mouth
• Forward movement of the body
• Paw lift
• Breathing change
• Stiff tail
• Ears are forward and stiff
• Stillness
• Mouth and face are usually stiff although the tongue may be out it is not soft spooned at the end
• It may involve a down watch behaviour in preparation for the chase. Sometimes it may involve a sit and head curved over behaviour.
Now some GSD’s are not inhibited in their mouthing (they tend to be nose bodgers or open-mouthed on necks, shoulders or even catch the back of legs) this is the ‘grab-bite’ that is in their PMP.
Also some breeding lines of GSD may have exaggerated grab-bite which facilitates the use of them in security work, bite work etc.
On a similar sized dog this is ok as there is a ‘cost benefit analysis’ in injuring a larger dog and the consequences that may have on the SEEKER.
With a smaller dog this may mean that the larger dog does some damage. This is just due to size, also due to the sounds that the ‘prey’ makes when grab-bite is done.
When the switch happens, a dog in SEEKING is NOT emotional, it is aroused but NOT emotional. this is where a dog does not recall...and just focuses on the PREY!
The PMP is a highly reinforcing innate (internally) suite of behaviours as at every junction of the PMP there is a dopamine fix.
Once a dog does digress and cause injury to a dog through this process, care and I mean CARE needs to be taken in future when exposed to multiple dog interactions.
SEEKING is highly reinforcing especially when there has been a completion of the PMP. It will be more rewarding than that steak you hold in your hand!
So, what do you do if your dog has performed its PMP and there has been an unfortunate outcome.
PRECAUTIONS
• Positively introduce the muzzle. A Baskerville Muzzle that is introduced using reward-based learning is beneficial to avoid the dog using their teeth. (Chirag Patel has a great video for this)
• Use a harness and a long line for control in a situation where you may come across, game or small dogs.
• Practice recall and proof it.
• Avoid instances of leaving family or familial dogs together without supervision. If needs be use either pen, crate or another room for the dog to relax and rest in when the carers are not present.
• Seek the help of a POSITIVE REWARD BASED TRAINER [RBT] (see Cooper et al, 2014 who found RBT more effective than punishment-based methods in changing chasing behaviours; De Castro et al 2020 – who looked at different schools and the impact on the dog’s physiology and stress behaviours)
So observe your large dogs around smaller dogs - yes as a large dog owner it's often the little dogs that are 'ALL THAT' with a massive 'ATTITUDE' however it is vital that you as an owner are aware of this switch and to look out for the change that is evident in their 'body language'.
Hope that wasn't too heavy? An owner that is informed and aware is worth the time that it took to research and write this 🙂
© Catherine Phoenix Hallam MSc 27.05.2021
References
Cooper, J.J., Cracknell, N., Hardiman, J., Wright, H. and Mills, D. (2014) ‘The Welfare Consequences and Efficacy of Training Pet Dogs with Remote Electronic Training Collars in Comparison to Reward Based Training.’ PloS One 9 e102722 https://doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0102722
Coppinger, R. and Coppinger, L. (2001) Dogs: A Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution. New York, USA: Scribner.
Serpell, J. (ed) (2005) The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behavior, and Interaction with People. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Panksepp, J. (2004) Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions (Series in Affective Science).’ USA; Oxford University Press
Panksepp, J. and Biven, L. (2012) The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotion. USA: W.W. Norton and Co.
Vieira de Castrol, A.C., Fuchs, D., Morello, G.M., Pastur, S., de Sousa, L. and Olsson, I.A.S. (2020) ‘Does training method matter? Evidence for the negative impact of aversive0based methods on companion dog welfare.’ PloS One 15 e0225023 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225023
Dog training methods range broadly from those using mostly positive punishment and negative reinforcement (aversive-based) to those using primarily positive reinforcement (reward-based). Although aversive-based training has been strongly criticized for negatively affecting dog welfare, there is no c...
