Have you ever wondered how to get your Dog to stop chasing after squirrels cats Even leaves blowing in the wind what if I told you there's a hidden sequence to This Behavior once you understand it it Can help change the way you interact With your dog forever click Thumbs Up And subscribe if you're interested in Learning how to teach your dog with Modern methods making sure that dogs Have a way to behave naturally is a big Part of being a dog I want to tell you About our sponsor which is very related To our topic today every single month BarkBox and super chewer can send you Some of the most incredible well-made Dog toys that money can buy odd shaped Toys like this have really unpredictable Bounces which can give your dog a great Outlet for Chase they're designed with Your dog's natural behaviors in mind you Can put peanut butter here so that'll Provide them with an outlet that's not Just fun but one that aligns with their Instincts good treats barkboxes for Every dog and super chewer is for extra Tough dogs that is for a tough dog you Can get a completely free box sign up For a subscription I'll have special Links in the description barkbox.com dog Training and super dog training it's a Scenario that is all too familiar for Many of us you're out on a walk you're Enjoying the day when all of a sudden
Your dog spots a squirrel and bolts Potentially even yanking the leash right Out of your hand have you ever been There or maybe you gotta let your dog Out of the backyard they spot a bird and They are gone it turns out that Behaviors like this follow a predictable Sequence understanding it is going to Make training your dog not to chase Every moving thing significantly easier Today we're going to dive into the world Of the predatory sequence it's a series Of behaviors that dogs and many other Animals follow when they're on the hunt And while our domestic dogs aren't Exactly out there hunting for their Dinner these behaviors are still Hardwired into them and so they pop up In everyday situations and I just want To say as we talk about this today I Want to give a special thanks to Simone From predation substitute training I've Learned quite a bit from her I'll have Her links below the predatory sequence Might sound like something out of a Nature documentary yeah well it kind of Is it's made up of several stages for Example scan Orient I creep Chase grab And bite kill and bite dissect and Consume with our domestic dogs the Entire sequence is not usually completed But if your dog is chasing another Animal they may attempt to bite and Catch it and in some cases they might go
All the way to killing and consuming as Well most dogs will demonstrate various Components of this sequence given the Right triggers and those could be Certain sights or sounds or smells in a Dog's environment and when they Encounter those stimuli dogs might be Motivated to chase that prey deep from Within this intrinsic motivation is so Strong that even the wolves in the wild Fail at most of their predation attempts They still keep trying because they're Evolutionarily programmed to persist and That actually happens because of a Release of hormones like dopamine and Adrenaline it's a lot like Hal during a Thrilling activity we humans might feel A rush of adrenaline that drives us to Continue and I know what you're thinking My dog isn't a wild animal they're not Not out there hunting and you're right Through selective breeding we've Actually lowered the percent of dogs That actually complete the entire Predation process and that's really one Of the unique things that sets our dogs Apart from their wild counterparts even So though it's very important to make Sure that our dogs have that natural Outlet for those predatory urges dogs Have an actual need to engage in Predation behaviors and it's worth Mentioning that simply suppressing these Behaviors can lead to other problematic
Issues in essence predation is Multifaceted it's a complex interplay of Instinct motivation learning and Environmental signals understanding it Can give us valuable insight into why Our dogs behave the way that they do and How we can work with their Natural Instincts instead of against them Recognizing the signs at each stage in The predatory sequence is crucial for Managing your dog's Behavior effectively Now I know you're probably thinking Zach This all sounds very intense but if You've ever played Fetch with your dog They're exhibiting almost all of the These steps it's our responsibility to Make sure that we are giving them Regular Outlets that are healthy ways to Express elements of this sequence let's Take a look at each stage of the Sequence using the game of fetch as an Example first scan or Orient free has a Frisbee behind her back right now and You might know it but you can see how She's kind of aware of its scanning and Then she promptly goes into that eye Phase where she's really staring at it You see that this is the initial stage This is where your dog is searching the Environment and once they spot something Of Interest they Orient towards it you Might notice that their ears perk up or Their body might stiffen now we quickly Graduate to the eyeing phase look at her
Using her nose using her ears using all Of her senses to focus on that frisbee Right now and that's where your dog Really begins to intensely focus on the Targets during the creep stage that's Where your dog might slowly start to Advance towards the target for some dogs They might move in a really slow manner A crouched position the chase stage is Quite recognizable your dog will start To run after their Target in full Pursuit and fully focused on it you can See how natural this is for dogs the Intensity how much fun they're having Next is the grab and bite phase that's Where they would catch their prey if They were successful in an activity such As fetch this might manifest as catching A frisbee or a toy this is a good Example of how we can let a dog be a dog And still feel uniquely satisfied in Essence not all dogs will go through all Portions of this sequence so some Elements of this sequence could be more Pronounced than some dogs than others Understanding your dog's behavior is the First step by knowing your dog's Natural Instincts and this predatory sequence You can predict and manage their actions So much better but to use this knowledge You need some practical training Techniques so let's go over some things You can do when you encounter the early Portions of this sequence Wildlife seems
To be very tempting for him you've Already seen how fetch can be a Fantastic outlet for so many of these Predatory urges but what about when you Come across something out in the wild When you're taking a walk that your dog Is compelled to chase believe it or not And this is what I want you to look for Every time that you go on a walk you're Very likely to see elements of the Predatory sequence you'll notice on a Walk how your dog may look ahead and Check out all of the changing variables Our strategy is not to suppress our Dog's Natural Instincts what we're Aiming for is a safe and controlled way For your dog to express those instincts Notice how she's looking around checking Things out the Cornerstone of our Approach is going to be to meet our dogs Halfway it's only fair and we do that by Allowing them to actually engage with Their interests on their terms to a Degree but also on hours all right let's Consider this scenario you're out for a Walk and maybe your dog spots a bird a Deer or even a moose in the distance got A moose down the road when possible Ideally you want your dog to stop and Observe the animal at the appropriate Distance you know as long as they're Under threshold by threshold we're Talking about that point in space where Your dog becomes too excited or too
Anxious to respond to things that they Normally would find easy and less Daunting circumstances so it's vital That we keep our dogs below this Threshold level during these training Sessions which requires you to Intelligently seek out appropriate Environments in order to avoid Overwhelming or flooding your dog now Hold on I know you're thinking hey not My dog my dog is going to lose their Mind if they see it and here's some Specific advice for those of you with Tougher dogs there's a few tweaks that You can make to help you and your dog Become successful for example you might Need to start training from a greater Distance or more gradually increase the Duration of exposures like this maybe Your dog is an extra tough case and they Just become so overcome with the urge to Chase even when you're super far away Like 100 meters away it's vital that you Learn your dog's individual threshold And again this varies tremendously from Dog to dog okay Moira here all right see How she's completely tuning me out That's always our cue too much let's go Back and make it easier again once you Understand this the real training begins Here's how by allowing and permitting Your dog to engage in the early stages Of that predatory sequence you know the Orient eye and creep stages and by
Preventing escalation to Chase and the Other stages we mentioned you can Maintain a balance between your dog's Natural urges and their safety see how She uses her nose so much I think There's a really good chance what she's Smelling are the recent activities of Other animals whether they be small or Large in this area and she really likes To check it out yes And every time she disengages like that On her own I try to follow it up with Something that she likes something's got Her attention right now this often Happens here there are a myriad of Different things to smell in this Environment and it's moments like this During your walk that you just want to Allow your dog to be a dog and take in The world the way that they do the goal Is to wait for that natural Disengagement yes Good job That way they're allowed to experience That part of the predatory sequence in Its entirety and remember you can Satisfy those urges to Chase and bite And Shred in other more acceptable ways Like fetch tug of war and other games Let's say you notice a a possible Trigger in the distance something that Is really going to get this sequence Going with your dog Begin by observing That object from a distance where you
And your dog can remain calm ducks are Still there they're quite patient I'm Gonna try to park her right about here As we get closer the fact that she's Ignoring them is Well she was ignoring them Oh no all right there's our first lunge I want to Not have that happen again carefully Notice when your dog is engaging in Acceptable behavior after all if they're Just eyeing something and looking at it Even if they're not particularly Interested in focusing on you in that Moment this is still acceptable I mean That is a heck of a bird distraction Notice no reaction no lunging distracted Yes trying to kill the birds no check For most dogs being able to continue Watching whatever it is in the distance Is very reinforcing to them and should Be permitted there is value to your dog In being able to look at something and Remember since this is a part of who They are we have to give them the right To express themselves naturally as much As we reasonably can now since we're at An appropriate distance where your dog Is not over threshold when they do Ultimately naturally on their own terms Disengage from the thing that they're Looking at you can still reward them With a treat or their favorite toy but It's best practice to probably encourage
Them to to accept that reward away from What they were looking at yes Could work let me really underscore here The idea is to let them disengage on Their own terms so you can start to see How this will eventually lead to Disengaging being associated with a Whole host of benefits and that'll Reduce their urge to run after things And chase them in time that's what you Want to see look loose leash over here Walking away didn't have to pull her Away the predatory sequence once a Hidden Mystery is now a tool that you Can understand and use to your benefit Click thumbs up subscribe to my channel To continue learning how to train your Dog get a free extra month when you sign Up for BarkBox or super tour I'll have Special links in the description follow Us on threads Tick Tock Instagram Facebook if you want to get really into This topic Simone from predation Substitute training has so much amazing Information available I'm gonna have her Links in the description below we'll see You guys in the next video
