corvus Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 What breed do you think has the strongest prey drive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katdogs Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Based on my dad's experience of swimming into a dam to rescue his dog that was going to drown from exhaustion chasing a duck, I'd say the JRT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I'd say one of the terriers, possibly the JRT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirawee Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Definitely not a Lappy I agree with one of the terrier breeds... it is really interesting watching how long a JR can be obsessed with trying to get a mouse! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 From what I have observed, I'd have to say the Saluki. They seem to have stayed truest to their original purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I think individual dogs from many different breeds could have extreme prey drive. The sighthounds, the terriers, & the dutchies & mallies, & possibly some of the other herders, stand out in my mind as dogs that probably have much higher than average prey drive. But how could you ever measure it? The manifestations of prey drive in these breeds are so different that I think it would be very hard to compare them directly. If my greyhound won't attack a man wearing a sleeve in prey drive, does it have less prey drive than my mally, or does it just express its drive in a different way? If my mally won't go to ground after a rat, does it have less prey drive than my JRT? If my JRT won't work all day herding sheep, does it have less prey drive than the border collie that will work all day herding? Etc etc. Just a few thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TsarsMum Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 deffantly not my samoyed either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sky_Mel Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 My GSD has quite a strong prey drive. You should see her around Lure coursing haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipsqueak Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 one of the sighthounds - greyhound, borzoi, saluki or afghan... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poodlefan Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I think individual dogs from many different breeds could have extreme prey drive. Based on the level and uniformity of prey drive I've observed across numerous dogs, I still hold for the Saluki. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huga Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 My pug x GSD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corvus Posted August 30, 2010 Author Share Posted August 30, 2010 But how could you ever measure it? It's always going to be subjective. For example, a Norwegian Elkhound might have insane prey drive.... for moose and bears. But that doesn't mean it'll be very interested in rats. But in my mind, if you see a dog go after a prey animal you get a pretty good idea of where they fall on a prey drive sort of scale. The manifestations of prey drive in these breeds are so different that I think it would be very hard to compare them directly. If my greyhound won't attack a man wearing a sleeve in prey drive, does it have less prey drive than my mally, or does it just express its drive in a different way? If my mally won't go to ground after a rat, does it have less prey drive than my JRT? If my JRT won't work all day herding sheep, does it have less prey drive than the border collie that will work all day herding? Etc etc. Haha, now we're getting into the type of discussion that usually makes me very unpopular. So for now I'll just say that I'm talking about actual hunting, as in, the dog sees/smells a prey animal (whatever it was bred to hunt) and goes after it. I'm talking about the speed and tenacity the dog will display in going after the prey animal. My little Vall shows a lot of speed and tenacity for a tug toy, but loses interest in the house mice that lurk around the rabbit food the moment they go out of sight. So for the purposes of the discussion, he would have rubbish prey drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 My lab has a great retrieving drive but if she sees a live bird, absolutely no interest whatsoever LOL. So not sure if that would make her useless? She will "point" at a bird and freeze but she has no interest in actually chasing after a bird that flies away. Most breeds that a bred for a purpose would have some drive for it, but not all breeds are bred to kill prey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janba Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I think individual dogs from many different breeds could have extreme prey drive. The sighthounds, the terriers, & the dutchies & mallies, & possibly some of the other herders, stand out in my mind as dogs that probably have much higher than average prey drive. But how could you ever measure it? The manifestations of prey drive in these breeds are so different that I think it would be very hard to compare them directly. If my greyhound won't attack a man wearing a sleeve in prey drive, does it have less prey drive than my mally, or does it just express its drive in a different way? If my mally won't go to ground after a rat, does it have less prey drive than my JRT? If my JRT won't work all day herding sheep, does it have less prey drive than the border collie that will work all day herding? Etc etc. Just a few thoughts. Herding is a modified prey drive and not a true hunting prey drive. I have a very high drive working bred BC whose drive to herd is stronger than his drive to mate (I have worked him with bitches in season and he will ignore bitches in season if he sees sheep). He is also very easy to put onto high drive for agility/obedience type training but he has no desire to hunt even when the "prey" walks under his nose. I would also vote for some of the sighthounds and some of the working terrier breeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkyTansy Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 in the gundog group, I'd bet that GSPs and Weimaraners have the highest prey drive :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyosha Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 It can be more individual that breed-wide as well. My Borzoi, in the presence of wild rabbits - yikes! But one in particular. Her nickname is The Huntress. She is much more instinctive and less conventionally trainable than our others, and woe betide anything small and furry that crosses her path if she's not on a lead... Although she's ultra safe with any size dog - she's a super-mother type as well as a huntress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Gundogs and herders aren't meant to have true prey drive though are they? They are not meant to kill the prey. Gundogs aren't even meant to chase after live prey. I think it all depends on how you define prey drive. When i hear "prey drive" i think of the dog running after another animal and killing it. Under this narrow definition, sighthounds and terriers are the groups that most come to mind for having a strong desire to chase and kill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baileys mum Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I don't know if they have the strongest prey drive, but my Australian terriers always ensure that my home stays rodent free. About a year ago a beautiful Rosella flew into our house via our chimmney. It flew straight into a wall & fell to the ground.Within seconds & before I had a chance to react & get the dogs outside, my male Aussie terrier Bailey got to it & killed it. :D I felt so upset with Bailey at the time, but after calming down I knew it was just his prey drive & no one was to blame. The next day I got my hubby to put mesh over the chimmney to prevent any birds from flying inside in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 Think it would need to be a dog that had to do its job without human direction. For instance a herding dog with too strong a drive would be a pain in the arse to direct. My BC hasn't been super easy to train on sheep as she tends to go into a trance! Beagles are very umm single minded when on a scent, so would suggest throwing them into the mix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malsrock Posted August 30, 2010 Share Posted August 30, 2010 I would have to say from my own experiences playing with different breeds, the dog with the most determination, speed and courage to catch prey for the dog's size was a JRT. Next I would say a Kelpie, Malinios, WL GSD. I think if a JRT came in working breed size, it would be almost unbeatable :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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