Thread: Prey & Fight Drives in Preditory Pack Animals

A couple of days ago, a subject was brought up with me in regards to fight drive and prey drive.

The question came up, does a dog naturally switch into fight drive when chasing and bringing down prey?

No, a dog, or any preditory "pack" animal, does not naturally switch from prey to fight. This is learned and conditioned behaviour taught by humans.
A few examples.. A lion pride hunting and chasing a wilderbeast.. While the wilderbeast is fleaing, the lions gives chase. If the wilderbeast turns and confronts a lion in the pride, the lion stops the chase, prey drive is diminished (the lion does not then switch into fight to challange the wilderbeast). The lion usually backs off if the beast charges forward.. Other lions then come in from behind to either bring the beast down, or encourage the chase again. A lion, doesn't switch into fight drive when hunting. Even when the lion makes contact with the beast to bring it down, the lion doesn't use fight to bring the prey down, even if challenged.. the lion is still in hunting instinct.

Fight drive is used naturally in packs to challange, or stop a challenge from the other members of the pack, or to defend against a challenge to a pack, its territory, or resuorces, from outside preditors (not grazers).

Another example..Jackells trying to steal a lions caught prey.. Lions will automatically switch in to fight, to challenge the Jackells, and hopefully get them to back off. Preditory pack animals, do not switch into fight against animals that are grazers, only against other preditors.

Preditors that instinctively hunt alone, I feel there are 2 types. The preditor that has highly developed ambush techniques, and those the switch into prey. For example tigers. Tigers do not hunt in packs. I feel tigers do not have highly developed prey drive. They do have very strong hunting instincts. A Tiger will attack prey head on. This is due, I believe, because tigers tend to rely on ambush techniques. Tigers live in dense forests, where prey instinct cannot be let loose for the chase. So prey drive is not so highly developed in these animals. However, a tiger still does not switch into fight drive when hunting prey.

We must never confuse highly develped fight drive as being part of prey drive, or used instinctively when a dog is hunting or chasing prey.. We condition our dogs to switch from hunting to defending. Yes I believe even active aggression (fight drive) is a type of defence, mechanisim.. It's used either to stop a challenge or threat to the pack or its resources by outside preditors. Or it is used to challenge or stop a challenge form other pack members.

fight drive is brought out only in 2 situations.

• Social aggression - Where a dog has highly developed rank dominance drive, and is competing or defending a challenge for rank dominance, or an animal competing for mating or resource rights.
• Defence aggression - To protect either, territory or resources from outside preditors.

I would be interested in others views on this. Whether you agree with me or not, as I feel many that are training working dogs can hopefully get a better understanding of the difference between a dogs "natural" instincts, and when they are brought out.. and the conditioned behaviour that we train and condition into our dogs. As I believe that confusion, as to what a dog is actually doing naturally instinctivelly, and what its doing because of human input can immensely affect our training, and the ability to produce highly trained dogs. We can also very easily confuse our dogs by not understanding its basic intincts, and how our actions modify these to suit our needs.