Prey drives, predatory behaviour & pit bulls

As a dog mom to a pit bull type dog, I was warned about their "prey drive". I am continued to be told that these dogs have "high prey drive" which means that any moving object isn't safe around them.

It seems like squeaky toys, children, cats, birds, cows & goats (who are free roaming on Indian roads), other dogs - they are all triggers for these dogs.

But something about that didn't make sense to me. It was largely supported by observations of my own dog who stays far away from rats, walks stress-free around birds, loves being petted by children and toddlers, is tolerant of streeties, and doesn't enjoy the presence of other pet dogs. And so this blanket statement wasn't resonating for me.

Mutton, my pit bull type dog, with a supposed "high prey drive"

What are drives?

Drives represent an aroused state of psychological tension that typically arises from a need. For instance, hunger or thirst drives will motivate an individual to behave in certain ways to fulfil that need. They also tell us a lot about the internal state of an organism. For instance, when I binge eat, it’s telling me that I’m overwhelmed and I’m eating as a way to fulfil a need.

In the context of dogs, “prey drives” are used as a way to describe behaviours that involve chasing after and maybe capturing objects or animals that move. But just because a dog has something called a prey drive (which most ethologists refute as a drive) doesn’t mean that they will always be motivated to fulfil needs associated with it.

The relationship between motivations & drives

Motivations and interests even in our dogs change overtime, just like it does with humans. A dog with a prey drive could respond to the same stimulus differently on separate occasions. That’s because our dogs are not just a result of their genetics but also a result of epigenetics and the current environment they are living in. They are constantly evolving.

A recent excerpt I read described this beautifully - think of humans & dogs as biosocial becomings - we “become” in context of what is around us.

In the context of pit bull type dogs specifically, the use of the “prey drive” lacks precision.

Does it refer to chasing moving objects and organisms?

Does it refer to catching, killing and eating prey?

The definition is unclear.

So if it's not prey drive, then is it predatory behaviour?

Predatory behaviour is different from aggression, both in terms of their aims and neural regulation. in dogs, the predatory sequence usually involves different motor patterns or predatory behaviours and include:

• Orienting towards prey

• Eye stalk

• Chase

• Grab bite

• Kill bite or head shake

• And then maybe dissection and, in some cases even consumption

With social aggression, you will notice dogs making an attempt to avoid conflict by communicating distance creating signals like growling, barking. The focus is on increasing distance between the dog and what/who the dog thinks might be a threat.

In predatory sequences however, the focus is on decreasing the distance - it’s completely non communicative.

Do internal states trigger this behaviour?

Recent research shows that emotional states have a role in triggering predatory sequences in dogs (contrary to what was believed earlier). Frustration and stress in dogs can lead to certain dogs expressing predatory behaviours in an intense and dysregulated manner to restore their own emotional homeostasis. The 'return' of this homeostasis is rewarding and pleasurable for dogs.

What this article also highlights that in the process of specific breed trait selection, it's possible that some traits hypertrophied. And in some dogs, we might see exacerbated sequences as a result of this human intervention. But again, this is dog -specific and not always breed-specific. Even within the same breed, there could be incredible genetic differences.

Last year, I witnessed this predatory sequence come alive for Mutton when we were on a holiday. We were in a stream below a hill and right at the top, some cattle had come out to graze. We had kept Mutton at a distance from this group (in the past, we had seen her pull the leash, and lunge at cows). But we didn't realise that the cattle had come out this time.

I saw Mutton lock eyes, freeze, chase and grab bite. It took us a while to separate her and make sure that the other animal and she were safe. It was my first time witnessing this. For a dog with no biting history, this episode was extremely hard to digest.

Mutton coping after the incident by sleeping

But if you ask me what triggered that sequence for her, I cannot definitively tell you.

Was it because she was stressed/anxious about being in a new place and that put her in a heightened emotional state?

Is this something that she was bred for?

Is this something she learned to do while being with her previous family?

I don't have an answer.

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All dogs are born with hunting pathways - and while this is fairly instinctual in dogs, these aren't always strong and active pathways. These pathways however can be strengthened over a period of time, if the dog is repeatedly put in situations that require them to hunt, chase and run after something. It's also important to remember that dogs have evolved to to scavenge, rather than hunt. They are likely to resort to that in the absence of any food, but they are more commonly described as scavengers and not hunters.

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The balance between the individual and the group

We have to move away from breed-based assumptions. While they can offer a starting point, we need to start seeing individual dogs as a sum of epi genetics, their environment & lifestyle, and interactions with humans and animals.

The challenge also lies in terms like "prey drive" and predatory behaviour, all being used interchangeably. It seems like we don't have the right language to describe what our observations, and this lends itself to extremely sensationalist and stereotypical narratives about certain breeds of dogs.

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Any dog, irrespective of the breed, who experiences chronic stress and frustration, can demonstrate unregulated behaviours. Chronic stress and frustration in dogs can also lead to biting. Those are different circumstances. Let's look at how our dogs' lives have changed for thousands and thousands of year. Around 18,000 years ago, dogs were born outside, roamed around on natural surfaces, played and developed around siblings, had the freedom and autonomy to move around, explore, understand their environment, establish both relationships and boundaries, exercise choice in being around company or not and much more. Today, our dogs have all that agency taken away from them. Let's not make any mistake about how that lack of agency and limited opportunity to express natural behaviours can be a cause of inordinate amount of stress and frustration within an individual being. Using prey drive to explain unregulated behaviours is irresponsible, inaccurate and perpetuates existing stereotypes for certain kinds of dogs.

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So what's the answer?

Unfortunately, I don't have one. But I do know that the obsession to simplify these complexities in our dogs is dangerous, and can do more harm than good. Besides, how do you even simplify when we can't align on language for something like this!

With Mutton, we have had no 'incident' after that. I understand that for whatever reason, cattle seems to be a trigger - WHY it's a trigger, I don't have answer for - but it is. And so my role as her care giver (and a behaviour professional) is to ensure that she isn't put in situations where she can be this dysregulated.