Influencing Prey Drive In a Dog Using Golden Retriever Training

Sometimes a golden retriever would run after a cat as if very keen to get to know better and play with the striped furry. But there are also occasions that a goldie would run after a cat as if keen to literally have its head! A lack of knowledge about high prey drives in dog pets give rise to frustrations to many dog owners. And who hasn’t heard of the Jack Russell terrier left to its own by the owner who thought “its impossible since it’s been a long long while since…,” only to be discovered by the owner later on as the prime suspect for the housecat’s murder?

Other dogs may not necessarily want to kill, since its possible that the dogs think of these animals as sources of amusement until these get drained and get exhausted (or dead).

So how does a dog owner train a goldie (or in general most trainable dog breeds for that matter) at home from messing with innocent furries in the neighborhood? Be ready to put in oceans of patience, effort and time to managing and controlling to the best extent possible your dog’s high-prey drive, especially the small animals it meets often.

A positive note to high prey drive dogs is that they are often receptive of training. This is because they latch on quite fast to the idea of working for rewards. If there is a downside, it would be that their “triggers” are found right exactly in their midst: birds, cats and other smaller pets, small children running, among others.

Here are some golden retriever training tips for dealing with canine friends with high prey drives:

1. Talk less and move.

2. Use more body signals than voice, and if you do need to use your voice, use a lower voice pitch.

3. Stick to a daily routine that has less disruptions.

4. Boost the amount of touch time spent in grooming.

5. Some time also needs to be spent teaching the dog to pay attention.

6. Interactive play also needs to be increased so that the dog’s will have lesser time for thinking of amusing themselves.

Still another way of responding to the issue is to build good recall in the dog. Thus, try putting the dog on a leash with another person holding on the leash. Then, with holding the cat level to the dog, approach the dog to see if it tries to lunge for the cat. If so, the helper gives the dog a leash correction. The dog needs to “get” it, i.e. that it is not suppose to mind the cat. Should this turn out fruitless to you, then your dog may need the expertise of an animal behaviorist, an obedience trainer, or a golden retriever training expert.