“I’ve never lost my dog” is a phrase I treat with extreme skepticism! Okay, so ‘lost’ means different things to different people. Ones person's “I’ve lost my car keys” might mean “I can’t remember which jacket pocket they’re in”.... but to someone else, it could mean “I dropped the darn keys down a man-hole on the high street and they're lost forever!”.
To me a ‘lost’ dog is one that is not within your immediate line of sight, or at least that won’t reappear within the next 5 seconds. Yep, I’m pretty militant about where my dogs are – which is why I am really hot on keeping them well under control, completely in-sight, and ideally no more than 10 metres away from me – unless in very specific circumstances, when I command them to be further away (e.g. to retrieve an item), or if I’m making them ‘wait’ as part of steadiness training (more of which in an up-coming blog – stay tuned for that one!)
We’ve all been there – it’s no shame!
“It’s all very well for you to say”, I hear legions of dog-owners muttering. “My Monty/Roxy/Fido beggars off at the first whiff of a deer/squirrel/duck”. If that sounds like you, welcome to the club! We’ve all been there, and to be honest, most of us will always be there. Keeping your dog’s prey drive under control is hard work: often tedious, always repetitive, but always, always worth it. In this short blog, I’m going to walk through some of the things you can think about if your dog gets the ‘hots’ for a lovely bit of prey. In other words, let’s tackle Houdini Syndrome muzzle-on!
Oh deer!
The cause of many a vanished hound, deer are everywhere in our countryside, and aren’t they gorgeous to watch?! Shy yet majestic, spotting the white hindquarters of one loping away from you will always be a heartstopping moment. To your pup, it’s literally a red rag to a bull. Off they charge, across the fields – through the undergrowth – sometimes across a main road (yikes!). A deer chase has led to many a lost dog, and in many cases, it’s also been the poor pup’s Waterloo. They’ll rarely catch the creature, and once it's vanished from view, the dog often has no idea where his/her owner is, nor how to get back. Sadly, accidents and dog-thefts usually happen when the dog has stopped giving chase, and is trying to relocate his/her owner. They're confused, they're panicking, and they usually don't have a scent-trail to follow back to you (as they dashed off ahead of you, or to your left-right).
What to do?
You have to nip this 'prey drive' in the bud when you spot the very first signs of it. Some dogs don’t seem to have it at all... others develop it in their 'teenage' years (12-24 months, let's say); others, meanwhile, may show no signs at all until much later on, and something lovely, smelly and quick-moving tempts them. Whatever the case with your own dog, if it’s happened to you even once, here’s what I would suggest you could try, as some simple measures:
Next time you go to the place where your pup spotted the deer (or other tempting bit of prey) – pop him/her on the short lead immediately (note - not a long training line, in this instance). Dogs have a fantastic memory, and they’ll remember what they saw when they get to that particular 'chase' spot. Even if you leave it 3-4 weeks before going back – they will remember. Putting them on the lead makes it clear that prey-chasing is forbidden.
If your dog is permanently ‘aroused’ for prey, consider getting a long-line and keeping them on that for a good 5-6 months until you’ve really solidified the ‘stop’ command and the ‘recall’ (more of which in a second). You can get a perfectly good, strong training line in a wide range of places (here are some good examples, from Looxmeer – but there are loads of others). In regard to length; we’ve used 10m and 15m. The point is to give the dog space and freedom to exercise – whilst remaining safely within your control.
If you do opt for long-line training, please do it properly. You definitely shouldn’t be hanging on to the end of the line for dear life whilst your dog strains to break free. Practice ‘stop’ to break the red mist (I use a long ‘peeeeeeeep’ on my Acme Alpha 210.5 whistle, sometimes followed by a harsh “HEY!” if the dog doesn’t stop immediately). When your dog has successfully stopped, you can recall (I use a series of rapid ‘pips’, again on my Acme Alpha whistle. Don’t worry, I’ll be publishing a blog and a vlog on STOP training shortly.
If you can, take your dog safely to a place with deer. I don’t mean a petting zoo! I mean a bit of countryside, a country park, or anywhere where wild deer roam in large packs. I’ve used Bushy Park, and Petworth Park on many occasions very successfully. Keep your dog on a short lead (ideally a slip lead; not a harness which can give him/her carte blanche to pull like billy-o). Take him/her to a sensible distance where you can make your pup ‘sit’, and just watch. You don’t want to be so near that the deer get freaked – we have to respect their own wellbeing. If your dog starts to lurch towards the deer, use the “Leave it!” command. This is a great command that isn’t just useful for leaving something they shouldn’t eat. Essentially, ‘leave it!’ means ‘get your focus back on me, immediately!’ You can (and should) practice this at home, in the garden; indeed anywhere you go with your pup. I’d do a good 20 minutes with your dog in front of deer – and do it frequently. Really, you’re trying to make deer become boring for your dog. Remember the first time you saw something forbidden (a movie… magazine… band set… anything that was out of the ordinary for you). You probably could get enough of it, right? Maybe you kept returning to it for that ‘high’ it gave you. It’s the same with your dog and deer (or squirrels, or ducks, or anything else they get turned on by. Make the object of their fascination a regular feature in their life, and they’ll be happier to turn away from it.
If wildfowl or other birds are your dog’s fascination, take them to the local duck-pond, or anywhere that attracts lots of birds. And just follow the same process as above! If it’s pigeons in your own back-garden, sprinkle some nuts or cereal on the grass (without raisins, of course!) – and take your dog on a lead to watch them. You’re de-sensitising them to this incredibly sexy prey, with otherwise could get them (and you) into a whole load of trouble.
I’ve covered a lot in this blog, and I don’t want to overload it. Rest assured, my next blogs will include:
‘Stop’ command & training
‘Recall’ command & training
General 'steadiness' training
Different whistle commands
Sheep (yes – sheep!)
Until then -
Happy walking
Happy hunting
Hail Be Thou x
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