16h • Predation Tidbits
Predation vs Aggression
**Before we get into it I do want to make a disclaimer: the information provided will be general information. Breeding, individuality and experience may change how a dog reacts to certain situations. This does mean the information provided here is incorrect. The exception does not negate the rule. I have always believed that you should train the dog in front of you not how the dog should be trained because they are x, y ,z, but it is important to have an understanding and a baseline to work off of.**
Something I hear a lot when listening to dog owners talk about their dogs and wildlife (or domesticated animals such as cats) is that their dog hates them. “My dog hates squirrels”. “My dog hates rabbits”. “My dog hates cats”. When in fact that is not what is happening at all.
First let’s define predation and aggression:
- Predation: instinctive, biological, behavior to chase, capture and sometimes kill. This is established based on their ancestral hunting instincts.
- Aggression: behavior intended to oppose or defend against a threat but does not kill for food necessarily
Something to consider when trying to figure out the difference between the two are what is the purpose, behavioral sequence, target perception, outcome and emotional state of the dog. Understanding the difference of these things will help tremendously on identifying what is going on in your dog’s mind and how you can properly address it.
So, in the world of predation the purpose would be to obtain food which is key for survival. This drive to try again and again even when the dog fails is so engrained in their DNA that just providing your dog with good quality food at home is not enough. Your dog will not put two and two together that they don’t need to hunt after an interesting critter because you feed them good food at home. Whereas with aggression the purpose isn’t survival it is to eliminate competition or a perceived threat. This could be a threat to their territory, themselves or their pack.
How a dog responds or reacts to something to predate versus something to defend against will have different external physical markers. If you aren’t sure what you are looking for some of them can look very similar and become very confusing which leads to the situation is not handled correctly. With predation a dog will typically air scent, freeze/lock on visually, chase and potentially capture. With aggression you may see freeze/stiff body, piloerection (hackles raised), growling, lunging (if on lead or other kind of barrier is in place), and biting. Sometimes dogs showing signs of aggression may walk around in an arch/circle with their body stiff but eyes do not leave the threat.
The perception of the target is also something to consider when deciding whether or not your dog is predating or aggressing. This can vary breed to breed so it is important to know what kind of dog you have. Is what is being presented a smaller prey animal, a larger prey animal, another dog, a strange person, another predator? The answers to these may seem obvious to us but it is important to understand that your dog may perceive these differently based on breeding, experience and exposure history.
**If you have an unknown mix/mutt there are dog DNA panels that you can buy and send in yourself or through your veterinarian. If you don’t know what kind of dog you have and you are having training issues finding out what makes up your dog can be very helpful in how to communicate successfully with your dog.**
The outcome and emotional state is something else that is important to consider when determining whether your dog is being aggressive or is wanting to predate. The outcome of predation may be the death of the prey animal and consumption (sometimes). This can have some blurred lines with the outcome of aggressive behavior as well, but for the purpose of differentiating between the two the outcome of aggression may result in injury or intimidation since the purpose of the two are different. When the lines blur like this it is important to consider each element of what makes predation behavior and what makes aggressive behavior. The emotional state is also important when determining whether behavior is predation or behavior is aggression.
The emotional state of a dog that is in their predation mindset is often calm and focused on hunting. After all their purpose is to obtain food so they may survive another day. The emotional state of a dog that is in their aggressive mindset may be driven by fear, frustration or anger. After all when there appears to be competition or a perceived need to defend territory that is where the emotional state is more aggressive.
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Predation vs Aggression
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