7d (edited) • Trusty Tidbits
The Difference Between Play Drive, Prey Drive, and Aggression
How many times have you come across someone walking their dog barking and lunging in an uncontrollable manner and the owner says “oh don’t worry he’s friendly he just wants to play” when in fact the dog is either fearful or showing more aggressive body language? I have seen this many times while working in the vet field and it astounds me how many people misinterpret their own dog’s behavior.
What is play drive?
Play drive is part of the joy system in Panksepp’s emotional command system and when other systems are in play (seek, rage, fear, care, panic and lust) the play drive can also be the most suppressed if a dog is in another “mode”. If you have dog that comes across their Achilles heel they may not have any interest in playing with you. This is because their seeking mode is prominent at that moment. Once your dog has a better understanding and increased impulse control they will soon learn that engaging with you is more fun and productive so chasing the animal is not worth it. This is something that takes time and practice to achieve but is well worth it in the long run.
The type of play you have with your dog is also very important for achieving this goal of reengagement with you after seeing a trigger. The play has to fulfill the desire that the dog wants to do which can be achieved with Predation Substitution Games and also knowing what kind of toy they find rewarding. This must be done when the dog is not over threshold and has their thinking brain back online and if your dog is not interested in either the treat or their toy do not fret. This is important information as it tells you that your dog is not ready yet.
The play drive system also serves as a buffer between prey and aggression drives as it provides a safe way (pending your fingers) for your dog to “scratch that itch” but in a safe way. Fetch is associated with the seeking system (aka the prey drive) and a game such as tug is associated with the rage system (aka the aggressive or fight drive) but while also keeping the play system engaged.
What is prey drive?
The prey drive is part of the seeking system which has a long list of behaviors that fall under such as: hunting, tracking, walking, running, visual, auditory, etc. which is intrinsically rewarding for your dog. When the seeking (or prey drive) system is suppressed this can lead to an inability to keep fear, panic and rage from taking over instead. The other side of the coin is also possible where if the prey drive is suppressed then you may have the boiling pot of water analogy I have mentioned in a previous post.
Providing a safe outlet for a dog’s seeking system is important because just ignoring it or trying to suppress it will only lead to either making it worse or “losing” your dog’s personality in some way. It all depends on the individual dog and how that method is performed. Tailoring a prey drive into something productive is referred to as drive conditioning which is essentially fine tuning the drive into something productive (to us) instead and reducing value in the other systems such as seeking in the form of solo hunting.
What is Aggression?
Aggression, on the other hand, is dependent on which part of the brain, the seeking or the rage system, is initiated which is why some people mistake certain behaviors for aggression. The type of aggression a dog is displaying depends on the stimulus and to keep it simple we will stick with the Panksepp’s emotional command system. These are: seeking, rage, fear and panic systems.
Fear and rage are very strong systems and can suppress the seeking system which is why dogs that are in that mindset won’t take food and then there is the seeking system which suppresses rage and why dogs that are in play mode are less likely to become aggressive.
Panic system aggression is not just about separation in the physical sense between you and your dog but also shows up with there is a loss of safety and trust. This type of aggression is often associated to dogs who turn on their owners. If you are their safe space and also the disciplinarian this can create conflict in the relationship between you and your dog. After some time, what once was a loving touch may be misinterpreted and this is when the dog may display an aggressive behavior towards you.
This is only the tip of the iceberg but hopefully helped clarify some things for you!
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The Difference Between Play Drive, Prey Drive, and Aggression
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