What do you do when dogs suddenly switch from playing normally with another dog to seeing them as prey? During a recent presentation, somebody in the audience asked me about their dog displaying this behavior. Sometimes, part-way through playing chase with another dog in the household, a switch flips, his pupils dilate, and he chases harder. It definitely isn’t playful anymore. Quite understandably, this owner is concerned, and wants to know how to deal with a dog who blurs the boundaries between play and prey drive. If you’ve wondered about the same thing, keep reading.
The Discovery of Predatory Drift
That sort of blurring of behavior has a name among the dog training community. It’s called, “Predatory Drift” and it is discussed in a terrifying way. The first time I was learned about it, I was told that sometimes when dogs play, one dog can suddenly attack and kill their playmate without warning. For years afterwards I would nervously watch my dogs playing in case the worst happened. What I’ve learned will reassure you.
Risk Factors for Predatory Drift
There are some commonly listed risk factors that are said to make Predatory Drift more likely. They are:
- A large dog playing with a small dog
- Groups of dogs playing together
- A large dog with a small dog who runs fast, gets frightened and screams.
- One of the playing dogs is known to kill wildlife.
Let’s look a bit deeper at what happens when dogs are playing together.
5 Important Rules of Play
If you are watching dogs play together, these five important rules of play will help you to decide if their play is safe:
- The dogs chose to start their game
- The dogs are all enjoying themselves
- If you call the dogs away from their game then release them, they go back to play
- The dogs will use exaggerated movements, and their bodies will be loose and floppy
- The play started in a place where the dogs felt safe
During games, dogs will often role play serious activities like prey drive which means that you will see playing dogs: chasing and nipping, and rolling on the ground as if they’ve been captured by their playmate.
The things to look for that keep it playful are:
- Dogs stopping to check in with each other. Their nips won’t cause injury or pain.
- You might see them play bow to each other.
- Dogs taking turns. Sometimes one chases and sometimes another chases.
Play is important for dogs. It helps them to stay fit and well. Play helps them negotiate meetings with new dogs. It also helps them to get on well with the dogs they know.
3 Ways Dog Play Goes Wrong
Here are three reasons for play going wrong between dogs. You’ll notice that none of these reasons include predatory drift.
Different Play Styles
Many dogs become masters at play and are able to change their play styles to suit different play partners. Some dogs find that harder to do and the only game they want to play is one where they chase and nip their playmate. Other dogs will only play if the game starts with them stalking their playmate. And then there’s the “wrestler” who only enjoys play if they can slam their body against their playmate or maybe grab the back of their neck.
Many dogs hate that sort of play and just enjoy hanging out while each dog does their own thing. Some dogs hate being chased. Many get scared if another dog stalks them. The rough slamming and grabbing play can hurt the dog on the receiving end.
Play styles that don’t quite match up is one major reason why dog play can go wrong between dogs.
Arousal Levels
The next thing to look at when it comes to problems with dog play is arousal, which is when their bodies respond by making physical, emotional and mental changes that wake them up and make them feel intensely excited.
Playing with dog friends will raise their levels of arousal. Arousal helps a playing dog to be able to pay attention, act quickly and respond well to their playmates. Play between dogs is fast and needs precision and split-second timing to stay safe. Dogs need to be able to focus on the game so that they know when to take breaks and to help them notice if their playmate stops having fun. One of the things that higher arousal does is allows them to filter out the rest of the world so that they can focus properly on the game.
However, arousal needs to be monitored. If it gets too high, then dogs aren’t good at playing nicely. They don’t adjust their play and will stop listening to their playmates. They’ll chase too fast, charge other dogs off their feet or bite hard enough to hurt. Arousal that goes too high can make play dangerous for dogs.
Adolescence in Dogs
Age plays a part in the behaviors, too. To play well takes a lot of control and care from dogs. During adolescence, that sort of control is hard for young dogs. Adolescence in dogs is like the teenage years in humans. For most dogs it starts between 5 and 6 months and is over between 18 months and 2 years. Dogs at that life stage are more interested in meeting other dogs and less interested in their human families. They want to explore the world, and they are happy to take risks like running over to dogs they don’t know for a game. Crucially, their self-control is at an all-time low.
Dogs who are going through this life stage are more likely to want to play with other dogs. They are less likely to be able to do it well.
Solution: Keeping Play Safe
Healthy play between dogs shouldn’t be stopped. It’s an important part of life for many dogs and there are easy things you can do to keep play safe:
- If you have more than one adolescent dog playing together, keep in mind that they will need your support in keeping play safe. Make sure they have time to sniff, investigate and explore.
- Get to know your dog’s body language very well so that you can spot the signs of their arousal increasing.
- Know the signals so that you can spot when dogs need a break from playing.
- Work regularly on your dog’s “recall” technique until you can easily call your dog away from play or stop the play if you see that their arousal is getting too high.
- Be super careful about how you allow large dogs and smaller dogs to play together. Work diligently to keep the play calm. A smaller dog can be injured easily by a larger dog once arousal levels are peaked.
Conclusion
There’s no hard evidence that “Predatory Drift” exists. You don’t need to worry about your dog having an on/off switch inside them that will turn them from playmate to predator during play with another dog.
That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be attentive of how your dog plays. Dogs can and do hurt each other during playtime. There are extreme and terribly sad accounts of dogs being killed while playing with another dog but those problems don’t come out of the blue. You can spot high arousal levels and take quick action to calm things down before it escalates and ensure to your dog and playmates friends forever.
Tracey McLennan
Tracey McLennan is the founder of Best Dog Learning and Stuff and a massive prey drive enthusiast. She focuses on helping dog owners learn how to have fabulous walks and happy lives with their high prey drive dogs. In addition to working with predatory dogs, Tracey has lived with high prey drive dogs for over 20 years giving her a profound depth of experience.
Tracey has a bachelor’s degree in canine behaviour and training and a master’s degree in applied animal behaviour and training. Her research has been published in the peer reviewed journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Tracey contributes to the field by peer reviewing articles on predatory behavior for the journal.
Tracey is the author of ”Canine aggression: Rehabilitating an aggressive dog with kindness and compassion.”
