# Teaching Impulse Control with Prey Drive



## MyMiles (Apr 21, 2012)

Little Elmer (quickly becoming big Elmer) has officially discovered rabbits and squirrels. I've been trying to avoid this moment, but now that he's flushed a rabbit out of the bushes and chased it to the fence, potty time is also a bit of a patrol.

While I don't mind some critter chasing, I want to make sure he maintains some impulse control around them. Squirrels and rabbits are going to be a regular part of out daily life, and I would hate for him to get obsessive about them, as I've seen in some other dogs. 

Despite the name, I'm really not looking for an Elmer Fudd/Bugs Bunny live show in my back yard.

On walks, I've been letting him look at squirrels when they catch his attention, but frequently call him back to me for a tasty reward. 

So I'm curious, whave you all done to help your poodles keep their heads around things that trigger their prey drive? Did you allow or discourage any chasing when they were puppies?


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

It took me a year to train my older minipoo to focus on me and not rabbits. What was worse is bunnies lived on our front yard and were there constantly. I kept working on "LAT" and "hand touches" for treats etc. My dog was always on a leash and I was always outside with her working on attention and good leash skills. She was never off leash and never had the opportunity to chase squirrels or rabbits.. or birds her other obsession at that time. Since your dog has learned the joy of chasing wild life, it will be different. Are you always outside in the yard with your dog? Or do you let the dog out while staying in the house?

As far as potty time I strongly believe all young puppies should be take out on a leash, and remained leashed until they finish. You need to see that they completely peed and pooped. After potty you can let them go free to run around - but while on the leash they are to do their business. I wouldn't let me dog off leash to potty until they are well toilet trained and clearly have good potty habits. This way you avoid some potential problems - like a dog who goes out to potty but doesn't like the rain comes back in before peeing.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

We have a lot of ducks and stray cats where we live. With Misha I would set up camp in view of the ducks and would practice his settling behavior in their vicinity. I continued this as he aged. I never got too close to them, but just close enough that he could see them without them being suuuuper interesting. I think it helped to make them rather boring over time. Puppies will be puppies, but teaching them to focus on you in the vicinity of critters will help them to keep the squirrels in the background of your walks. It will probably take months before you are able to discern real improvement but it should get better.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

We do leashed toilet times. I find this is especially important during the first year or two, when you really want to establish what you want. For Peggy, “Hurry up” means do what you’ve gotta do. We also may say “Go pee” or “Do a poo” if we know specifically how she needs to relieve herself (e.g. we always make sure she pees before bed).

For interrupting prey drive, I do a lot of play using the commands “Wait” and “Here!” And I let her get some forward momentum first, so stopping or turning on a dime becomes part of the fun. Sometimes the reward involves a treat, but mostly it’s about play. If she’s having the time of her life, no food is going to be especially appealing.

I learned the foundation of this technique from SpiritDog Online Dog Training | but have been unable to dig up the video again to share.


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## MyMiles (Apr 21, 2012)

Skylar said:


> I Are you always outside in the yard with your dog? Or do you let the dog out while staying in the house?


He's 100% actively supervised outside. I've been allowing him out unleashed during the daytime, but you make a good point about leashing until he's done pottying. In his first weeks, I had him on a on long line for potty and play, but that was proving to be more of a hazard, so I stopped using it. Sounds like I should reintroduce a leash to maintain good bathroom habits. 

Playing in the backyard will continue to be a challenge - the long line gets wrapped around his legs really easily and I'm afraid it'll lead to injury if I leave it on when he's romping around. While I've been incorporating recall training and other manners into our play, it's also his only outlet for just being a wild puppy.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

I insist that my dogs understand and heed the "wait" command when going out the door or down steps. I never want the dog shooting out the door when I sign for a package or pulling me down the steps when on leash. The critters in my yard have learned to scatter when the door opens, and a three second delay before the dogs enter the yard is enough for them all to get to safety.


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## MyMiles (Apr 21, 2012)

cowpony said:


> The critters in my yard have learned to scatter when the door opens, and a three second delay before the dogs enter the yard is enough for them all to get to safety.


We have been working on a wait at the door behavior, but my rabbits (and deer, for that matter) need some training. Elmer's predecessor was a gentleman who rarely chased the wildlife so the critters all need a little more encouragement to clear out of the yard. Maybe I should chase them away myself before letting the puppy out...

The neighbors already know I'm a crazy dog person, so no harm if they see me running around chasing rabbits and squirrels, right?


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

MyMiles said:


> Sounds like I should reintroduce a leash to maintain good bathroom habits.


Use a short leash, 4-6’. You want puppy close to you and observe him closely to make sure he has finished. You can then unleash him and have a command saying he’s free to play. The short leash is about potty training, after he potties he can be rewarded with treats or an off leash romp in the yard. 



cowpony said:


> I insist that my dogs understand and heed the "wait" command when going out the door or down steps. I never want the dog shooting out the door when I sign for a package or pulling me down the steps when on leash.


I too train my dogs to sit before a closed gate or door. They are to remain seated even as I open the door and not go out until I give the release word. I started when my puppy was 11 weeks old and understood “sit”. He couldn’t leave his pen without sitting and staying seated. At 8 months old he is pretty good but I continue to work on it because I see it as a true safety concern.


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## Phaz23 (May 31, 2020)

Lots of good advice here- just want to add what helps my extremely high prey drive poo is Sudan Garrett’s Crate Games. This picture is of Tekno holding a stay with a big turkey neck in front of him and his sister running by back and forth (After about 3 min, I released him to the Turkey  )


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## Poodle2021 (Mar 14, 2021)

This is a timely post…my dog has very high prey drive and it has proven to be our biggest training issue. None of my previous dogs have had much prey drive so this is an entirely new challenge.
He has learned to sit when we are walking and encounter a critter. I let him watch the animal as long as he is sitting calmly. He is allowed to chase in my (fenced) back yard only. We are making progress with his self-control as he gets older, but will plan to start working Susan Garret’s program to increase his impulse control.


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## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

If you want a paid resource, then the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy has an on-demand video about teaching dogs not to chase things. Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - LS190: Don't Chase That! Stop Your Dog from Chasing Cars, Cats and Other Critters It's $20 US, and you will have access to it for a year.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

When we are out walking, and Elroy spots an exciting critter, he wants to chase it, but I give him the "Ught-Uhh" command an then he will just watch. We wait until the critter is out of sight then we continue. Or, I can just say C'mon Elroy, and we move along. I think Elroys prey drive isn't terribly strong though. I allow him (encourage actually) to chase rabbits and squirrels IN the yard. Maybe he knows the difference already (OK at home, not OK when he's leashed on his walks).


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## MyMiles (Apr 21, 2012)

TeamHellhound said:


> If you want a paid resource, then the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy has an on-demand video about teaching dogs not to chase things. Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - LS190: Don't Chase That! Stop Your Dog from Chasing Cars, Cats and Other Critters It's $20 US, and you will have access to it for a year.


Thanks for the recommendation! I've been eyeing a few of the Fenzi courses, I just need to decide where to start. Prioritizing training goals with the puppy attention span is a challenge...


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## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

MyMiles said:


> Thanks for the recommendation! I've been eyeing a few of the Fenzi courses, I just need to decide where to start. Prioritizing training goals with the puppy attention span is a challenge...


You can send a message to [email protected] and they can help you decide which classes would be apprpriate.


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## MyMiles (Apr 21, 2012)

94Magna_Tom said:


> When we are out walking, and Elroy spots an exciting critter, he wants to chase it, but I give him the "Ught-Uhh" command an then he will just watch. We wait until the critter is out of sight then we continue. Or, I can just say C'mon Elroy, and we move along. I think Elroys prey drive isn't terribly strong though. I allow him (encourage actually) to chase rabbits and squirrels IN the yard. Maybe he knows the difference already (OK at home, not OK when he's leashed on his walks).


Miles, my last spoo, had almost no prey drive. He'd sometimes prance to the end of the leash when he spotted a squirrel, but only when he was feeling particularly feisty. Even then, it was more of a joke - tail and head up, no pulling on the leash. Just prancing as if I were holding him back. Rabbits were also safe unless they happened to be the the path he was already running - if they broke and ran, he'd give a bouncy half-hearted chase to the fence line.

I don't know that Elmer has a particularly strong prey drive, but it's certainly more to breed standard than with Miles. I'm mostly concerned about keeping it in check because I know a couple of dogs that have been allowed to obsess about the chase. Those pups have become anxious and neurotic with little else on their minds beyond squirrels and frisbees. I would hate for my bright little guy to end like that, so it's good to hear how other people manage this aspect of their poodles...


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## Basil_the_Spoo (Sep 1, 2020)

We attached a bunjee cord to the end of the long lead where we anchor it to the post for a peace of mind. 

When Basil was a puppy she ran full speed to the end of the long lead... and well... oops Dad's fault. Time reevaluate the situation.


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