Help - Dog Wants Guinea Pigs

[corvus]

I rather thought they might be all like those two ladies. somehow any like them would not be much good for research on prey drive in greys :-)

Not researching "prey drive". I'm researching chase motivation (intrinsic vs extrinsic). :)

There are some cool videos on YouTube of greyhound races where the lure has failed. Usually all the greys run for a while, then someone decides it's time to find the lure and have at it. Really interesting one where they all turned around and ran back around the track in the opposite direction to find the lure and jump all over it. They are HIGHLY conditioned animals behaviourally. I was watching some follow-on trials a while back and you could tell which dogs had been trained on a lure that sits right on the rail. They would try to bite the wheel of the lure arm despite the lure being right in front of their faces.

[corvus]

It was different to his other reactivity with movement as he did seem to find it a lot of fun as mentioned. It was a game to him. Other movement makes him anxious and he's not having fun, but with this he'd give a great chase while barking then trot back looking like he had a feeling of accomplishment (I'm trying not to anthropomorphise but the kid was happy and somewhat puffed up) and get ready to go again.

Ugh, it can be really complicated and ambiguous with some dogs. He might find chasing them helps him resolve whatever he's feeling inside. He might recognise the activity as a safe outlet because the bigger dogs are ignoring him. He may indeed feel more in control, and he might be feeling like he's successfully driving them off. My Erik loves to chase other dogs and can get intense, but it seems like a good outlet for him to cut loose. He is often more relaxed after a good crazy run. He used to chase our retriever friends, who don't mind much as long as he doesn't get near their things. Now he has Kestrel and he plays rowdy chase games with her.

[sandgrubber]

It was different to his other reactivity with movement as he did seem to find it a lot of fun as mentioned. It was a game to him. Other movement makes him anxious and he's not having fun, but with this he'd give a great chase while barking then trot back looking like he had a feeling of accomplishment (I'm trying not to anthropomorphise but the kid was happy and somewhat puffed up) and get ready to go again.

Ugh, it can be really complicated and ambiguous with some dogs. He might find chasing them helps him resolve whatever he's feeling inside. He might recognise the activity as a safe outlet because the bigger dogs are ignoring him. He may indeed feel more in control, and he might be feeling like he's successfully driving them off. My Erik loves to chase other dogs and can get intense, but it seems like a good outlet for him to cut loose. He is often more relaxed after a good crazy run. He used to chase our retriever friends, who don't mind much as long as he doesn't get near their things. Now he has Kestrel and he plays rowdy chase games with her.

I suspect, also, that dogs vary in their imprinted definition of prey. In particular, the tendency of dogs to be valued as vermin hunters often seems to result in deep drive against small mammals. GP's don't have a chance where this imprinting is in play. I have retrievers. They tend to either ignore or try to catch (without killing) birds, but they want to kill and eat rabbits, mice, rats, armadillos, etc. I've seen hounds repeatedly attack porcupines, despite getting a very very painful face full of quills each time they do it. Same with skunks, though it's stink not quills, and many breeds will go for them. There seems to be a different prey drive for things categorized as 'might sting or bite or poison'. When I was in Australia, they harassed blue tongue lizards but didn't mount a full on attack. I'll never forget my first dog's reaction to a starfish . . . she was obviously terrified of it, but at the same time wanted to kill it. Darted in and out, air-nipping when she came close, and at the same time barking furiously. Likewise, insects seem to be categorized. Most moths, flies, and grasshoppers are in an 'eat without question' category. Beetles, wasps, and cockroaches seem to be protected by a 'taste awful or might bite' taboo.

Edited November 20, 2016 by sandgrubber

[Papillon Kisses]

It was different to his other reactivity with movement as he did seem to find it a lot of fun as mentioned. It was a game to him. Other movement makes him anxious and he's not having fun, but with this he'd give a great chase while barking then trot back looking like he had a feeling of accomplishment (I'm trying not to anthropomorphise but the kid was happy and somewhat puffed up) and get ready to go again.

Ugh, it can be really complicated and ambiguous with some dogs. He might find chasing them helps him resolve whatever he's feeling inside. He might recognise the activity as a safe outlet because the bigger dogs are ignoring him. He may indeed feel more in control, and he might be feeling like he's successfully driving them off. My Erik loves to chase other dogs and can get intense, but it seems like a good outlet for him to cut loose. He is often more relaxed after a good crazy run. He used to chase our retriever friends, who don't mind much as long as he doesn't get near their things. Now he has Kestrel and he plays rowdy chase games with her.

Yes those things sound possible too! I find it interesting to think about what drives different behaviours in animals and how they may feel. ????