Size Matters!

I was called to a case where a large dog weighing 50lbs had killed a smaller dog weighing only 10 lbs. The details of what happened were somewhat sketchy since my client was not there to witness the event. As best I could, I gathered information from third parties to try and understand what happened.

This is actually quite important because based on the facts I could give my recommendations for how to proceed with the large breed in the future presence of little dogs. It appears that the Chihuahua was a victim of Predatory drift. Predatory drift is related to predation, but is not the same.

Predation is defined as a sequence of behaviors fulfilled in order to acquire food (hunt).
The identifiable behaviors that are part of the feeding sequence are:
• Search (find prey, mainly by sense of smell)
• Stalk (sneak up as unnoticed as possible)
• Rush (move suddenly towards prey)
• Chase (run after the fleeing prey)
• Bite/hold/shake/kill the prey
• Dissect and eat the prey

All canids exhibit some or a few of these behaviors at a given time. Even our dogs that do not hunt for survival anymore can exhibit part of the predatory sequence; this is hardwired. Predatory drift, on the other hand, refers to an instinctual reaction that a dog might have when another animal, such as another (smaller) dog, is identified as
prey (food).

When a (small) dog feels scared or threatened by a larger size dog, either in play or in another type or encounter, the small dog might begin to act as prey by yelping in a high pitch tone, barking, running away from the large dog, etc. In turn, the larger dog may interpret this sort of behavior as coming from prey (another animal he might stalk, chase, grab, kill, etc.) and not a small playmate. Predatory drift happens very quickly, so quickly that preventing it is nearly impossible.

So as you can see by the definitions above, there is a different motivation (hunt/feed) than if the larger dog had injured  or in this case killed the smaller one as a result of aggression.  There are many definitions for aggression but for our purposes here, I will define aggression as:

The intent to harm as a result of protecting oneself or to protect a resource from others. Even though the definition above is very specific (again one can argue there are more “reasons” why animals can be aggressive) I think that with few exceptions they all fall within the realm of protecting oneself or protecting resources.

The situation described above with the two size-dogs had other interesting components. According to witnesses the large dog approached the small dog in a friendly manner, the small dog, which was on a leash, apparently started to move away from the large one.  I am not sure, if he yelped, cried and was even able to run since he was on a leash and the fact that the dog was mortally bitten in the stomach.


When dogs fight they normally do not bite the belly.  Most bites are delivered to extremities, the face including ears or the side of the body.  When dogs actually engage in food acquisition behaviors, they dissect their victim which it appears to be what happen in this instance.

Predatory Drift is actually more prevalent than people think it is.  When I was attending the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dogs Trainers, I remember very clearly Jean (Donaldson) saying that everyone (in the industry) has had either direct experience with  Predatory drift or knows of someone that has. I also remember how one of our instructors at the Academy owned a Greyhound who was lovely and very well mannered. However, this gentle giant was never off leash at the dog park. Not so much because he would not come back as his recall was quite good and he was now a “retired” Greyhound, but because his owner was very aware of the chance of his Greyhound- a sight hound, engaging in Predatory behaviors towards smallish dogs.

While there are some breeds that can in a pinch exhibit predatory drift all of them as canids have the possibility. The difference (this is a real interesting part…) lies in which of the stalk & kill sequenced behaviors a particular breed will engage in more readily a consequence of the genetic make-up and the “job” or genetic bias of the breed.

Here is an example: Border collies and other sheep-herding dogs have a very “strong” stalking behavior (as a breed - of course there is always differences within individuals) but rarely will they go from the stalking all the way down the sequence to the kill.  They are not “finishers” an industry term.

What is also really interesting is that if they are engaging in a given behavior of the sequence, yes the sequence always take place in the same order… and one interrupts  the dog, it cannot move forward with the next behavior but has to go back to the beginning…  Love those Border collies!


In any event, the take home message is that we all should be aware and educate others about the real possibility of a small dog being injured as a result of Predatory Drift. In addition, it is my recommendations that we do our part in taking the necessary steps when our dogs - be it because of their size, small play companion and or breed to prevent this misfortune.

I will keep my recommendations to my client and his dog a suspense - suspense makes  life interesting, no?  At least until someone is curious enough to post on the blog asking for the answer. :)

Are We Okay?

I just returned from the Clicker Expo; a fantastic conference on all things clicker. I have been attending the Clicker Expo almost every year and every time I do so, I come home refreshed and full of ideas that I want to implement with my own dogs and clients' dogs. I also come home exhausted.

The line-up of Clicker Expo faculty is nothing short of amazing! Not only are these professionals in the field of animal training in a variety of species: from marine mammals, bird, horses and dogs, but they are so eager to share their knowledge in captivating and fun ways.

In the training of animals there are many ways to do things, to accomplish a given goal or teach a desired behavior, BUT all things are not equal. One of the must do's for science-based trainers is to achieve our goals with the least wear and tear on the learner. This is at times a tall order as we must always bear in mind not only if the animal is learning and what is being learned, but also its comfort level in doing so.

Sure, stress is part of any learning process and the idea here is not to remove all stress (because we can’t) from the learning process, but to strive to find ways to teach this particular animal at this particular moment this particular behavior… wow! Yeah, wow is right.

Personally I find this vow and challenge to be lots of fun. Part of the reason I love being a dog trainer is because it requires that I problem solve. Being creative in this field has never hurt anyone (as long as there is a practice of the statement above) as well as keeping in mind that the “learner is never wrong” a phrase that I heard during the Clicker Expo and right at this moment I can’t really say accurately whom I heard it from- so my apologies to the author- it is just too good to pass.

As I sit, listen and watch these amazing trainers and gifted teachers ponder upon what some of us trainers take for granted as well as new findings in learning theory and animal behavior, my brain starts spinning… I want to try that, mmm, I never thought of it this way etc. etc.

I'm back home now and my brain is still spinning trying to find the time to begin implementing all these new methodologies. Here is one that I read in Kay Lawrence’s new book: Every Dog Every Day. As with anything Kay Laurence- I devour it. I finished the book before returning home.

In any event, Kay reminds us that when our dogs jump on us after an absence and for the dog the absence can be a quick shopping trip or a one week vacation away from them- as a way of saying hello, what they are doing is checking in with us. I guess that if they could speak we would hear them ask: Are We Okay? This form of canine greeting: attempting to reach for our faces (mouth) is a vestige of their past. Our dogs, as decedents from wolves, have evolved with this behavior that is only observed in young pups when licking their parents mouths to elicit food once the adult has returned to the den with a kill to share.

One of the big differences between wolves and dogs is the presence of neotony. Neotony is defined as the retention in adulthood of infantile or juvenile characteristics. The licking of the face to appease (social in nature) or to request food is one  great example of neotony in our domesticated dogs. However, I am NOT implying that our dogs think that we are their dog mothers or dog fathers in the outright sense of the term. Moreover, I doubt they think of us as canids. I do think however, that they clearly perceive us as part of their group. I say group instead of pack because strictly speaking in order to be part of a pack we would be hunting together. And the  last time I checked our pets are not hunting to feed themselves on a regular basis, and we are not joining them either in the killing-eating sequence. Having said that, we are indeed part of an intimate group – call it family or kin or whatever you like with our dogs.

For our dogs, their reunion with a dear family member is always a reason for celebration (don’t you love this about dogs? They have such great manners). We humans have much to learn from them. How common it is to just say: hey! to your partner, accompanied with a quick-glance away from the computer screen as he or she walks in the front door? Thank you dogs everywhere for raising the bar. For teaching us a concrete way of not taking each other for granted.

Now here is the new thing for me: Kay suggests that instead of us avoiding our dog’s greeting in the form of jumps of exhilaration, we acknowledge that in this way is how they say hello. Assure your pup that you guys are still okay. I have to admit that I find her suggestion intriguing. Many dog parents find their dog jumping on them to greet or worse, jumping on others. Jumping on people is one of the behaviors that most often people want help with.

Okay, okay, I am guilty as charged of telling my clients to ignore their dog’s antics until the dog is sitting to say hello or I offer I can teach your dog to do somethin’ else instead of jumping on you versus indulging the dog in a quick acknowledgement by coming down at their level for a quick virtual lick. Of course, nothing wrong if you enjoy being licked by your dog on the face, I rather just fake it but give the dog the satisfaction of proximity to my face.

When I got back home, I decided to try Kay’s way with Rioja. She still gets super excited to see me return and she jumps and spins when I come through the front door. This time around, I just took two seconds to pet her adding the proximity to face requirement and in my quiet way I told her that we were still okay! Hey, she did great! I am planning on continuing to do this.

As a professional I do have an opinion and I also think that one size does not fit all. If your dog gets really anxious about your departures and arrivals I do suggest that you wait for a tiny indication from your dog of being collected and then immediately acknowledge his bravery and say hello. Not only are you teaching your dog to be confident but you are also acknowledging his very nature. How fabulous that is? What I love about Kay’s ideas is that she strives to see dogs for who they are and to acknowledge their needs in a world that is not their own where two species tend to collide with the goal in sight of beginning to meet somewhere in the middle… a fair solution for both species.