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Original poster

If your dog has a high prey drive are they ever off lead?

58 replies

Watercolours272 · 19/06/2021 10:51

Our dog is coming up for 2 years old. His prey drive kicked in around the same time as adolescence when recall went out the window so he's been on a long line since he was around 9 months old. His recall is now excellent (on the long line) and I would now be getting rid of it however, my gut feeling is that I can never trust him 100% when he gets the scent of something.

We live in the countryside, pheasants and lambs at every turn. We've encountered lambs that have escaped from fields in forests miles away from farm land.

We let him off the lead at the beach, which is an hours drive away and we visit around once a month. There's also a stream near to our home where I feel confident letting him off (he chases his ball).

I'm a bit disheartened that this is as good as it's going to get for him and I really hate the long line, it's muddy, it tangles, its just a pain in the arse. I actually think an extender lead might be better to give him more freedom without the chore of reeling the line in and out.

I'm just wondering how others manage their high prey drive dogs?

OP posts:
BiteyShark · 19/06/2021 10:58

Yes I have a WCS who was a nightmare as a youngster and I walk in forests with deer, horses and cows. Fortunately no sheep.

I spent many months getting his recall in check and you do have to be mindful all the time and have confidence.

For a few years my secret weapon was playing hunting and chasing of balls so I was the best thing ever on a walk but after the latest severe back injury ball has been banned and now I just let him run around like a loon in the forest.

We have just been back from a 2 hour walk and at no time was I not listening out for where he was. Occasionally blowing the whistle when he got to far and heaping praise on him when he came running back and hiding behind a tree just to keep him on his toes. He chased a deer for a short while but as he 'thinks' I won't stop for him he came tearing back to me as I charged on (spent a long time when he was younger walking off in the opposite direction so he never thinks I will wait or find him).

4PawsGood · 19/06/2021 11:02

We have two greyhounds that are usually on a lead. But as well as the beach, you might find there are other places. Eg

Small enclosed fields
Rent a dog field
Smaller parks in a town/city
Playgrounds, if you go very early and take water to wash away wee, you might feel comfortable doing this. I’ve also seen school grounds mentioned as an option. Some people would say this doesn’t work as children have allergies, but that’s up to you.

Bluntness100 · 19/06/2021 11:07

Yes I’m considering getting a dog and this concerns me. We’ve a large garden with deer and squirrels and I suspect if we do get another dog I simply won’t be able to open the door snd let him out or sit with him out there without tying him up.

tentotwelve · 19/06/2021 11:09

I take mine to a secure dog field regularly.

Otherwise she's on the lead. She was five when I got her though and copes pretty well with the limitations. She doesn't run around as much now but sniffs a lot.

BiteyShark · 19/06/2021 11:11

Oh should say when he had a bit of a deer chase I don't mean miles through the forest. The deer was startled and bounced about, BiteyDog followed (still in view) and then thought 'shit my owner is walking off' and ran back.

I think you need to decide at what point you are confident in their recall? Mine goes to various daycares and they all walk him off lead. But recall training never stops. My walks are always mindful of what is about, where he is and whether I think he is too far away (and despite the banned ball it's still in my bag as the ultimate backup weapon Grin).

Backstreetsbackalrightdadada · 19/06/2021 11:16

The other risk is dog injury - one friends dog couldn’t stop in time and smashed into a rock, another broke its leg in uneven ground on a hillside and was PTS, another ripped its stomach open jumping a fence (all dogs were off chasing things). Happened over 10 year stretch but makes me feel sick Sad

cupsofcoffee · 19/06/2021 11:39

I have a beagle who goes off lead. The only thing he really chases nowadays is deer but even then only for 15-20 minutes then he comes back to where he last saw us.

As long as there's no livestock around (or danger of livestock) then he's generally off his lead everyday.

randomkey123 · 19/06/2021 12:06

I've got a working cocker with a very high prey drive. He like yours was on a long training line for a very long time, but you do need to trust. I always walk him with a squeaky ball in my pockets, and he has some hawk bells attached to his collar so I can always hear in when he's surfing through hedges Hmm.

Thankfully he will ignore sheep, but pheasants are a whole other ball game. One memorable morning, a young roe deer had jumped into our garden (a bunch of activists let them out of their enclosure at the local agricultural college and we're now plagued with them locally) and DDog chased it into the kitchen Hmm

TheSandgroper · 19/06/2021 12:07

Border terrier here. Nope. Extendable lead only. Cats, lizards, possums, foxes, rabbits and probably snakes and she would be off.

Floralnomad · 19/06/2021 13:04

I have a patterdale x with an extremely high prey drive and he goes offlead everyday but I just have to be selective about where we walk , so beaches , parks , village green are all ok woods , open country , anywhere with a lake is not as much for his own safety as the wildlife as he is likely to go down a hole etc . If I’m taking him somewhere that he can’t go off I use an extendable lead so he can mooch a bit further afield than his usual lead allows . Fortunately we have lots of local green areas that are suitable for him and are only 15/20 minutes from the nearest beach .

MsMarvellous · 19/06/2021 13:04

Ours is rarely off lead. There are a couple of secure woodland areas I can trust him in but he's mostly on lead.

ILoveToads · 19/06/2021 13:35

@cupsofcoffee

I have a beagle who goes off lead. The only thing he really chases nowadays is deer but even then only for 15-20 minutes then he comes back to where he last saw us.

As long as there's no livestock around (or danger of livestock) then he's generally off his lead everyday.

Are you serious? Hmm
cupsofcoffee · 19/06/2021 13:38

@ILoveToads why would I not be serious? Confused

ILoveToads · 19/06/2021 13:40

[quote cupsofcoffee]@ILoveToads why would I not be serious? Confused[/quote]
You let your dog chase deer?

MrsMackesy · 19/06/2021 13:43

Dogs must not be allowed to chase deer, farmed or wild.

MrsMackesy · 19/06/2021 13:48

@cupsofcoffee

I have a beagle who goes off lead. The only thing he really chases nowadays is deer but even then only for 15-20 minutes then he comes back to where he last saw us.

As long as there's no livestock around (or danger of livestock) then he's generally off his lead everyday.

That is a lot of stress you are allowing him to cause in that 15-20 minutes.
GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 19/06/2021 13:50

Letting dogs chase deer isn't safe.

  1. Roads
  2. Muntjac: those little buggers can tear a hole in a dog.
  3. If your dog is out of your sight after taking off after a deer, you have no idea what else it might be up to (sheep, horses etc).

OP, you CAN have a high-drive dog safely off-lead if you train it. I've only ever had an issue with one of mine when training has slipped a bit (DH walking them over lockdown); other than that, she has been amazing.

What breed do you have? Any sort of gundog will benefit from gundog training. It's what I rely on with mine.

cupsofcoffee · 19/06/2021 13:50

I don't LET him chase deer - I call him back and 95% of the time it works, but yes, there is a slight chance that he will ignore me.

Which is why I avoid the woods and anywhere with deer during deer season - but I can't control wildlife and sometimes there will be a rogue animal somewhere it shouldn't be.

Nowhere have I said I allow him to chase, but no dog has 100% recall as it's impossible to train any animal to complete perfection all of the time.

He's only disappeared for 15-20 minutes once, though, and he was an adolescent at the time. Normally he stays by my side or I spot the deer in time and pop him on his lead for safety :)

cupsofcoffee · 19/06/2021 13:51

Letting dogs chase deer isn't safe.

I'm well aware it's not safe and it's not something I encourage at all, but I am also fully aware that no dog in the world has perfect recall, although I know many on MN claim their dog would never chase anything under any circumstance ever Grin

BiteyShark · 19/06/2021 13:53

I have to say I would be panicking if mine went off for 15-20 mins. The worst one was a deer when he was a teenager and it seemed like an eternity but probably about 5 mins out of sight when he eventually turned up just at the point when I was about in tears going to call DH and tell him I had lost the dog. Mine could cover many miles in 15 mins.

I don't let mine go as far as being out of sight or within rustling distance (I can hear him tracking me in the undergrowth as I am waking along). If I can't see him or hear him given a lot of the forest fawns are about as tall as me I know it's time to recall, praise and release again.

MissyB1 · 19/06/2021 13:54

We have a schnauzer with a high prey drive (they were bred originally as ratters I believe). But she wont hurt any living thing! She "caught" a rabbit - very gently in her mouth then lay it gently on the ground and let it go. She "caught" a squirrel - didn't even touch it! She tried to chase a deer bless her but her little legs only lasted about 2 minutes! She's not bothered about sheep/ cows /horses now, we trained her out of that.

She's off lead on every walk, we've dome a 2 hour walk in woods and around a lake this morning.

cupsofcoffee · 19/06/2021 13:54

@BiteyShark

I have to say I would be panicking if mine went off for 15-20 mins. The worst one was a deer when he was a teenager and it seemed like an eternity but probably about 5 mins out of sight when he eventually turned up just at the point when I was about in tears going to call DH and tell him I had lost the dog. Mine could cover many miles in 15 mins.

I don't let mine go as far as being out of sight or within rustling distance (I can hear him tracking me in the undergrowth as I am waking along). If I can't see him or hear him given a lot of the forest fawns are about as tall as me I know it's time to recall, praise and release again.

Oh, I could see/hear him the entire time - he just wouldn't come back to me.
BiteyShark · 19/06/2021 13:57

Oh, I could see/hear him the entire time - he just wouldn't come back to me.

Grin ah then at least you wouldn't have been as scared as I was. The 5 mins I couldn't hear or see mine I have to say was the worst 5 mins of my life. I really thought that he was gone forever. When he came back with me frantically blowing the whistle so he knew where to head back to he looked just as shaken up as I was.

QuestionableMouse · 19/06/2021 13:58

Nope. Mines either on a 50ft (or 80ft, on the beach when it's empty) line or loose in an extremely secure field that he can't escape. He's a Jack Russell and even with excellent training (not blowing my own horn, my best friend competes in obedience and agility with her dogs) his recall is terrible.

cupsofcoffee · 19/06/2021 13:59

@BiteyShark

Oh, I could see/hear him the entire time - he just wouldn't come back to me.

Grin ah then at least you wouldn't have been as scared as I was. The 5 mins I couldn't hear or see mine I have to say was the worst 5 mins of my life. I really thought that he was gone forever. When he came back with me frantically blowing the whistle so he knew where to head back to he looked just as shaken up as I was.

I was more frustrated that he was being a little shit Grin

He could hear me and see me - in fact, he kept looking back to check and he stopped when he shouted but just carried on regardless!

We were nowhere near a road or any livestock so I wasn't too worried about him getting any danger. The deer outran him after a few minutes and he spent the rest of the time zooming in circles and being a general twat, lol.