Bigger dogs with low prey drive?

If you are wondering what is the right dog for you, this is the place to be. In this introductory forum we talk about topics such as breed vs. mix, size, age, grooming, breeders, shelters, rescues as well as requirements for exercise, space and care. No question is too silly here. This particular forum is for getting and giving helpful, nice advice. It is definitely not a forum for criticizing someone else's opinion, knowledge or advice. This forum is all about tail wagging and learning.

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Bunny

Black dogs rock!

Barked: Sun Aug 26, '12 6:13pm PST


	After yet another walk with Bunny barking and lunging at passing bikes and me watching Princesse walking calmly beside him with barely a glance at the bikes, my resolve for a bigger dog with low prey drive has solidified. I am still very interested in a Standard Poodle some day, but wonder if they are high prey drive as well. I adore Bunny, but I have no desire to deal with this again in the hopefully distant future.

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Jewel, PCD

8.6lbs of fury- in a bow!

Barked: Wed Aug 29, '12 8:04am PST


	That basset hound I fostered was no drive! But seriously poodles were hunting dogs. Jewel as a toy mix is about as far from that as you can get in the poodle family and she's still insane about birds. She'll actually point at them with one little foot off the ground before she takes off like a black nightmare. She also "bounces" in tall grass while running to see her "prey" which I found out is also a poodle hunting trait. She'll stop to listen to the birds singing and then takes off to flush them out. I mean that whole what the breeder is breeding for, each dog is different, it's how to you raise and train them blah blah blah thing still applies but they were used for hunting. Edited by author Wed Aug 29, '12 8:05am PST

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Mulder

Spooky Mulder

Barked: Wed Aug 29, '12 8:13am PST


	How big is big? If you're talking mid-size range, I wouldn't count the Spoodle out. They may still have some drive, but put them up beside other dogs of similar intelligence and size, and you may have about as "moderate" as you're going to get. If you don't mind going XL, Newfies are always top of that list.

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Toto, CD,- RN, CGC

We don't do- doodles!!!

Barked: Wed Aug 29, '12 8:31am PST


	I can't speak for standards, but my mini's and toys sure do not lack in the prey drive department!! Toto and Ali are currently completely obsessed with a chipmunk that has moved in beside their pen and while they ALL chase after it, Toto and Ali have complete obsession and cannot leave trying to capture it for one second. Toto is so bad that every time he walks by the outside door, he MUST knock it open and race out to check the chippie. As Jewel said, they WERE bred from hunting dogs and in the beginning, only the ones that showed proper instinct (read prey drive) were bred.

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Jewel, PCD

8.6lbs of fury- in a bow!

Barked: Wed Aug 29, '12 9:04am PST


	Toto do yours point? Or do the bouncing run thing? That bouncing run thing really surprised me, I thought it was just her but I read about it on a poodle forum.

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Toto, CD,- RN, CGC

We don't do- doodles!!!

Barked: Wed Aug 29, '12 9:24am PST


	They do BOTH!!!

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Sonja

It's all about- me.

Barked: Wed Aug 29, '12 9:44am PST


	Sonja is the best mouser I've ever had...which includes the cats I've had in my life. Rodents have no chance when she's around. She could care less about birds though. Jasper on the other hand flushes out sage grouse and almost snagged one out of the air in mid flight. All of my Poodles chase the naughty squirrels in our yard and they are really not fans of the cats in the neighborhood. My Rottie/GSD cross was only interested in squirrels. Nothing else interested her.

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Jewel, PCD

8.6lbs of fury- in a bow!

Barked: Wed Aug 29, '12 10:01am PST


	Sonja do any of yours point or doing the bouncing run? How did these dogs end up NON-sporting?! I protest!! Edited by author Wed Aug 29, '12 10:02am PST

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Toto, CD,- RN, CGC

We don't do- doodles!!!

Barked: Wed Aug 29, '12 10:21am PST


	Bunny, while my dogs ARE obsessed with chickies and chippies, they CAN be called off and made to ignore them. They can ALL walk nicely beside the chickies OR the chippie as long as I have their attention. Don't forget, you DIDN'T have Bunny as a pup...perhaps he could have been taught to ignore if you had???

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Bunny

Black dogs rock!

Barked: Wed Aug 29, '12 2:13pm PST


	Actually, Toto, he was 5 months old when I got him However, I had no clue what I was doing while training him Mulder, when I said bigger, I meant mid size. Newfie is way more dog than I have room for Bunny is also reactive, that may be a training issue Jewel, do your foster Chis have any prey drive? It is such a relief when I walk Princesse by herself and have no worries about her barking, lunging, pulling to get to something. I certainly didn't train her that way, it seems to be part of her nature. I guess I wouldn't mind training a dog that could be called off. The thing with Bunny is there is nothing higher value than whatever he wants to get after Edited by author Wed Aug 29, '12 2:14pm PST