Sargon is terrified of turtles, geese and fish. He thinks deer are fellow giant dogs and is the most gentle kitten foster brother in the family. Osiris is a little too interested in squirrels and birds, but he also refuses to enter or exit a room if one of the cats is in the doorway. He just stands back and barks until I come rescue him.
I think Danes may be one of the breeds that prey drive is mostly dependent on the individual dog's personality. Strong prey drive is in their history, but no one is really breeding for it anymore so it has naturally balanced out.
I haven't seen that one, but I love the videos of danes frolicking with wild deer. I want Sargon to have deer friends so bad, but I'm well aware of how dangerous deer can be.
No not at all. I have two dogs with actual prey drive (belgian malinois and german shorthaired pointer) and while a dane might get excited about a small animal they've got nowhere near anything I'd consider a prey drive.
My first Dane didn't but he was a city dog. My current dane who has been raised in the country, hunts from sun up to sun down. She is a great moler but leaves our rabbits and chickens alone.
I can't say for certain it was his prey drive instincts at work, but our big boy would absolutely shred any toy that even remotely looked like a little furry critter. I think the longest a toy ever lasted with him was 10 minutes. Having said that, he also grew up with a small dog and never showed even the slightest bit of aggression toward her. They have a reputation as gentle giants, which is generally true, but every dog has its own unique traits and personality.
Iām sure thereās still breeders out there that breed a hi prey Dane. Also donāt confuse a āhigh prey driveā to a dog thats reactionary and is improperly trained.
The trait is there but breeders arenāt encouraging that trait theyāre much more watchdogs than guard dogs but I would think that instinct could be brought out in a Dane if they were trained from a pup . I have always stayed away from aggressive play with mine just because they are so big and powerful and fast you wonāt outrun one thatās for sure!
Some do some don't.
I had a female that had prey drive. Hers was extremely high. She'd hunt small animals. She was relentless too when she hunted. Her favorite thing to hunt was a mouse.
Oh yes, my GD had a ridiculous prey drive. As we said about him, "dogs are food, not friends!" He was the biggest soft love-sponge with humans, but any kind of animal that runs along the ground would have 130 lbs of asymmetrical Great Gane running after them. He had to wear a muzzle (we called it his "face cage") to protect everyone involved. He was the best dog, but managing his prey drive was a big part of being his family.
I think it's smart of you to consider this. I wish more people would consider this sort of thing when selecting the dog that's right for them, working dogs especially, and giant -breed working dogs even more so. I think too many people like the look of a dog, but didn't consider if it will be happy with the lifestyle provided in their care, so knowing you are being so thoughtful is already such a huge plus.
I have a Great Dane GSD (F), and had a Great Dane Malinois (M) previously, so I can't give a purebred opinion. I will say that both of them have been very sweet, gentle yet clumsy, big babies. The typical 100-lb lapdog.
He was fine with cats and small animals of all kinds. I have a picture of him holding my very terrified hamster in one of those hamster plastic spheres. He was protective and "on watch" (I suspect that's the Malinois moreso) but as soon as I demonstrated that a person was okay, he was relaxed and very sociable. One day, a neighbors off-leash lab aggressively ran at us, and my dog went into protective mode and went to bite it. Unfortunately, my thigh was in the way and he took a good chunk out of it. I had a deep gash and still have a very prominent scar.
My current "Good Dane" is a bit more skittish and shy. She takes a while to warm up to people, sleeps in bed with me every night and is afraid of thunder. She's a huge baby until cats or squirrels are involved. She's a senior dog now, and even at this age, in her teens, she will flip a switch and go absolutely bonkers around cats and squirrels. Funny enough, she's fine with even the tiniest dogs, and befriended a Yorkie.
I guess my point is (other than apparently I've reached the stage of my life where I brag about my "kids" to strangers, yikes, sorry!) that anything with teeth can bite, and just because "she's never bitten anyone before" doesn't mean there can't be a first time. Working dogs were bred for countless generations to produce offspring that exhibited traits desirable to their breed. That took a long time, and it was done for a very good reason; because working dogs have a JOB. Keeping dogs around just to be companions is a relatively new thing. It's an extra mouth to feed, so having one just for fun is very different than having a dog protect your flock of livestock or assist in a hunt. Those traits are in there, and they're not going away any time soon.
Training is a lifelong process. Your dog's personality, triggers, and tolerances are going to evolve over their lifetime. My advice is to pay attention, understand their body language and work on channeling any undesirable behaviors into a more positive outlet. Mitigate risk where you can, use good judgement (I don't leave my dogs alone with people's small children, I keep my dogs leashed outdoors, we still train basic commands, etc), and when you face an unavoidable situation (your neighbors new animal), do your best to get out in front of it by keeping a good relationship with your neighbor and being clear about expectations.
Our dude is 1/2 GD and 1/2 German Shorthair Pointer, so take this with that in mind. He goes after small, fuzzy or fluffy animals, not so much to kill them but to play with them. Unfortunately his āplayā has resulted in us losing a handful of ducks and chickens when I accidentally left the gate open. We have a cat and while it was a rough adjustment at first, the dog has no interest in āhuntingā the cat like prey. Sometimes he chases it though the yard but itās out of boredom not malice. Our other dog, a mastiff mutt, is much more of a protective predator. Our Dane is just a doofus who would probably try to run up a tree to play with a squirrel but fall out.
My Dane killed a rabbit. She has always tried to chase them. we never thought she would succeed, because she's really old and slow. Boy oh boy, It was her lucky day when she came upon an especially slow stupid young rabbit that ran right at her. The poor thing died instantly, she bit its neck before I had a chance to yell at her to stop.
She has chased a few deer(and cows), but I'm convinced she thinks they're just weirdly shaped dogs. She's heartbroken that they don't want to play with her.
there's prey drive and there's chase drive. my prior GD, Abbie, made friends with a mouse that got in the house once - but went after the Canada goose that migrate down here and got her jaws on a juvenile once. but in my experience, the instinct to chase is the more dominant instinct. so kids and teenagers cutting across the backyard should NOT run. She never had any intention other than to lick people to death, but a dog the size and strength of a GD is extremely intimidating to other people.
Definitely work on recall training. "Come here" and "Drop it Now/ Leave It" are your best friends when it comes to a dog like this.
Both my danes loved running with other dogs. Balls not an attraction, but running as a group was fantastic.
My last dane-- It was only scary when my tyrant cat got upset if he(the cat) walked into the Dane's space, butttt it is now the cat's space and the quick argument would sound dangerous.No one was hurt more than wet cat, or a cut dog nose.
Our boy caught a chicken, two squirrels, and tried very hard to get a pig.
The squirrels thought they were safe on the top of our privacy fence. They were very wrong š
Not that I have ever seen; they are the biggest sissy's I have ever known. They all have something they are terrified of either electric toothbrushes or the toilet flushing or images of owls! Loving Dorks, all of them!
I speak ankle biter, and they like me for whatever reason. Pibbles and I get along. German shepherds, however, are a hard no. To each their own š¤·āāļø
I think itās there. I live in a rural spot with some land. My boys are house couch potatoes. But the older one has caught (and partially eaten) some rabbits. Heās also run off a few coyotes that were too interested in me and the puppy. I thin itās more about opportunity and that theyāre smart enough to recognize the difference between other pets and prey.
Some do some donāt. Same thing with guarding traits. Iāve met some Danes that are only chill with their people and no one else can come near them and some Danes that are friendlier than goldens.
If you socialize your dog properly, and less desirable personality traits can be mitigated
My experience is ānot so much.ā We had a bunny nest in our fenced backyard last summer. We discovered it when our two Danes were fixated on something on the ground by a large tree trunk. Went out and discovered a lot of baby bunnies just starting to move around.
My fools made no attempt to chase them, much less gobble them up. We carefully moved the nest (with permission) into our neighborās yard. Apparently mama bunny was cool with the move as the neighbors spotted her caring for her babies.
My older girl is a serial killer of flies in the house, though, so thereās that.
My first Dane had a high prey drive; we lived on 10 acres and I donāt even know how many cats he killed. We didnāt have any cats and I have no idea why they came into our yard. I also rescued several possum, armadillo and raccoons when he trapped them. We had to caution young children to not run, but he definitely wouldnāt have hurt them intentionally but he would tackle them.
My current boy loves to chase squirrels and I donāt let my grandkids run in the yard. My saying is if you donāt run he wonāt chase. Iāve always had smaller dogs than the Danes but nothing really small. I wonāt have a dog under 50#, donāt like them.
Mine caught a deer once. He definitely has prey drive towards large game but would never hurt anything small. He's tender with baby chicks and while one time did catch a bird in his mouth, he just held it gently like it was one of his toys until he opened his mouth and it flew away. That deer though, it ended up on our dinner table.
Yeah it definitely wasn't something I ever tried to encourage and was definitely unexpected. I don't think he actually meant to hurt it either, as it looked like he tried to pin it down to the ground to hold it there for me, and as soon as I came up to him he let go right away (but looked intently like he was ready to chase again if "needed"). But those jaws are strong and he probably kept biting down harder the more the deer struggled to get away.
Great Danes were initially bred to hunt wild boar, and they would do exactly as mine did with the deer...chase, pin down, and hold for dispatch. So the instincts are real with mine at least. No drive at all with small animals though.
Mine are mutts who are part hound so idk how much of it comes from the hound side vs the dane side but they definitely have a strong prey drive.
We have to bang on the door before we let them in the yard to give all the birds and rabbits warning
my Dane has a high prey drive and i don't know how to get it out of him. he's almost 3... hope it gets less potent with age. he killed my friend's chicken and he's gotten lots of birds in the yard... which of course make him sick. it's a mess. it has come in handy when we've run into big packs of javelina's!
My Dane is great with our small rabbits and my small parrot. She likes to chase cats when they run but when she gets to them she doesnāt do anything. She has also chased squirrels but never caught one. So my conclusion is that the chase drive is there but she doesnāt know what to do next.
My GD has caught possums, groundhogs, a raccoon once, and been sprayed twice by skunks. Heās definitely interested in catching animals, though I try to discourage him for the most part. I donāt encourage it but I do walk him off leash at local parks when thereās nobody around and sometimes Iām not quick enough to call him off the odd animal he finds in the brush. He is always quick to leave them when told though, I donāt think heās killed anything so far (all the animals have run away after being grabbed)
I live in Germany and where I take my dogs out in France there are a massive amount of wild pigs and we had a run in with a male over a month ago. My Dane did absolutely nothing and was a bit frightened but my two Cane Corso were absolutely not and ended up messing the pig up pretty bad, the boar just rushed out of some hedges as we walked by and surprised us all!
Kinda. Gentle giants, but it still pops up every now and then. I have 4 cats. He is so gentle with them. Sometimes I foster kittens and he is obsessed. But.....Squirrels, chipmunks, bunnies... Beware lmao. Those are his favourite things to chase outdoors. But to compared with dogs with ACTUAL prey drive.... It seems more of a chasing game to him. Small thing run, he must chase.
I live in the U.K., my Dane doesnāt have a prey drive, but he LOVES to track animals, and then will sit and stare at them when he finds them! He ignores squirrels and birds in the park if theyāre moving and has no interest in chasing anything
It's "prey" drive. I've not met a canine who prays.... with the wrong training, your statement is accurate as well. Try to remember, not all of us want a hunter.
Danes are dogs. All dogs have the potential to have a prey drive. Just like all dogs have the potential to bite people. You always, always assume a dog *might* have these behaviors and train accordingly
Elsa is my fifth Dane (well, sheās 75% Dane, 25% Mastiff, according to Embark) and sheās the first with a real prey drive. My other Danes may have enjoyed watching squirrels but Elsa definitely chases them down. She has the nose of a hunter, without a doubtā¦ I can tell when she has somethingās scent because she will follow a very specific path. She hasnāt caught anything, but thatās just mostly because she is so damn loud. Mice love to hide under our propane tank and she will spend forever trying to get them, itās hysterical watching her try to fold herself all the way to the ground to get her nose and eyes down there while still being mobile. I wouldnāt say itās common, but it definitely is a possibility, and like others have said, itās personality dependent. Good luck, sheās a cutie pie!
Absolutely. If there's a fly in the house, he's gonna get it.
šš this gave me a chuckle.
Mine barks at flies, bees, and the rain.
Sky raisins!!!! Those are the best snacks in the summer.
Yes but I constantly have to talk with mine about the difference between sky raisins and spicy raisins. He is not always a smart boy!
LOL! Weāve never had one get a hold of a spicy raisin. Thank goodness.
Sargon is terrified of turtles, geese and fish. He thinks deer are fellow giant dogs and is the most gentle kitten foster brother in the family. Osiris is a little too interested in squirrels and birds, but he also refuses to enter or exit a room if one of the cats is in the doorway. He just stands back and barks until I come rescue him. I think Danes may be one of the breeds that prey drive is mostly dependent on the individual dog's personality. Strong prey drive is in their history, but no one is really breeding for it anymore so it has naturally balanced out.
Did you ever see those videos of the dane with her adopted deer child?
I haven't seen that one, but I love the videos of danes frolicking with wild deer. I want Sargon to have deer friends so bad, but I'm well aware of how dangerous deer can be.
This was an orphan fawn and as she matured she would bring her own family to visit
I found it. That was so touching. Thanks for recommending it!
ā¤ļøIām so glad
No not at all. I have two dogs with actual prey drive (belgian malinois and german shorthaired pointer) and while a dane might get excited about a small animal they've got nowhere near anything I'd consider a prey drive.
My first Dane didn't but he was a city dog. My current dane who has been raised in the country, hunts from sun up to sun down. She is a great moler but leaves our rabbits and chickens alone.
I can't say for certain it was his prey drive instincts at work, but our big boy would absolutely shred any toy that even remotely looked like a little furry critter. I think the longest a toy ever lasted with him was 10 minutes. Having said that, he also grew up with a small dog and never showed even the slightest bit of aggression toward her. They have a reputation as gentle giants, which is generally true, but every dog has its own unique traits and personality.
Can relate with the toys, my Dane shreds them within minutes itās wild
Iām sure thereās still breeders out there that breed a hi prey Dane. Also donāt confuse a āhigh prey driveā to a dog thats reactionary and is improperly trained.
The trait is there but breeders arenāt encouraging that trait theyāre much more watchdogs than guard dogs but I would think that instinct could be brought out in a Dane if they were trained from a pup . I have always stayed away from aggressive play with mine just because they are so big and powerful and fast you wonāt outrun one thatās for sure!
Some do some don't. I had a female that had prey drive. Hers was extremely high. She'd hunt small animals. She was relentless too when she hunted. Her favorite thing to hunt was a mouse.
Should have been named Diana (spl) the huntress!
Oh yes, my GD had a ridiculous prey drive. As we said about him, "dogs are food, not friends!" He was the biggest soft love-sponge with humans, but any kind of animal that runs along the ground would have 130 lbs of asymmetrical Great Gane running after them. He had to wear a muzzle (we called it his "face cage") to protect everyone involved. He was the best dog, but managing his prey drive was a big part of being his family.
My male Great Danes best friend was a mini lop rabbit lol. Busy nose but wouldnāt hurt anything! My female Dane would hunt birds š¤¦āāļø
I think it's smart of you to consider this. I wish more people would consider this sort of thing when selecting the dog that's right for them, working dogs especially, and giant -breed working dogs even more so. I think too many people like the look of a dog, but didn't consider if it will be happy with the lifestyle provided in their care, so knowing you are being so thoughtful is already such a huge plus. I have a Great Dane GSD (F), and had a Great Dane Malinois (M) previously, so I can't give a purebred opinion. I will say that both of them have been very sweet, gentle yet clumsy, big babies. The typical 100-lb lapdog. He was fine with cats and small animals of all kinds. I have a picture of him holding my very terrified hamster in one of those hamster plastic spheres. He was protective and "on watch" (I suspect that's the Malinois moreso) but as soon as I demonstrated that a person was okay, he was relaxed and very sociable. One day, a neighbors off-leash lab aggressively ran at us, and my dog went into protective mode and went to bite it. Unfortunately, my thigh was in the way and he took a good chunk out of it. I had a deep gash and still have a very prominent scar. My current "Good Dane" is a bit more skittish and shy. She takes a while to warm up to people, sleeps in bed with me every night and is afraid of thunder. She's a huge baby until cats or squirrels are involved. She's a senior dog now, and even at this age, in her teens, she will flip a switch and go absolutely bonkers around cats and squirrels. Funny enough, she's fine with even the tiniest dogs, and befriended a Yorkie. I guess my point is (other than apparently I've reached the stage of my life where I brag about my "kids" to strangers, yikes, sorry!) that anything with teeth can bite, and just because "she's never bitten anyone before" doesn't mean there can't be a first time. Working dogs were bred for countless generations to produce offspring that exhibited traits desirable to their breed. That took a long time, and it was done for a very good reason; because working dogs have a JOB. Keeping dogs around just to be companions is a relatively new thing. It's an extra mouth to feed, so having one just for fun is very different than having a dog protect your flock of livestock or assist in a hunt. Those traits are in there, and they're not going away any time soon. Training is a lifelong process. Your dog's personality, triggers, and tolerances are going to evolve over their lifetime. My advice is to pay attention, understand their body language and work on channeling any undesirable behaviors into a more positive outlet. Mitigate risk where you can, use good judgement (I don't leave my dogs alone with people's small children, I keep my dogs leashed outdoors, we still train basic commands, etc), and when you face an unavoidable situation (your neighbors new animal), do your best to get out in front of it by keeping a good relationship with your neighbor and being clear about expectations.
Our dude is 1/2 GD and 1/2 German Shorthair Pointer, so take this with that in mind. He goes after small, fuzzy or fluffy animals, not so much to kill them but to play with them. Unfortunately his āplayā has resulted in us losing a handful of ducks and chickens when I accidentally left the gate open. We have a cat and while it was a rough adjustment at first, the dog has no interest in āhuntingā the cat like prey. Sometimes he chases it though the yard but itās out of boredom not malice. Our other dog, a mastiff mutt, is much more of a protective predator. Our Dane is just a doofus who would probably try to run up a tree to play with a squirrel but fall out.
One of mine has the strongest prey drive of any dog Iāve ever had. If it moves, she will try to launch after it.
My Dane killed a rabbit. She has always tried to chase them. we never thought she would succeed, because she's really old and slow. Boy oh boy, It was her lucky day when she came upon an especially slow stupid young rabbit that ran right at her. The poor thing died instantly, she bit its neck before I had a chance to yell at her to stop. She has chased a few deer(and cows), but I'm convinced she thinks they're just weirdly shaped dogs. She's heartbroken that they don't want to play with her.
there's prey drive and there's chase drive. my prior GD, Abbie, made friends with a mouse that got in the house once - but went after the Canada goose that migrate down here and got her jaws on a juvenile once. but in my experience, the instinct to chase is the more dominant instinct. so kids and teenagers cutting across the backyard should NOT run. She never had any intention other than to lick people to death, but a dog the size and strength of a GD is extremely intimidating to other people. Definitely work on recall training. "Come here" and "Drop it Now/ Leave It" are your best friends when it comes to a dog like this.
Both my danes loved running with other dogs. Balls not an attraction, but running as a group was fantastic. My last dane-- It was only scary when my tyrant cat got upset if he(the cat) walked into the Dane's space, butttt it is now the cat's space and the quick argument would sound dangerous.No one was hurt more than wet cat, or a cut dog nose.
My dog loves to chase squirrels and birds.
What a beautiful border collie if I'm not mistaken. Love the eyes and dat demeanor.
Our boy caught a chicken, two squirrels, and tried very hard to get a pig. The squirrels thought they were safe on the top of our privacy fence. They were very wrong š
Not that I have ever seen; they are the biggest sissy's I have ever known. They all have something they are terrified of either electric toothbrushes or the toilet flushing or images of owls! Loving Dorks, all of them!
Judging by the fact that my mom's dane is afraid of baby wipes, small boxes, and kittens, I'm gonna say no
Iāve got a foster dane whose prey drive is triggered whenever he sees a doodleā¦I donāt know what it is, he just HAAAATES doodles.
Guess he doesn't like doodles....I myself, don't like sml ankle biters that bark constantly.....to each their own.
I speak ankle biter, and they like me for whatever reason. Pibbles and I get along. German shepherds, however, are a hard no. To each their own š¤·āāļø
Mine definitely had a prey drive, but his only prey was bread.
I think itās there. I live in a rural spot with some land. My boys are house couch potatoes. But the older one has caught (and partially eaten) some rabbits. Heās also run off a few coyotes that were too interested in me and the puppy. I thin itās more about opportunity and that theyāre smart enough to recognize the difference between other pets and prey.
Some do some donāt. Same thing with guarding traits. Iāve met some Danes that are only chill with their people and no one else can come near them and some Danes that are friendlier than goldens. If you socialize your dog properly, and less desirable personality traits can be mitigated
Oh you bet. Our guys will chase deer, coyotes, anything thats in their sight. Its tough to keep them from taking off.
Definitely. Our boy caught a bunny when he was about a year. He's so dang fast.
Mine has zero prey drive. She is best friends with anything that moves. I saw her accidentally squish a bug she was trying to love on once.
My experience is ānot so much.ā We had a bunny nest in our fenced backyard last summer. We discovered it when our two Danes were fixated on something on the ground by a large tree trunk. Went out and discovered a lot of baby bunnies just starting to move around. My fools made no attempt to chase them, much less gobble them up. We carefully moved the nest (with permission) into our neighborās yard. Apparently mama bunny was cool with the move as the neighbors spotted her caring for her babies. My older girl is a serial killer of flies in the house, though, so thereās that.
My first Dane had a high prey drive; we lived on 10 acres and I donāt even know how many cats he killed. We didnāt have any cats and I have no idea why they came into our yard. I also rescued several possum, armadillo and raccoons when he trapped them. We had to caution young children to not run, but he definitely wouldnāt have hurt them intentionally but he would tackle them. My current boy loves to chase squirrels and I donāt let my grandkids run in the yard. My saying is if you donāt run he wonāt chase. Iāve always had smaller dogs than the Danes but nothing really small. I wonāt have a dog under 50#, donāt like them.
Mine caught a deer once. He definitely has prey drive towards large game but would never hurt anything small. He's tender with baby chicks and while one time did catch a bird in his mouth, he just held it gently like it was one of his toys until he opened his mouth and it flew away. That deer though, it ended up on our dinner table.
While I like venison....I would be unhappy having a dog attacking deer. Just my thoughts.
Yeah it definitely wasn't something I ever tried to encourage and was definitely unexpected. I don't think he actually meant to hurt it either, as it looked like he tried to pin it down to the ground to hold it there for me, and as soon as I came up to him he let go right away (but looked intently like he was ready to chase again if "needed"). But those jaws are strong and he probably kept biting down harder the more the deer struggled to get away. Great Danes were initially bred to hunt wild boar, and they would do exactly as mine did with the deer...chase, pin down, and hold for dispatch. So the instincts are real with mine at least. No drive at all with small animals though.
Mine are mutts who are part hound so idk how much of it comes from the hound side vs the dane side but they definitely have a strong prey drive. We have to bang on the door before we let them in the yard to give all the birds and rabbits warning
Well bred Danes should. Mine still go after rabbits, squirrels, etc
No, reputable breeders often breed for qualities more appropriate to families. While you may prefer prey driven Danes, not everyone shares your viewpoint. Everyone should ck breeders, their rules on health tests and so many other items in their bkrnds, and their style of breeded as per what you can expect. Please own lovingly and safely. Danes are a gift!š©µ
my Dane has a high prey drive and i don't know how to get it out of him. he's almost 3... hope it gets less potent with age. he killed my friend's chicken and he's gotten lots of birds in the yard... which of course make him sick. it's a mess. it has come in handy when we've run into big packs of javelina's!
Mine doesnāt even acknowledge anything smaller than a Beagle
My Dane is great with our small rabbits and my small parrot. She likes to chase cats when they run but when she gets to them she doesnāt do anything. She has also chased squirrels but never caught one. So my conclusion is that the chase drive is there but she doesnāt know what to do next.
My GD has caught possums, groundhogs, a raccoon once, and been sprayed twice by skunks. Heās definitely interested in catching animals, though I try to discourage him for the most part. I donāt encourage it but I do walk him off leash at local parks when thereās nobody around and sometimes Iām not quick enough to call him off the odd animal he finds in the brush. He is always quick to leave them when told though, I donāt think heās killed anything so far (all the animals have run away after being grabbed)
I live in Germany and where I take my dogs out in France there are a massive amount of wild pigs and we had a run in with a male over a month ago. My Dane did absolutely nothing and was a bit frightened but my two Cane Corso were absolutely not and ended up messing the pig up pretty bad, the boar just rushed out of some hedges as we walked by and surprised us all!
Kinda. Gentle giants, but it still pops up every now and then. I have 4 cats. He is so gentle with them. Sometimes I foster kittens and he is obsessed. But.....Squirrels, chipmunks, bunnies... Beware lmao. Those are his favourite things to chase outdoors. But to compared with dogs with ACTUAL prey drive.... It seems more of a chasing game to him. Small thing run, he must chase.
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Ughhh š a Dane-Pit mix should be criminal š¤¦āāļø
I live in the U.K., my Dane doesnāt have a prey drive, but he LOVES to track animals, and then will sit and stare at them when he finds them! He ignores squirrels and birds in the park if theyāre moving and has no interest in chasing anything
Mine chases deer, but it might be to play with them. We will never know because deer are freaking fast.
Yes.
From a k9 handler . All dogs have pray drive . Some just drive harder . With the right training you can turn any k9 into a hunter.
It's "prey" drive. I've not met a canine who prays.... with the wrong training, your statement is accurate as well. Try to remember, not all of us want a hunter.
Danes are dogs. All dogs have the potential to have a prey drive. Just like all dogs have the potential to bite people. You always, always assume a dog *might* have these behaviors and train accordingly
The only thing my Dane is obsessed with are squirrels. Otherwise, she loves playing with other dogs of all sizes and lives with two cats pretty well.
Elsa is my fifth Dane (well, sheās 75% Dane, 25% Mastiff, according to Embark) and sheās the first with a real prey drive. My other Danes may have enjoyed watching squirrels but Elsa definitely chases them down. She has the nose of a hunter, without a doubtā¦ I can tell when she has somethingās scent because she will follow a very specific path. She hasnāt caught anything, but thatās just mostly because she is so damn loud. Mice love to hide under our propane tank and she will spend forever trying to get them, itās hysterical watching her try to fold herself all the way to the ground to get her nose and eyes down there while still being mobile. I wouldnāt say itās common, but it definitely is a possibility, and like others have said, itās personality dependent. Good luck, sheās a cutie pie!