Predatory Drift.

I have noticed that several people on here allow their dogs to hunt and kill squirrels and rabbits (I did too, until I learnt of some risks)

I am not looking for a slanging match, but I just wanted to know if anyone has experienced other issues with their dog from allowing it to hunt and kill for itself (From squirrel to cat, or rabbit to small fluffy dog) Or has anyone "lost" their dogs recall due to it being intent on the hunt?

Kiki was the family dog before I took over her care and she was allowed to chase rabbits as much as she liked. I didn't realise quite how bad she was until we were walking our usual route, I let her off-lead at the "safe point" away from the road, when a deer suddenly darted out from a bush near us and that was it, there was no calling Kiki back. I was totally horrified to see them both running at breakneck speed towards the only exit that leads right out onto a road and a train crossing - sprinted as fast as I could to fortunately find Kiki just a few metres from the road, the deer must've outrun her and thankfully she had the sense to stop where she did.
That was definately a big realisation point for me on how quickly something terrible could have happened, not just to Kiki but I dread to think about what could have happened if she'd darted infront of a car full of kids being taken to school and caused a severe accident. She was practically glued to a lead for quite a while after that and now I'm a lot more selective about where she's let off. She is better than she used to be with chasing, I've managed to call her off the chase in the few times we've had rabbits spring right across our path, but I'm not prepared to take the risk - not just with Kiki's life but with anyone caught in the crossfire too. Letting your dog chase things doesn't just affect you, your dog or the wildlife involved, if you can't control your dog then it could end up causing an accident.

I never allow it, too much risk to cats that may stray into the garden not to mention my own smalls.

I get seriously annoyed if they ever try it and was not happy when Etta presented me with a dead thrush---at least I was happy she gave it to me but not happy she had caught it. At the moment we have blackbirds nesting with babies in the hedge/bushes above where the dogs dig, I wouldn't have thought it was the most sensible idea but it seems OK at the moment.

rune

I don't "allow" Rupert to chase and kill things but it does happen sometimes and I assume that he chased and killed things in his previous home as he was turned in for sheep worrying. He will chase and kill a cat as readily as a rabit or squirrel and I would NOT trust him off leash with small dogs just in case. Also, his recall is non existant when he spots something to chase so I'm very selective about where he's off leash.

I know there are people out there who use their dogs to hunt and kill vermin and who have no problems with recall or their dog chasing and killing things without permission but I don't have that control over Rupert and I doubt I ever will.

my lurcher kills anything that moves quickly, she was born to run down and kill animals for that reason she is leashed around what i call suburbia but allowed full freedom out in the sticks, what she kills we skin and the dog eat it, i do not hunt with my dogs or direct my dogs to where animals are but in the course of a walk it has happened.
My lurcher does respond to the whistle and has good control but because of the amount of cats in the area we do not allow the risk so on the lead as soon as the boot is opened or indeed the back gate.

Mine don't bother chasing anything, unless there is a rat in the garden
But I have trained them not to chase as we have cats, furries and chucks, and they are only allowed to chase rats thats by the chucks

Years back I had a working JRT she would kill/chase anything when given the command, she was a brill ratter but I've seen baby handreared kittens being mothered by her, so I have these trained the same way

Yep - had a close call with Tara(GSD) only yesterday.

We were walking Tara with the two terriers yesterday, across two fields that run alongside a railway. A deer came straight over the track down into the ditch and then could not make the jump from the ditch over the fence into the field so panicked and went back. Another deer did exactly the same thing a bit further along the track but did not go back over the track and kept running along the ditch. Tara put it up our side of the stock fencing. She chased the full length of the field towards the byway which leads to the level crossing.

She would not recall and ran out of sight. A train came and I said to OH he had better pray she was not on the track. He poo-pood me and said he saw her turn the other direction in pursuit of the deer. With that Tara appeared on the railway bank the other side of the fence to us.

With great difficulty I had to climb over the fence which is the high stock fence with barbed wire on top. We then had to put our sweatshirts on the top and I had to lift Tara (30Kgs) until OH could grab her and take some weight and we lifted her over the fence. It was not easy as I am only a small woman.

OH cannot see that encouraging Tara to chase rabbits is so dangerous. We often bicker about this subject and I was furious with him yesterday as this kinda proves my point.

I do all Polos training myself and although I am not confident that I could recall him off deer, I train in an endeavour to recall him off a chase. I am able to recall him off birds and rabbits but am not prepared to put the deer chasing to the test. I certainly don't encourage him chasing anything that I have no control over. I wish OH would take the same attitude towards Tara's training and stop putting her at risk.

Oh dear, maybe if he had to go and retrieve bits of her off the railway line like a friend of mine had to many years ago, he might change his mind!

She never got over that.

Thats why I stopped letting mine, im terrified that could happen.

I have also notcied (oddly) that Kerrie doesnt get so excited over little dogs, as she did when I allowed her to chase/catch/kill.

It is only one of my dogs that is an avid chaser (and occasional killer) of small furries. Although, that said, my Labrador managed to get a baby rabbit that was hiding in the grass the other day.

Anyway, as others have said, it isn't so much a case of "allowing" it...rather it just happens. Bo prefers to point and stalk game first, but if she is presented with the opportunity (ie; the small furry is in the wrong place at the wrong time) she will seize the opportunity and give chase. Squirrels are her number one target -- she has never caught a bird, preferring to point those instead.

As for predatory drift, she is an awful cat chaser. She is totally obsessed by them. If we are lead walking, she seems to remember the exactly location of every cat we have ever seen. If she was off lead and saw a cat before I did she would give chase. She will also glady chase our cats if they run. She had cornered them but generally just stands there barking at them manically. Yet, other times in the house she will just ignore them.

Her chasing other dogs is not an issue. She lives with a tiny dog in the form of my own terrier!

Luckily for me she isn't the type of dog to disappear over the hills while chasing something.