Sunday, June 12, 2011
More on Predatory Drift
My experience is that in many cases; the drifter has been trained with coercive techniques.
Okay, this isn’t exactly what I meant. What I meant to say aggression begets aggression. The dog that gets away with a behavior one time and then the next gets clocked in the head for the same behavior is more likely to be a drifter.
Dogs that don’t feel well or hypothyroid dogs may flair up. A dog with a sore back is notorious for being grouchy.
Often two dogs that aren’t getting along will take advantage of a stimulating moment to take a nip. The momentary snapping and spitting through teeth is a spat. That’s just two dogs getting their relationship worked out.
A spat is the k9 equivalent of having harsh words. It’s over in about twenty seconds or less. By the time you react to say no, stop or OMG; it’s over.
That may be what some are calling P.D. Is that what you see as predatory drift? Or does P.D. result in puncture or rip and tear?
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I'm not very familiar with the term Predatory Drift but I do agree with your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteMy experience has supported the idea that violence begets violence. True in humans, dogs, pet birds... I've experienced first hand the fall out. Not fun.
I find people are quick to label dogs: aggressive, reactive.... I see so many dogs quivering and growling at the young ages of 6-12 months. Their owners smack them and tell them no in harsh tones. Dogs are very smart creatures but humans can be unpredictable and downright mean. I'm not sure if this is related at all to what you are writing about. I think so many dogs grow up without a stable predictable relationship that it is amazing we have dogs that are not dysfunctional. Dogs grow up not knowing their own language and on top of many are living with people they cannot trust or understand.
I would not consider most aggression instances related to Predatory Drift. While dogs have predatory instincts, their expression is determined by past experiences and environment. I've seen former feral dogs escape to the wild and drift back to their former behavior, and that's where I apply the term. Let's not forget that we are predators also, and some people can suddenly become rather nasty at times.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that coercive techniques often have some of these results.