Hunt: 4%
Orient: 0%
Eye: 11%
Stalk: 32%
Chase: 4%
Grab-bite: 4%
Possess: 18%
Kill-bite: 14%
Dissect: 14%
Consume: 46%
There were 28 dogs of this breed in my research. As you can see, although the numbers show that they were number ten on the list of dogs with no interest in some parts of the predatory motor sequence , that does not mean that Greyhounds have no interest in prey animals. In fact, all 28 of the dogs in my research had an interest to some extent in orient which, is said to be a key behaviour for greyhounds with researchers, Howell and Bennett stating that sighthounds like Greyhounds usually orient and then immediately chase before going for a grab-bite.
Of the behaviours, orient, chase and grab-bite, therefore, a high level of interest would be expected in Greyhounds. However, only 25% of them were listed as living to orient, 32% were listed as living to chase and just 7% were listed as living to grab-bite. Researchers Starling et al., noted a lack of research into what motivates Greyhounds to chase as well as it being the case that not all Greyhounds bred and trained to chase do so.
If you have a Greyhound and would describe them as having a high prey drive, you are not alone. The fact is that they are all individuals and many of them have a strong interest in prey. Find out more about your own dog’s preferences by filling in my quiz and letting me give you detailed information about what your dog loves the most when it comes to prey drive.
