prey drive vs brains

[littletimmy 71]

Well ive had a good think about, and i would go for pre-drive. Ive had a few lurchers in the last 25years.[bullxs,colliexs,bitza's] and ive been lucky that most of them would give 120% on any quarry.The dog i have now Bryn will bust a gut to catch a rabbit, and that's how i want it. If they get a few bangs giving 120%,well its name of the game,and after all they are working dogs.And any dog running at 30-40 mph day+night, will get a few bangs.No a [trier not a thinker ]

 

 

I only had to read one page to see if anyone had put something similar to me and i belive this bloke hit the nail on the head!

i think he,s missed the nail by a mile,nothing can give an 100% all the time its imposible. even the fittest human in the world could not run many 200 mitres flat out,they would be slowining at the end of the first run,if they had a couple minutes and tried a gain they would be slower still and struggle .theres also mental side of it

 

 

Correct me if i am wrong but is prey drive not ALL the mental side of it? A dog is giving 100% if it is mentally pushing itself as physically possible. Prey drive is pushing the boundies, ignoring the pain and countinuing on. The coursing dog they comes to a slow trot behind its quarry after a 6 minute course, yet still take the last step to strike its quarry. That is prey drive. The mind saying yes when the body says no.

[riohog 5,658]

Well ive had a good think about, and i would go for pre-drive. Ive had a few lurchers in the last 25years.[bullxs,colliexs,bitza's] and ive been lucky that most of them would give 120% on any quarry.The dog i have now Bryn will bust a gut to catch a rabbit, and that's how i want it. If they get a few bangs giving 120%,well its name of the game,and after all they are working dogs.And any dog running at 30-40 mph day+night, will get a few bangs.No a [trier not a thinker ]

 

 

I only had to read one page to see if anyone had put something similar to me and i belive this bloke hit the nail on the head!

i think he,s missed the nail by a mile,nothing can give an 100% all the time its imposible. even the fittest human in the world could not run many 200 mitres flat out,they would be slowining at the end of the first run,if they had a couple minutes and tried a gain they would be slower still and struggle .theres also mental side of it

 

 

Correct me if i am wrong but is prey drive not ALL the mental side of it? A dog is giving 100% if it is mentally pushing itself as physically possible. Prey drive is pushing the boundies, ignoring the pain and countinuing on. The coursing dog they comes to a slow trot behind its quarry after a 6 minute course, yet still take the last step to strike its quarry. That is prey drive. The mind saying yes when the body says no.

IF THE MIND SAYS YES AND THE BODY SAYS NO,THE THE MIND WILL SOON FOLLOW SUIT.IF YOU LET A GOOD HARE DOG COARSE 6 HARES EVERY DAY FOR A WEEK,THE HEART WOULD GO OUT OF IT WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN.A GOOD HARE DOG PACES IT SELF ALSO

yes ..the phisical abilaty will brake eventually,regardless of pray drive .frustration will set in , and it will jack.. eventually ,,pushed to hard (thats a human error allowing it to happen)

[boyo 1,398]

just because your lucky enough to have a dog/bitch with massive prey drive it doesnt mean you have to abuse the fact it has . its up to the owner to use their common sense to decide when they have had enough because with this type of animal it will keep going giving its best when others would have long decided to quit. when i started this thread i wasnt talking about the average lurchers prey drive but the ones with that bit extra that will go that extra bit to put game in the bag only trouble is with the wrong type of owner they are so easily abused because of their drive .

[Meerihunter 7]

Unless you are working your dogs on a turf farm dogs with all drive no sense will not be only be wasted early on in the night but you be lucky to get through a season without lay offs due to needless injuries, while the dogs with prey drive tempered with running sense will out steadily catching right through.

[boyo 1,398]

flint 08 why if a dog has massive prey drive can you only have a few runs thats rubbish theres quite a few members on thl saw a bitch of mine run the one ive mentioned before and believe me she could run a lot more than a few runs saw her one night catch 16 rabbits fox and a big one all single handed and tried all night to get her a run on a long ear so that she could have had the full monty but couldnt get her one also ran her in public on the fens daytime in a club and she never discraced herself ever . all this was pre ban her pups i bred had the same prey drive and will to get to their quarry even when the chips are down . admittedly she did have feet problems in later years but give me another like her anyday over a dog that wants to decide what to run and what not to run or one that runs half heartedly and ive had them as well but they never stayed long with me . i ran this bitch on all quarry both day and night all over the country from down the new forest way to right up on the fens and plenty saw her run . i can honestly say ive never seen a lurcher with more prey drive than her . and if she was on the lead after a few runs it was never because she couldnt run again .i never talk numbers about my own dogs dont see the need but just trying to get the point across that huge prey drive doesnt have to mean a short night or days work cheers.

[huntingalltheway 2]

flint 08 why if a dog has massive prey drive can you only have a few runs thats rubbish theres quite a few members on thl saw a bitch of mine run the one ive mentioned before and believe me she could run a lot more than a few runs saw her one night catch 16 rabbits fox and a big one all single handed and tried all night to get her a run on a long ear so that she could have had the full monty but couldnt get her one also ran her in public on the fens daytime in a club and she never discraced herself ever . all this was pre ban her pups i bred had the same prey drive and will to get to their quarry even when the chips are down . admittedly she did have feet problems in later years but give me another like her anyday over a dog that wants to decide what to run and what not to run or one that runs half heartedly and ive had them as well but they never stayed long with me . i ran this bitch on all quarry both day and night all over the country from down the new forest way to right up on the fens and plenty saw her run . i can honestly say ive never seen a lurcher with more prey drive than her . and if she was on the lead after a few runs it was never because she couldnt run again .i never talk numbers about my own dogs dont see the need but just trying to get the point across that huge prey drive doesnt have to mean a short night or days work cheers.

dont think thats a great example really. your talking like 16 rabbits a fox and a big un is impressive might be to me or you but to a serious hunter it could be acheived in an hour. which ive seen now to me if a dog fully fit and fully experienced can only catch that its poor. now i'd admit my dog was naf compared to most but even mine could catch 15-20 rabbits before 20 months old. and like i said mine wasnt very impressive. any dog can run to catch the odd 10-20 but only the dogs that use there brains and slow down can acheive more. unfortunatly my last couldnt he just wanted to go 100% all the time but by 2 hours he would be curb crawling but giving it his all. but dogs who pace them selves run at a consistant fast speed but not flat out and gain big bags

Edited February 22, 2010 by huntingalltheway

[whin 463]

had both high prey drive and sensible running dogs who could go up the gears to suit , if i was going out twice aweek the high prey drive was best but when imwas going out 4 times aweek the dsensible dog caut more in th elong run as he didnt get injuries didnt do crazy camma cazy runs at qaurry , but in the long and short of things i like a dog with good prey drive cause you can soon tune him in if you no how with work and more work as ayoungster they soon learn ,if you have the chance to be out a lot , some never and its up to the owner to decide when they have had enough

[COSH 14]

Well ive had a good think about, and i would go for pre-drive. Ive had a few lurchers in the last 25years.[bullxs,colliexs,bitza's] and ive been lucky that most of them would give 120% on any quarry.The dog i have now Bryn will bust a gut to catch a rabbit, and that's how i want it. If they get a few bangs giving 120%,well its name of the game,and after all they are working dogs.And any dog running at 30-40 mph day+night, will get a few bangs.No a [trier not a thinker ]

 

 

I only had to read one page to see if anyone had put something similar to me and i belive this bloke hit the nail on the head!

i think he,s missed the nail by a mile,nothing can give an 100% all the time its imposible. even the fittest human in the world could not run many 200 mitres flat out,they would be slowining at the end of the first run,if they had a couple minutes and tried a gain they would be slower still and struggle .theres also mental side of it

I belive that there are dogs that will put all they can into every run, however they will also need something between the ears or they will come a cropper badly.

[boyo 1,398]

hunting all the way i would love to know where i could catch 16 rabbits fox and a big one in a hour ime 56 been hunting all my life and had some real top dogs and also some rubbish taken a lot bigger bags than the example but what i was trying to show was that massive prey drive dont have to mean just a few runs. and gotta tell you never had or seen that kind of numbers in a hour or seen anyone else have either and i was very impressed with my bitch that night . as the game isnt about over the last years like it used to be years ago .you must have some super human dogs if you wouldnt have been happy with that nights sport .

[Neal 1,824]

I can't comment on the coursing side of this debate or the lamping element as I don't do either. My dog work is mainly bushing/mooching/kicking about, whatever you want to call it, with a bit of ferreting thrown in.

 

When I started out with working dogs I always thought I'd place brains above prey drive...until I got my third lurcher. With her the brains definitely outweighed the prey drive leaving me pulling my hair out on numerous occasions. Now I know I definitely need both.

 

As for the question of hedge rabbits; I don't keep dogs with any sighthound in them any more...I've gone 100% base blood. As a result I don't get any choice: the ones in the middle of the field are too bloody fast for mine.

[whin 463]

we have snow no rain bur the ground is rock hard below it so not to good for a dog with ahgh prey drive as he will get sore footed beter day for the expierence dog who knows whats what

[boyo 1,398]

we have had more of the poxy stuff here as well and its freezing with it

[littletimmy 71]

Well ive had a good think about, and i would go for pre-drive. Ive had a few lurchers in the last 25years.[bullxs,colliexs,bitza's] and ive been lucky that most of them would give 120% on any quarry.The dog i have now Bryn will bust a gut to catch a rabbit, and that's how i want it. If they get a few bangs giving 120%,well its name of the game,and after all they are working dogs.And any dog running at 30-40 mph day+night, will get a few bangs.No a [trier not a thinker ]

 

 

I only had to read one page to see if anyone had put something similar to me and i belive this bloke hit the nail on the head!

i think he,s missed the nail by a mile,nothing can give an 100% all the time its imposible. even the fittest human in the world could not run many 200 mitres flat out,they would be slowining at the end of the first run,if they had a couple minutes and tried a gain they would be slower still and struggle .theres also mental side of it

 

 

Correct me if i am wrong but is prey drive not ALL the mental side of it? A dog is giving 100% if it is mentally pushing itself as physically possible. Prey drive is pushing the boundies, ignoring the pain and countinuing on. The coursing dog they comes to a slow trot behind its quarry after a 6 minute course, yet still take the last step to strike its quarry. That is prey drive. The mind saying yes when the body says no.

IF THE MIND SAYS YES AND THE BODY SAYS NO,THE THE MIND WILL SOON FOLLOW SUIT.IF YOU LET A GOOD HARE DOG COARSE 6 HARES EVERY DAY FOR A WEEK,THE HEART WOULD GO OUT OF IT WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN.A GOOD HARE DOG PACES IT SELF ALSO

 

 

Of course it will, but that period where the body is saying no and the mind saying yes is surely the measurement of prey drive? The point i was making is completely about prey drive and has nothing to do with intelligence on the dogs part. Of course EVERY DOG has some degree of intelligence but thats not the issue. I have a brain so when the dog is physcially f****d i have the capicity to put it back on the lead and go home. Even though the dog may still want to carry on. By knowing my dog i know when its needs physical rest and how long for, even though the dog physcially want to go back out and chase its quarry.

 

 

A hero is never made of a man that takes the back seat. Same applies to dogs.

[huntingalltheway 2]

Well ive had a good think about, and i would go for pre-drive. Ive had a few lurchers in the last 25years.[bullxs,colliexs,bitza's] and ive been lucky that most of them would give 120% on any quarry.The dog i have now Bryn will bust a gut to catch a rabbit, and that's how i want it. If they get a few bangs giving 120%,well its name of the game,and after all they are working dogs.And any dog running at 30-40 mph day+night, will get a few bangs.No a [trier not a thinker ]

 

 

I only had to read one page to see if anyone had put something similar to me and i belive this bloke hit the nail on the head!

i think he,s missed the nail by a mile,nothing can give an 100% all the time its imposible. even the fittest human in the world could not run many 200 mitres flat out,they would be slowining at the end of the first run,if they had a couple minutes and tried a gain they would be slower still and struggle .theres also mental side of it

 

 

Correct me if i am wrong but is prey drive not ALL the mental side of it? A dog is giving 100% if it is mentally pushing itself as physically possible. Prey drive is pushing the boundies, ignoring the pain and countinuing on. The coursing dog they comes to a slow trot behind its quarry after a 6 minute course, yet still take the last step to strike its quarry. That is prey drive. The mind saying yes when the body says no.

IF THE MIND SAYS YES AND THE BODY SAYS NO,THE THE MIND WILL SOON FOLLOW SUIT.IF YOU LET A GOOD HARE DOG COARSE 6 HARES EVERY DAY FOR A WEEK,THE HEART WOULD GO OUT OF IT WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN.A GOOD HARE DOG PACES IT SELF ALSO

 

 

Of course it will, but that period where the body is saying no and the mind saying yes is surely the measurement of prey drive? The point i was making is completely about prey drive and has nothing to do with intelligence on the dogs part. Of course EVERY DOG has some degree of intelligence but thats not the issue. I have a brain so when the dog is physcially f****d i have the capicity to put it back on the lead and go home. Even though the dog may still want to carry on. By knowing my dog i know when its needs physical rest and how long for, even though the dog physcially want to go back out and chase its quarry.

 

 

A hero is never made of a man that takes the back seat. Same applies to dogs.

not to sure wether what im saying is relavante but look and marines and paras ask them how they got to the fitness they are now. simple they had to go past the point they thought they could go and have the right mental ampitude to acheive this. and by doing this repeatedly there distances and speeds increased dramaticlly and now can do the task now in a way above the normal. i think if you've got the right dog with the right mind by making them carry on you get something truley special which is way above the boundries of the average.so prey drive helps with this but you cant sprint a marathon as someone said this is the brains

Edited February 22, 2010 by huntingalltheway

[littletimmy 71]

Well ive had a good think about, and i would go for pre-drive. Ive had a few lurchers in the last 25years.[bullxs,colliexs,bitza's] and ive been lucky that most of them would give 120% on any quarry.The dog i have now Bryn will bust a gut to catch a rabbit, and that's how i want it. If they get a few bangs giving 120%,well its name of the game,and after all they are working dogs.And any dog running at 30-40 mph day+night, will get a few bangs.No a [trier not a thinker ]

 

 

I only had to read one page to see if anyone had put something similar to me and i belive this bloke hit the nail on the head!

i think he,s missed the nail by a mile,nothing can give an 100% all the time its imposible. even the fittest human in the world could not run many 200 mitres flat out,they would be slowining at the end of the first run,if they had a couple minutes and tried a gain they would be slower still and struggle .theres also mental side of it

 

 

Correct me if i am wrong but is prey drive not ALL the mental side of it? A dog is giving 100% if it is mentally pushing itself as physically possible. Prey drive is pushing the boundies, ignoring the pain and countinuing on. The coursing dog they comes to a slow trot behind its quarry after a 6 minute course, yet still take the last step to strike its quarry. That is prey drive. The mind saying yes when the body says no.

IF THE MIND SAYS YES AND THE BODY SAYS NO,THE THE MIND WILL SOON FOLLOW SUIT.IF YOU LET A GOOD HARE DOG COARSE 6 HARES EVERY DAY FOR A WEEK,THE HEART WOULD GO OUT OF IT WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN.A GOOD HARE DOG PACES IT SELF ALSO

 

 

Of course it will, but that period where the body is saying no and the mind saying yes is surely the measurement of prey drive? The point i was making is completely about prey drive and has nothing to do with intelligence on the dogs part. Of course EVERY DOG has some degree of intelligence but thats not the issue. I have a brain so when the dog is physcially f****d i have the capicity to put it back on the lead and go home. Even though the dog may still want to carry on. By knowing my dog i know when its needs physical rest and how long for, even though the dog physcially want to go back out and chase its quarry.

 

 

A hero is never made of a man that takes the back seat. Same applies to dogs.

not to sure wether what im saying is relavante but look and marines and paras ask them how they got to the fitness they are now. simple they had to go past the point they thought they could go and have the right mental ampitude to acheive this. and by doing this repeatedly there distances and speeds increased dramaticlly and now can do the task now in a way above the normal. i think if you've got the right dog with the right mind by making them carry on you get something truley special which is way above the boundries of the average.so prey drive helps with this but you cant sprint a marathon as someone said this is the brains

 

 

I think its starts getting confusing as brains, prey drive, guts are so closely looped. To me, what you have described is prey drive. But i suppose for arguments sake your never going to get one without the other to some varying degree. Getting the balence right is key and differnt preferences for every person.