From Control to Connection: A Positive Approach for High-Drive Dogs
When you first bring your dog home, you imagine them accompanying you on relaxed countryside strolls through picturesque landscapes. You picture them walking with you along bush tracks, through the scrub or on the beach, and you both enjoying every moment you share together. However, this isn’t your reality right now.
Instead, you are scared every time your dog is off the lead, that they will pick up a wildlife scent and be gone before you can even think about getting their attention. They disappear, leaving you shouting frantically after them as they move farther into the distance, ignoring your every word. Each walk becomes a battle that you dread, leaving you feeling stressed, embarrassed, and disconnected from your dog.
But this isn’t because your dog is disobedient. Nor are you a bad guardian; you haven’t done anything wrong to make your dog behave this way. You are fighting against your dog’s genetics and natural instincts, and the solution is to learn to work with them rather than against them. That shift, from control to connection, is what Predation Substitute Training is about.
Why Suppression Fails: The Science Every Guardian and Trainer Should Know
Predatory behaviour in dogs is not a sign that your dog is disobedient; it is a genetically hardwired motor pattern consisting of orienting, eyeing, stalking, chasing, grabbing, killing, dissecting, and consuming prey. Centuries of selective breeding have shaped these hunting instincts into highly refined skills. While they are often no longer required for the dog’s survival, they remain strongly present in domesticated dogs. And, when dogs engage in this natural sequence, it is self-reinforcing as it releases rewarding neurochemicals such as dopamine, which means the more a dog practises chasing, the more efficient and motivated they become.
It's important for guardians to understand that a strong bond with their dog does not override biology. So, if your dog ignores you during a chase, this is not a sign of a poor relationship; in that heightened state of arousal, instinct takes over, and you effectively ‘disappear’ from your dog's awareness, no matter how strong your relationship is.
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The Predatory Motor Pattern is the natural sequence of behaviours a dog performs during hunting, from searching and stalking to chasing, grabbing, and dissecting prey. Illustration: Päivi Kokko (Supplied) |
Many trainers may suggest suppressing these natural drives with punishment-based tools such as e-collars, prong collars, or spray devices, which often increase your dog’s frustration and erode their trust in you. Alongside this, the fallout from these aversive tools can actually increase predatory behaviour, serving as a default form of escapism as the dog resorts to something that makes them feel good, like hunting.
The goal should never be to eliminate a dog's prey drive entirely, but rather to acknowledge it and provide safe, structured outlets that satisfy these natural instincts in appropriate, controlled ways.
Predation Substitute Training allows you to stop being the spoilsport who constantly nags, threatens, or bribes your dog, and instead become the reliable hunting partner who brings some joy and excitement back to your dog’s walks.
This approach is guided by the idea of a ‘triple win’ scenario: your dog gets to express their natural hunting instincts safely, wildlife and other animals remain protected, and you gain your dog's willing cooperation.
This is something of great importance, where so much of Australia’s native wildlife, from ground-nesting birds to small marsupials, is especially vulnerable to uncontrolled dogs. So, rather than viewing your dog’s prey drive as a behavioural flaw that needs to be fixed, recognise it as a powerful, innate strength that can be channelled into appropriate activities and used to your advantage. When you work with your dog's instincts instead of against them, a perceived problem becomes an opportunity for trust, teamwork, and success.
The Four Pieces of the PST Puzzle
There are four main aspects of Predation Substitute Training, all of which are equally important. By working on them all holistically, you can achieve effective and sustainable results.
1. Management & Prevention
The more frequently a dog is allowed to practise predatory behaviours, the more they will refine their skills and the more likely they are to choose these behaviours as a default option in similar situations. This is why management and prevention techniques are so crucial, particularly during your dog's learning stages. This can be achieved by attaching a secure long line to the dog’s harness, timing your walks to parts of the day where there is less likely to be as much wildlife activity, changing your walking route to areas with fewer wildlife distractions, and being more aware of your surroundings so you can respond faster. This also gives you a better opportunity to teach your dog that staying in touch with you is worthwhile, even in arousing situations, by giving them a chance to self-regulate when they would otherwise react impulsively.
2. PST Tools For Wildlife Encounters
Lowering your dog’s arousal levels is the gateway skill that everything else is built upon. When your dog is in an over-aroused state, they simply cannot focus on you or respond to your cues. Their brain has switched into ‘hunting mode’, and nothing else can reach them at that moment. This is where PST Tools are crucial, as they encourage your dog to notice wildlife around them and stay in contact with you instead of immediately exploding into an uncontrollable chase. Capturing these moments of shared observation—where both you and your dog can calmly notice wildlife around you while your dog remains in a calm, thinking state—is much preferable to being dragged behind them as they attempt to chase yet another creature! By creating new habits and rituals like this one, you help both the dog and the guardian manage real-life wildlife encounters without the human panicking and the dog barking, lunging, or chasing.
This is especially valuable in Australia, where much of the local wildlife is best appreciated from a safe distance. Snakes, goannas, kangaroos and other native animals can pose a real risk to a dog that gets too close, so teaching your dog to observe rather than approach or interact helps keep everyone safe, including your dog.
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| Calmly observing wildlife together teaches your dog that seeing game doesn't always have to lead to chasing. |
3. Predation Substitute Games
PST Games are the heart of this force-free training approach, as they provide safe, need-oriented outlets for natural predatory behaviour by recreating safe parts of the predatory sequence in a controlled manner. These games can also be better matched to each individual dog’s needs and preferences.
For example, whether they prefer chasing, sniffing, grabbing, tracking or dissecting, there are different games to suit their favourite aspects. In doing so, the dog still gets the sought-after dopamine hit that they would get with ‘real’ hunting, but this time, it's in a safely controlled way, with you as their hunting partner.
A great starting point would be the Jump ‘n’ Run Game, which any dog can play, even if they are totally new to PST. You can find this game and how to play for FREE here: https://predation-substitute-training.com/jumpnrun/
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Predation Substitute Games give dogs safe, structured outlets for their hunting instincts while strengthening connection, focus and cooperation with their humans. Photo: Alexandra Dusin Fotografien (Supplied) |
4. Emergency Cues/The Reliable Recall
The combination of an effective emergency cue and reliable recall creates a strong safety net built on motivation, which will be effective even when the dog faces the strongest wildlife distractions. This can be utilised when you encounter wildlife in real-life situations, where you need to create space between your dog and their perceived prey quickly to help keep everyone safe. In Australia, this can be genuinely life-saving: a solid recall lets you call your dog away from a snake or other potentially dangerous animal before a curious sniff turns into a bite. This is the last piece of the PST puzzle, which will only hold its own when the other three foundational pieces are in place.
Management and prevention sets you up for success and buys you time, the PST Tools keep your dog in a thinking state and able to respond to your cues, the PST Games provide outlets for your dog’s predatory urges, and the recall and emergency cues help to keep everyone safe. When you combine these aspects, you create a dog you can trust with more freedom while strengthening the bond you share.
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The 4 Aspects of Holistic Predation Substitute Training work together as an interconnected system to build focus and safety. Illustration: Päivi Kokko (Supplied) |
A Real Life Success Story
Nellie is a Small Münsterländer with a very high prey drive! Her owner described her as "untrainable," and she couldn't take food or focus outdoors because she was in full hunting mode the second she stepped outside.
After starting PST, she was able to willingly eat food outside, regularly checking in with her owner, and can now be trusted off-lead in low-distraction settings, as she has a recall that holds around real wildlife. While Nellie is not ‘perfect’, this was never the goal! Instead, we were aiming for connection, cooperation and a way for her owner and her to move forward together - which is exactly what they continue to achieve!
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Nellie and her guardian enjoying a connected, relaxed walk on lead. Photo: Alexandra Dusin Fotografien (Supplied) |
4 Big Prey Drive Myths—Busted
- ✔"Dogs grow out of chasing." False! It's genetic, and practise makes them better, more determined hunters.
- ✔"Ignore it, and it'll stop." False! Predation is self-rewarding; ignoring it strengthens it by allowing the dog to practise more and more.
- ✔"You just need a tastier treat." False! Hunger doesn't drive predation. Food alone won't compete with the hunt; you need a functional reinforcer that meets the same need.
- ✔"High prey drive needs a firm hand." False! It needs a proven, effective approach. Kindness and clarity aren't opposites; you don't have to use harsh methods to train a dog well.
To debunk more harmful myths about predation and to learn what really works - check out Simone’s FREE Mythbuster webinar here: https://www.predation-substitute-training.com/mythbuster
PST is more than just teaching your dog a reliable recall; it shows you that you can be kind to your dog and still maintain structure; you don't have to dominate or threaten them for them to be trusted. The main goal is to go from frustration to fulfilment, by turning the uncontrolled chase into calmness, connection and trust.
So, think of the image of serene walks with your dog that we started with and take the first steps towards making this a reality with PST. This time next year, you could be enjoying lighter walks with a calmer dog and have a bond with them that's stronger than ever before, as you work together as partners instead of battling each other as opponents.
