Principle 3: Why Dogs Do (The Predatory Sequence)

Every dog is built the same way.

Not in size. Not in drive intensity. But in the basic architecture of how they're wired to survive.

It's called the predatory sequence.

Hunt. Stalk. Chase. Bite. Fight. Kill. Possess. Consume.

That's not evil. That's not "dominance." That's not something you need to apologize for or train out of your dog.

It's factory settings.

Now, different breeds emphasize different parts of it. A hound is stronger in the hunt, in the sniff—the concentration work. A Malinois or a heeler is more in the chase and the bite. A little purse dog still has the whole sequence in there, just smaller. And a lot of them are strung out because they never get to problem-solve. They're carried around in a Louis Vuitton bag all day, never hunting, never thinking, never using the thing they were built to use.

Here's what matters: your dog doesn't need permission to have a predatory sequence.

They need a job for it.

Because if you don't give the hunt a legal outlet, the dog will invent one. Counter surfing. Fence running. Obsessive barking. Mouthing. Leash biting. Picking fights. All of that is the predatory sequence looking for a home.

The good news is you don't need to build a huge dynamic track or set up some elaborate hunting scenario to tap into it.

You can do it in your living room with a piece of kibble.

Toss the food. Watch what happens.

The dog has to wonder: how do I get you to do that again? That wondering, that curiosity, that little question mark in their brain—that's the hunt. That's concentration. That's problem-solving. That's the dog using their head.

Then the food flies. That's prey. That's the chase.

Depending on your dog, you might wrestle with them a little bit to get to the food. You might make them work for the possession. That's the fight, the competition, the "I have to earn this" part.

You're tapping into the whole sequence without ever leaving your house.

And here's the thing: once you start seeing your dog as a dynamic hunter, training gets way more fun.

Because you're not trying to suppress something. You're channeling it. You're giving the predatory sequence a job instead of watching it leak out everywhere else.

If you want a simple way to think about it:

A dopamine-heavy dog gets ratcheted up in prey drive. The chase. The anticipation. The "go go go" part of the sequence.

An endorphin-heavy dog learns enjoyment from struggle. They like the hunt. They like the competition. They like overcoming the challenge.

Most dogs are a mix. The point isn't to label your dog forever. It's to recognize what parts of the sequence pay them, so you can build a reward system that actually satisfies them.

ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAY

Stop thinking of rewards as just "the thing the dog gets."

Think of rewards as an opportunity to tap the predatory sequence.

This week, pick one reward your dog loves (food, toy, whatever) and change how you deliver it.

1. The Hunt: Toss the food or toy. Make the dog wonder where it came from. Pause. Let them think. Then toss again. Watch for that little moment of curiosity, that "how do I make this happen?" That's the hunt. Reward that wondering.

2. The Chase: Don't hand the reward to your dog. Make them get it. Toss it. Let them chase. Let them earn the catch.

3. The Competition: Depending on your dog, gently "fight" for the toy or food for a second. Not rough. Not scary. Just a little friendly opposition before they get it. Some dogs light up when there's a tiny bit of "I have to earn this."

Know your dog. If possession or resource guarding is a thing, skip this one. This strategy works best with dogs that already have solid harmony and trust.

The point isn't to create chaos.

The point is to recognize that your reward system can be dynamic, not just transactional.

A dog that gets to hunt, chase, and earn feels more satisfied than a dog that just gets handed a cookie.

Because you're feeding the whole sequence, not just the stomach.

Chris

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