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Are there any dog breeds with a lower prey drive that are NOT couch potatoes?

2.6K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  DoggyWoods  
#1 ·
Hello, everyone!

I am ready to get another dog (previous dog was a pit bull, and I grew up with mutts) and I am in the research phase right now. I am looking to get a dog from a reputable breeder, and not a rescue.

So, the dilemma I'm faced with is that I have three eclectus parrots and they are pretty much never caged except when they HAVE to be because I'm not home or it's night time and a lot of my outings, like hiking, camping and trips to pet friendly stores, involve them.

I eat breakfast with these guys, shower with these guys.. they're very demanding, high maintenance animals and my life kinda revolves around em'.

So it's really important that a future dog does not have a high prey drive, so everyone can learn to coexist. I understand puppies are going to be puppies and some chasing or other inappropriate behavior is inevitable, especially in the beginning, and that you cannot leave predator and prey unsupervised EVER, but obviously some breeds are gonna be better candidates than others, haha.

My pittie was a shelter dog and she was wonderful with my parrots, but a month before she would've turned 5 she randomly dropped dead while we were on a walk and it was determined after a necropsy that she had dilated cardiomyopathy. It was VERY traumatic and now I do not want to rescue another dog. I'd rather stack the odds in my favor with a well bred dog from health tested parents.

She was my running partner and I took her mountain biking, and I toyed with the idea of getting involved in something like canicross, and I'd really like a dog that could match her energy and athleticism when they grow up, but what I'm finding while researching is that most breeds with low prey drive are couch potatoes, or would not be physically capable of what I'd like to do with them due to how they are built.

So, that's why I've joined this forum. Decided to just ask some dog owners their thoughts on this matter and see where that leads. Do I have to just kinda settle for a lazier breed here or does some breed exist that could potentially work in my situation? Any suggestions? It's not the end of the world to settle, but yeah.
 
#2 ·
I would throw Hovawart in the mix, but they can actually be predisposed to DCM as well, so you'd have to choose your breeder very, very carefully. That said, I've seen some really great energetic search&rescue and adventure pups of that breed, and the ones I've met really do seem to have a very low, easy to control prey drive.

I have a Weim and two herding mixes (I canicross and bikejore with the younger two) that are all great around our cat, good with neighbor's chickens etc. A lot can be done with training, patience and management, but I totally understand your desire to stack the odds in your favor!
 
#3 ·
In my experience, herding breeds tend to be high energy but not have especially high prey drive because they have been bred for working stock and the prey drive has been channeled into herding behavior rather than hunting. Which is not to say that a herding breed dog will have low prey drive because that is almost entirely dependent on that individual's temperament and breeding. I have done a lot with border collies, and for the most part they didn't have much prey drive, but there are always exceptions.

I guess it's obvious and goes without saying (but since you asked I'm just going to mention) that you need to avoid all hounds, especially sight hounds, hunting breeds like pointers, and all terriers.

I wonder if a well bred golden retriever might do for you. They love to hike and run with people and are very athletic, but tend to be also very gentle and sweet to smaller animals. Overall, they are nice dogs.
 
#5 ·
I don’t have any first hand experience with them, but from what I have heard and researched, a well bred Boxer? They appear to have a low prey drive, but are very energetic. They are classified as a brachycephalic breed, but out of the group, they seem to not have a many issues with that. It looks like if you get one from a really good, ethical breeder you shouldn’t have any issues.
…anyone with Boxer experience, please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
 
#6 ·
What climate are you in? If you have a yard and it isn't too hot out I have had a few Great Pyranese board with us that had a lot of stamina, but you would have to be in a colder climate. I would also say a German Shepherd with the same caveats on climate.