{"id":1206,"date":"2025-05-20T16:48:17","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T16:48:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/?p=1206"},"modified":"2025-05-24T20:38:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T20:38:17","slug":"instinct-de-proie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/instincts\/instinct-de-proie\/","title":{"rendered":"Prey instinct in modern lineages"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"padding-left: 40px; text-align: center;\">Prey instinct in modern lines: between performance and behavioral drifts<\/h2>\n<p>In recent decades, the selection of working dogs, particularly in the German Shepherd and the Malinois, has become strongly oriented towards and through sport.<\/p>\n<p>This orientation placed the prey instinct or <a href=\"https:\/\/fr.m.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Pr%C3%A9dation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">predation<\/a>\u00a0 at the heart of breeding criteria. While this has resulted in fast, energetic, and impressive dogs, it has also led to certain excesses, particularly in terms of behavior. This topic is also addressed <a href=\"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/selection\/\">here.<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_76 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Page contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseprofile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/instincts\/instinct-de-proie\/#Linstinct_de_proie_un_moteur_devenu_hegemonique\" >The prey instinct: a driving force that has become hegemonic<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/instincts\/instinct-de-proie\/#Et_la_communication_sociale_sappauvrit\" >And social communication is impoverished.<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/instincts\/instinct-de-proie\/#Le_vocabulaire_des_eleveurs_de_lEst_%C2%AB_droite_%C2%BB_et_%C2%AB_gauche_%C2%BB\" >The vocabulary of Eastern breeders: &quot;right&quot; and &quot;left&quot;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/instincts\/instinct-de-proie\/#Vers_une_redefinition_du_%C2%AB_bon_chien_de_travail_%C2%BB\" >Towards a redefinition of the \u201cgood working dog\u201d?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Linstinct_de_proie_un_moteur_devenu_hegemonique\"><\/span>The prey instinct: a driving force that has become hegemonic<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1219 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/file_000000008c6461f8a4c204d23fa039cd-300x200.png\" alt=\"Instinct de proie berger allemand \" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/file_000000008c6461f8a4c204d23fa039cd-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/file_000000008c6461f8a4c204d23fa039cd-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/file_000000008c6461f8a4c204d23fa039cd-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/file_000000008c6461f8a4c204d23fa039cd-18x12.png 18w, https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/file_000000008c6461f8a4c204d23fa039cd.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The prey instinct\u2014the ability to pursue, capture, and interact with a moving object\u2014is valuable in many disciplines: obedience, search, detection, and sport biting.<\/p>\n<p>It allows for extreme motivation and great explosiveness and is part of the dog&#039;s ancestral instincts.<\/p>\n<p>However, in modern lines, this instinct is sometimes taken to extremes. The dog becomes what some call a &quot;Beutegeier&quot;\u2014a dog focused solely on prey, without discrimination.<\/p>\n<p>He &quot;plays the game,&quot; pursues, bites, retrieves, with impressive intensity... as long as the framework is mastered. Out of context, his commitment can become inappropriate, even problematic.<\/p>\n<p>&quot;The dog plays the game, but in a serious situation, there is nothing behind it.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>This over-specialization often comes at the expense of other instincts, such as vigilance or defense\u2014two pillars of canine behavior, once essential in working lines.<\/p>\n<p>We will come back to this in a future article.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Et_la_communication_sociale_sappauvrit\"><\/span>And social communication is impoverished.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This exclusive selection on the prey profoundly modifies the behavioral balance.<\/p>\n<p>Many dogs from modern lines have lost some of their ability to interact with their peers and manage conflict situations.<\/p>\n<p>Where some knew how to impose their place through posture, attitude, and gaze, others only know how to bite.<\/p>\n<p>Their relationship to the world becomes one-dimensional: what moves continues, what resists bites.<\/p>\n<p>This not only affects cohabitation with other animals, but also the dog&#039;s ability to exercise discernment in real-life situations, outside of the sports field.<\/p>\n<p>An experienced trainer summed up this development as follows:<br \/>\n\u201cEveryone has a good time no matter what the Sozial Verhalten \u2013 if they are left with the Z\u00e4hnen. \u00bb<br \/>\n\u2192 \u201cMany dogs today no longer have any real social behavior \u2013 they regulate everything with their teeth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-590 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot_20250428_091413_com_hihonor_photos_SlotAlbumActivity_edit_207929433472868-300x167.jpg\" alt=\"Instinct de proie dans les lign\u00e9es modernes\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot_20250428_091413_com_hihonor_photos_SlotAlbumActivity_edit_207929433472868-300x167.jpg 300w, https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot_20250428_091413_com_hihonor_photos_SlotAlbumActivity_edit_207929433472868-1024x571.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot_20250428_091413_com_hihonor_photos_SlotAlbumActivity_edit_207929433472868-768x428.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot_20250428_091413_com_hihonor_photos_SlotAlbumActivity_edit_207929433472868.jpg 1224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Le_vocabulaire_des_eleveurs_de_lEst_%C2%AB_droite_%C2%BB_et_%C2%AB_gauche_%C2%BB\"><\/span>The vocabulary of Eastern breeders: &quot;right&quot; and &quot;left&quot;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In some breeding traditions from Eastern bloodlines, particularly those influenced by the old DDR standards, breeders distinguished two broad behavioral profiles: &quot;right&quot; dogs and &quot;left&quot; dogs.<\/p>\n<p>So-called &quot;straight&quot; dogs are very prey-oriented. They are often lively, easy to motivate, and not very suspicious. Their behavior is straightforward, without excessive inhibition.<\/p>\n<p>This makes them good candidates for sport, but their lack of natural alertness may limit their usefulness in real-life protection or guarding settings.<\/p>\n<p>So-called &quot;left-handed&quot; dogs, on the other hand, are often more reserved, more attentive to their surroundings.<\/p>\n<p>They observe before acting, exercise caution, and develop a keen sense of vigilance.<\/p>\n<p>They do not systematically throw themselves on the prey: their commitment is more measured, but often deeper.<\/p>\n<p>Their defensive instinct is also more pronounced.<\/p>\n<p>One breeder described this distinction as follows:<br \/>\n\u201cDie Linken schauen erst mal \u2013 die Rechten rennen gleich los. \u00bb<br \/>\n\u2192 \u201cThe left looks first \u2013 the right charges straight away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This vocabulary, not scientific but derived from decades of empirical observations, helps to shed light on certain oppositions that we find today between ultra-sporty lines and more complete lines, more balanced on an instinctual level.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Vers_une_redefinition_du_%C2%AB_bon_chien_de_travail_%C2%BB\"><\/span>Towards a redefinition of the \u201cgood working dog\u201d?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Far from rejecting the sport, this is about highlighting a trend: by focusing on demonstration, some dogs lose depth.<\/p>\n<p>Prey instinct is a great motivator, but it shouldn&#039;t be the sole pillar of selection.<\/p>\n<p>A complete working dog must be able to express both vigilance and defense, social reading and physical engagement.<\/p>\n<p>Some ancient dogs, sometimes considered &quot;dull&quot; by modern standards, were actually very thorough and reliable.<\/p>\n<p>As one former service dog trainer said:<br \/>\n\u201cEin echter Diensthund muss nicht schreien, er muss wirken. \u00bb<br \/>\n\u2192 \u201cA true service dog doesn\u2019t need to overdo it, he needs to have an effect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a future article, we will return in more detail to this crucial question: how the hyper-development of the prey instinct can erode the instincts of defense and vigilance, and what this implies for the selection of sustainable lines.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #666666; text-align: center;\">\u00a9 2025 \u00c9levage des Crocs V\u00e9ritables<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 16px; margin-top: 20px;\"><strong>Quick navigation:<\/strong><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; font-size: 16px; margin-top: 20px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/\">Home<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"\/en\/le-berger-allemand\/\">The German Shepherd<\/a> | <a href=\"\/en\/sante\/\">Health<\/a> | <a href=\"\/en\/selection\/\">Selection<\/a> | <a href=\"\/en\/vivre-avec-un-berger-allemand\/\">Living with a German Shepherd<\/a> | <a href=\"\/en\/education-et-dressage\/\">Education and training<\/a> | <a href=\"\/en\/elevage\/\">Breeding<\/a> | <a href=\"\/en\/photos-et-videos\/\">Photos<\/a> | <a href=\"\/en\/contact\/\">Contact<\/a> | <a href=\"\/en\/liens-et-bibliographie\/\">Links <\/a> | <em><span style=\"color: #339966;\"><a style=\"color: #339966;\" href=\"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/articles-et-reflexions\/\">Articles and Reflections<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>L\u2019instinct de proie dans les lign\u00e9es modernes : entre performance et d\u00e9rives comportementales Ces derni\u00e8res d\u00e9cennies, la s\u00e9lection des chiens de travail, en particulier chez le berger allemand et le malinois, s\u2019est fortement orient\u00e9e vers et par le sport. Cette orientation a plac\u00e9 l\u2019instinct de proie ou pr\u00e9dation\u00a0 au c\u0153ur des crit\u00e8res de reproduction. Si [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-instincts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1206"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1302,"href":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1206\/revisions\/1302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dcv-berger-allemand.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}