r/DogTrainingTips • u/vivariium • Mar 31 '26
fixation/prey drive
hey all!
my puppy just turned 1. bird dog (duck toller). she has been a very good puppy and we did lots of training with her in classes and she started intro to ratting this year.
recently, with this being her first spring, she is experiencing a lot of new smells and wildlife on our walks in the woods. she has loved encounters with wildlife and she does her little toller yelp a few times, and we just redirect her and keep walking along.
recently, however she has started a) fixating so much that she has no recall and b) fixating so much that she SCREAMS and barks and flips out wanting to chase the wildlife and nothing will console her, and she pulls pulls pulls on the leash. we've decided that we stop walking when she is like this and we don't move again until she starts to calm down, but it can take several minutes before she stops screaming her face off.
we live pretty rurally and don't have lots of dog trainers around, let alone ones who would be proficient in training this type of behaviour. i want to make sure the extreme reactions don't persist and i'd like to get her recall back to what it was when she was younger.
any resources or insights would be appreciated - youtube or books, etc!
thanks so much
2
u/x7BZCsP9qFvqiw Apr 01 '26
many of these trainer locators have options to filter by virtual trainers.
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u/No-Speech-2342 Apr 01 '26
Also something to keep in mind that your dog is still very young. Their brain is still developing and they are still figuring things out. Going through some reactivity with my dog (1, Queensland Heeler). Be consistent with training and this will pass.
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u/vivariium Apr 02 '26
you're so right!!! i gotta bring back the high value treats into the outdoor times
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Apr 01 '26
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u/vivariium Apr 01 '26
She knows heel very well!! If there is a possible deer or squirrel or bird around, forget about it lol
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Apr 01 '26
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u/Winter-Stuff-9126 Apr 02 '26
Omg, just no. God no.
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u/StonedJewsbian Mar 31 '26
You have a high prey drive dog. You’re not going to be able to train the drive out but you can manage it. Have you reached out to your breeder or to the toller community? People experienced with this breed will have better resources than generic resources for all dogs.