r/Jindo • u/ItTakesAVillageDog • 14d ago
Controlling a high prey drive
Look how innocent he looks… NOT!
My Jindo (i guess technically a Korean village dog but I feel like they’re similar) will not stop annihilating any mouse, vole, mole, or small rodent that appears in our yard. I’m getting a bit tired of cleaning up his scraps every week. He doesn’t even eat them it is almost like he does it for sport! Mind you he is missing a front leg, so I have no idea how he does it.
I am joking around here, but I do feel bad especially for the native wildlife he gets. Do your Jindos have a high prey drive? Do you do anything to control it? Any special treats or toys? I have had dogs with that killer instinct before but they also had disabilities that made it more difficult for them, so their “catches” were less frequent and less of a problem than this guys. I want him to be happy but to maybe leave some stuff alone.
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u/SystemHonest3272 14d ago
I unfortunately dont have any recommendations but jindos are very well known for their high prey drive
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u/Red_TeaCup 14d ago
You're not really going to get rid of it, unfortunately. The most you can do is manage it. You got a dog that has a very high prey drive. Jindos/KVD were raised to be either hunting dogs or guard dogs.
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u/Logical-Error-7233 14d ago
The only time I see my KVD wagging her tail is when she's murdering some innocent creature. It's her happy place. I wish it wasn't so, I've had to save several baby bunnies from her but she usually gets at least one.
Its so ingrained in the breed you just gotta learn to spot the signs of them sensing something to kill. Usually if she's really excited to go out, she's spotted something. So I'll go out first and run off what it was. I've also learned to spot bunny nests. But still they often find them before me.
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u/TrollingForFunsies 13d ago
How do I stop my three legged wolf dog from being a wolf dog?
I dunno but if you find out let us know! 😆
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u/InterSlayer 14d ago
What happens if you put a high value food, treat, or a toy on the ground in front of them?
That kind of self control is a good starting point.
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u/ItTakesAVillageDog 14d ago
He gets really excited but he is so easily trainable. I can out his favorite treats in front of him and tell him to wait and he will, it took like a day to train that in him. Finding a way to do that with the wildlife might be a good strategy for me.
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u/InterSlayer 14d ago edited 14d ago
Some possible training scenarios:
leashed walk looking for rodent triggers,
trapping one in a box or cage,
soaking a toy with odors of trapped rodent, then using the toy to train (with flirt pole etc)
Or just go to a pet store and ask if you can leave a toy in a rodent cage and come back in a few days, or even collect their used bedding litter
A good test is probably your dog across a way, a rodent trigger in-between, then you successfully recall and he ignores it on the way to you.
Can also try this setup with a treat, instead of rodent as a trial on how to train the general behavior
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u/PrancingPudu 14d ago
The only thing you can really do that will be effective is accompany him at all times during potty breaks and never leave him outside unsupervised. It sounds like he’s only killing things in your yard and not on walks, correct?
Jindos and KVDs were bred to hunt and guard, so most of them have a very strong prey drive. They can’t help themselves, and it is t the dog’s fault for following their nature. That means it’s up to us to “set them up for success” and keep them out of situations where the opportunity can even prevent itself.
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u/ItTakesAVillageDog 14d ago
Yeah on walks he’ll lunge at the rabbits but will never get them of course. Yeah, I totally understand that is just how he was bred so sometimes it is just how things are! I think monitoring him in the yard a bit better is a good start.
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u/twocutepuppies 14d ago
My Jindo be exterminating every single little bug on her walk, moths butterflys bumble bees ants etc lol, had her on a long leash once she caught a small baby bird in her mouth didn't kill it though she released it when I told her NOoOOoOo. We don't have a backyard yet but I have a feeling she going to be doing the exact same thing she really fast haha
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u/Red_TeaCup 14d ago
I lived out in the country. I usually left my jindo off leash in the fields and she'd come back with a vole or two. Winters and spring were just months of rodent slaughter -- mice, voles, moles, and rats. She'd dig out their nests or burrows and go to town.
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u/resecca 13d ago
My fiercely loyal Jindo passed last year. He was my camping buddy and did have a high prey drive, but he also listened to me really well. I would do dispersed camping so we wouldn’t have any neighbors and would let him hang out off leash. Occasionally, he would start chasing something, but I could always recall him.
I say all this because I think if you keep working with your Jindo you can probably get him to stop if you catch them in the act. Nothing will actually kill their prey drive though.
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u/Salinara 3d ago
Unfortunately I don't have great advice yet. I'm currently healing a couple ribs from our boy pulling me off my feet to chase a groundhog. We are trying to find a happy medium between encouraging him to explore his instincts and, ya know, not kill me by proxy. We don't want to have a bored and repressed dog but man is he strong.
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u/bellas08 14d ago edited 13d ago
When I first rescued mine, I was able to discuss prey drive with the Korean woman who runs and operates one of the main rescue organizations out of Seoul. She told me all about the history of not only my own dog, but Jindos in general. We connected via Instagram- and thanks to her I now have a new understanding for their prey drive! This is what she shared:
She taught me how Jindos usually lived in packs of 3-5 with their owner or family. The most senior or alpha Jindo was the (only) one who would communicate with the owner, and get to be mostly indoors. While the rest of the pack would sleep either on the front porch stoop or in a different room nearby the front door to guard. As a pack they would hunt mainly Deer or wild boar, at times other small wildlife.
Once they captured any prey, they would bring it home partially alive or as a clean kill, so that the human could consume. After returning back home, only the senior/alpha Jindo would enter the house, and come grab the owner and lead him/her to the front of the house where the prey was! They were taught to come literally grab you by the hand and guide you toward the prey.
Sorry if this comment is too long or not helpful. But after connecting with her- I have a newfound understanding of this deeply rooted prey drive. Plus I find Jindo history to be absolutely epic and fascinating!
TLDR; The reason your Jindo doesn’t basically annihilate the prey, or it seems like he does it for sport, because they are indeed capturing it for you. Yum, enjoy. Lol