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   It is amazing how nature provides for its own by what we call instinct. This is things that are not learned but somehow come naturally to both animals and humans. Such things as a baby duck jumping into the water and swimming away or a fawn deer lying perfectly still in the face of danger are both types of instinctive behavior. Other types of behavior we may not have thought of as instinct, such as a dog chasing anything that will run, is actually a behavior that is natural to the species and at some point in time, was necessary for survival.

   Training a dog to improve their instinctive behavior is much easier than training them to do something that is opposite of what comes naturally. Poodles were developed as hunting dogs and most retain a strong desire to hunt.  We have been working with our poodle, Billie, to not chase things when we are on a walk. We feel we are making great progress toward this goal until something pops up that Billie feels is really necessary to chase. A typical walk is a round trip to the mailbox, equivalent to a half mile. Plenty of opportunities are available to work through the commands of heel, sit, stay, fetch, etcetera. The only command that is not easy to practice is, “NO”, as in “don’t chase the deer!” A person can go along for a few weeks feeling fairly confident in the success of the training program as no deer have led Billie astray. A person forgets, this is only because no deer have crossed our path in a few weeks.

   Friday, I was too lazy to walk against the wind all the way to the mailbox, so I drove the side-by-side instead. Billie was running ahead of me enjoying the fresh air and exercise. He started to run farther and farther out getting well ahead of me. Suddenly four deer came from my right and ran across the driveway just in front of me. Billie was far enough ahead of me, he did not see them. I thought we had lucked out when a fifth deer dashed across. Billie turned in time to see this one as it headed toward the timber following the others. Billie cut a diagonal across the hay field trying to intercept the deer before it got to the fence. I yelled “NO!” firmly several times. I could just as well have been calling to the wind. His natural instinct was to catch the deer so we could all eat. For some reason, when Billie got to the fence where the deer had sailed over, he stopped short rather than jump the fence and continue the chase. It gave me hope that perhaps we are winning the training game. This hope remained alive until the next day.

   My wife and I were in the side-by-side on a leisurely ride. Billie was exploring all the fresh smells along the path and out into the nearby field. He suddenly caught the scent of a rabbit and was drawn toward a patch of tall grass nearby. As he approached, a rabbit jumped up and tore off down the hill. The sharp “NO” did not work. He was focused on the job at hand and was being driven by pure instinct. We saw the rabbit with the dog close behind  as they headed into the timber. We drove to the house and waited for the hunter to return.

   Billie’s instinctive behavior to hunt over-rides his training, my shouting, and the knowledge, he is going to get a bath and brushing when he gets done with his chase.

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