Predatory motor patterns are simple.
They are :orient>eye stalk>chase>grab bite>kill bite> dissect>consume

A shepherd moving a flock drops his herding dog before he chases if close,
or before a grab bite if chasing, the handler must recognize the different stages of
progression and insert interruptions. Once interrupted, predator has to start over,
which is why a leopard won't kill a wildebeast baby who won't run, it messes the cat up
because it can't do it all without a chase in the pattern sequence.

As a shepherd recognizes the progression, and inserts commands to interrupt the
progression of say chase to grab, he is controlling the dog as if on a leash. Walking our
dogs in a heel, they can be ambling along in orient, when suddenly another dog, a rabbit,
or squirrel can "distract" them from the "heel". If we recognize the change from the ambling orient
to the eye stalk, and interrupt it, with praise or re-issuing the "heel", we can avoid the chase
altogether, which is preferable to being dragged away by the shoulder, and subsequent correction
which made the enjoyment of walking suddenly very far away. We're out for a walk, not hunting...
so understanding the sequences, and when to push the reset button can go a long way in
making the trip an enjoyable one start to finish.

What? Your dog's not a predator? Even the purse dogs enjoy a good kill...
You think shaking that little stuffed toy is cute play? How about when he dissects the
stuffing all over? Never seen him stalk a toy before jumping it? Does he chase it
when you throw it? We may have atrophied the consume, but not much else. They are
all candidae and have these patterns. Yeah, the retrievers have a soft grab bite, and the pointers an enhanced eye,
little chase, but they all have the basic patterns, and we would do well to use that to our advantage.

The patterns are simple, recognizing them in our pets, and learning the timing of interruption
takes some time, but well worthwhile when used to avoid situations best avoided.

 More can be read about this in the book DOGS by Ray and Lorna Coppinger.
Applying it to our K9 relationships facilitates reaching training goals.