Dogs are by definition predators and I think a lot of people lose sight of that because of the scale of what I'll call 'pet culture'.
Have a somewhat connected reference,
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/train ... -on-walks/
Quote:
Predation is an instinctive, natural behavior found in all dogs to a certain extent. The hunting skills developed in some breeds are particularly honed. Hounds, Terriers, Sporting, and Herding breeds commonly have strong prey drives.
Some dogs may live purely for the thrill of the chase, and others want to catch and kill their target.
Simone Mueller is a professional dog trainer and author of the book Hunting Together: Harnessing Predatory Chasing in Family Dogs through Motivation-Based Training. She explains that “predation is a behavior chain consisting of several parts that merge into each other and that are intrinsically reinforcing for your dog. They include orientation in the environment, stalking, creeping towards prey, chasing, grab-biting, kill-biting, possessing, dissecting, and consuming.”
_________________
"There are a thousand things that can happen when you go light a rocket engine, and only one of them is good."
Tom Mueller of SpaceX, in Air and Space, Jan. 2011