I remember that it kept saying that instinct is VERY strong in all animals, and even if an animal is trained properly, if some unusual variable enters the mix, the animal can, and often does, resort back to instinct over training.
I would agree with this Nick. I have a German Shepherd and he LOVES to chase the ball.. His "prey drive" is pretty strong. I have had to spend a decent amount of time teaching him how to give a human his ball... Now, if you put your hand out, he will place his ball in your hand gently and release it. Then, as soon as you throw it he is 100% chasing it. I would consider this a combination of the two....
Consequently, he has completely bonded with me and pretty much never leaves my side.. I often leave the gate as well as the garage door open, when i am working on the landscap projects around the house, he is almost always laying somewhere within eye site that is shaded with his ball hoping that i will take a break and throw it, probably also wondering why that dumb human is working in the yard with the sun beating down on him and not under the shade in the cool....
