Mary Allen
Your dog chases everything that moves and you don’t know what to do? Dogs cannot be completely weaned from their hunting behavior, especially those that have been bred specifically for hunting. However, you can train your hunting-loving dog to learn to better control his impulses.
If you want to break your dog’s habit of hunting or if you want to steer its hunting instinct into calmer channels, you have to be patient. Your dog will chase anything that moves because it makes him happy – he won’t take that lightly.
If you get to a point in dog training where you’ve lost your wits, seek help from a dog school that offers what is called anti-hunting or hunter-replacement training.
Why Do Dogs Hunt Anyway?
The hunting instinct is more or less in dogs’ blood. Even though they have learned to cooperate with humans through thousands of years of domestication, they still remain predators.
The wild ancestor of our domestic dogs, the wolf, changes its hunting behavior over the course of its life. As a young wolf, he will hunt anything that moves, but as an experienced and mature hunter, he will use his energy more efficiently. This means that it only hunts prey that is worthwhile for him and that he can kill with as little effort as possible. Wolves feed exclusively on their prey and cannot afford to waste energy. But they only learn that as they get older.
But dogs don’t have to hunt to survive. They, therefore, behave in a similar way to young wolves, who hunt all sorts of things for exercise and fun. Meanwhile, they ignore everything else and only focus on the prey. When dogs rush after a supposed prey, happy hormones are released in their brain – so hunting is a self-rewarding behavior. If it is not prevented or limited in time, this can also take on the character of addiction.
Wolves hunt in packs and dogs also enjoy following their instincts together. In groups of dogs, it can therefore happen that the animals goad each other. As soon as a four-legged friend is gripped by the hunting fever, the others run along enthusiastically.
Which Dogs Have a Particularly Strong Hunting Instinct?
How strong the hunting instinct is depended largely on the breed of the dog. Companion dogs, sometimes disrespectfully referred to as “lap dogs,” have the least interest in hunting. They can usually be easily discouraged from chasing after supposed prey by playing and doing things together with their favorite people. Protection, herding, and guard dogs are usually content if they are allowed to look after the house, yard, and family or have another meaningful task for them.
There are also hunting dog breeds. It is reasonable to assume that all hunting dogs like to hunt, but it is not that clear. Because the hunt consists not only of chasing the prey but of the following components:
● Locating
● Fixing or projecting
● Sneaking up
● Chasing
● Packing
● Killing
● Retrieving the prey
About Retrieving
Only behaviors related to rushing, grabbing, and killing is problematic. However, there are also hunting dogs that were bred only for locating, fixating, and sneaking up or just for retrieving. The potentially dangerous hunting instinct is therefore not so pronounced in them. This includes:
● Pointing dogs (e.g.: Weimaraner , Irish Red Setter , English Pointer )
● Scenthounds (e.g.: Bavarian Mountain Scenthound )
● Retrievers (e.g.: Golden Retriever, Labrador )
Sniffer Dogs are Also Hunting Dogs
There are also hunting dogs that act largely independently to track down prey and chase it away in order to drive it to the hunter. While not responsible for grabbing and slaying prey, they have difficulty resisting a trail and tend to be stubborn. This applies to the following dog breeds:
● Earth dogs or construction dogs (e.g.: Terrier, Dachshund )
● Search dogs (e.g.: Cocker Spaniel , Kooikerhondje , English Springer Spaniel )
● Hounds (e.g.: German Hound , Brandlbracke , Swiss Brackenhound )
Hounds Bring Their Prey Jut of Breath
The hunting instinct is most pronounced in so-called hounds. They were bred to pursue game over long distances and usually rush in packs until they tire. Typical hounds are:
● Grand Bleu de Gascogne
● Bloodhound
● English Foxhound
● Otterhound
● Beagle-Harrier
● Beagle
Caution! Mixed breeds who have hounds, bracken, earth dogs, or scavenger dogs among their ancestors can also have a pronounced hunting instinct, which encourages them to hunt anything that moves.
Break the Habit of Misconduct: Stop the Dog from Hunting
You cannot train your dog to lose its hunting instinct. However, it is possible to bring the hunting behavior under control so that your four-legged friend no longer poses a danger to itself and others. This is the case, for example, when your dog chases cars, cyclists, and joggers. There is also a need for action if your four-legged friend chases your neighbors’ pets, such as cats, rabbits, or chickens.
It is also problematic if your hunting dog breeds pursue wild animals – such as rabbits or deer. On the one hand, the game can be chased onto the road, where motorists and the animals themselves can be injured. On the other hand, the animals are disturbed in spring when rearing and caring for their young.
What to do? Bans alone are useless because hunting behavior is instinctive. However, you can strengthen the other instinctive behaviors and needs of your four-legged friend so that the hunting instinct recedes into the background. That means:
● Species-appropriate employment and dog sports to keep busy
● Train impulse control and frustration tolerance
● Practice basic obedience with obedience training
● Strengthen the bond between human and dog through playing together
● Draw the dog’s attention to the owner through orientation training
You need a lot of patience for this and you have to be consistent. It is better to use short, simple training sessions that you gradually increase than to overwhelm your dog with a full training plan. But you should not under-challenge your companion either, after all, boredom is often the cause of undesirable to destructive dog behavior.
What is the Anti-Hunting Training in the Dog School All About?
Some dog schools and dog trainers offer professional anti-hunting training, which can also be found under the name hunting replacement training. In principle, you and your dog do the same thing that you can do at home to curb the strong hunting instinct: you teach your dog to stop chasing after everything that moves headlong and to turn to you first.
The aim is for your four-legged friend to develop alternative behaviors that he enjoys more than hunting. With professional guidance and a structured approach, it is often easier to prevent problem behavior.
If Nothing Helps: Only Let the Dog Outside on a Leash
As long as your dog chases anything that moves and is difficult to tame, you should only take him outside on a leash. It is advisable to keep passionate hunters in the house and not in a kennel in the garden, where the neighbor’s cat can run in front of their noses at any time or where they can constantly sniff out the scents of wild animals.
Some dogs will never let you off-leash, despite intensive anti-hunt training. However, if the bond between you and your pet is good and you have practiced handling the leash with him sufficiently, your dog will not mind much.