My pup, Toshiro, is only 4.5 months old but he has a really strong hunting drive. Today he got a pigeon, he didn't kill it but he wouldn't let go, I was very upset and confused. Shoud I praise him or should I punish him?
He was so proud today, I just took a pic of him.
It is a bit late for either. Dogs don't understand punishment anyway. They DO understand corrections but only if you correct them on the spot. I would not correct him anyway because he is only doing what comes naturally. Yes it is gross when they catch a bird or whatever but you have to remember that they are bird dogs and this is what they are bred to do.
If you want to make something positive of his high drive, teach him how to retrieve with training dummies. Stick some bird wings on them if you like. Even better, join your local hunt or retriever club and try group gundog training classes...careful though, it is very addictive!!
That picture is awesome! Our boy always chases the flying rats here in NYC - we always assumed he wouldn't be able to get them - so much for that idea ;D
Dear Trickster we live in the center of Athens City, Greece. The closest hunting club is 35+ km away and I don't have a car. We are lucky to have a big park right outside our apartment building!
It definately sounds like you got a puppy with lots of natural hunting drive. Alot of people would die for a dog like that. You will probably find that your dog is very smart and you will need to spend a little extra time making sure he has plenty of exercise and mental stimulation so that he doesn't get bored and damage your home.
You can certainly teach your dog appropriate behavior by training him to retrieve balls and other types of toys and teach him that he is not allowed to catch the pigeons. I have worked with several trainers to teach my dogs to hunt and these people all keep and raise their own birds to off-set the cost of buying ducks and pigeons for training, and their dogs are trained not to hurt the birds on the property. Dogs are very smart and can easily learn what is acceptable and what is not.
Loved the picture! You can teach your baby to leave the birds alone. We raise quail, pheasant,& chukars (some as pets, some for training) and we also have mallards in what is now the "duck pond" Kody and Goliath "visit" all of them often with out trying to retrive them. If they get overly excited - by the flying- we tell them "no bird" or "leave it".
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