This is a hunting breed intended to hunt for game using their nose, point and stay still until the hunter can get to the dog and let the dog know they can go forward and push the prey out of the cover of vegetation. The dog may then be required to retrieve the shot game.
An interesting point to note is that in some parts of the world, the German Shorthaired Pointer is expected to be able to face and track larger game such as fox, wolves and wild boar. This may make some dogs of the breed more likely to grab and even kill prey animals.
This is a breed who are intended to work closely with people in hunting. They are not dogs to walk while drinking coffee, talking on your phone or scrolling through Facebook. Pointers will benefit from your attention being on them – particularly when they are young.
Due to the inclusion of the ability to face up to and grab larger animals in this breed, teaching your dog to play tug games safely and then regularly playing them will likely be satisfying. Your dog may enjoy a flirt pole. They may also enjoy a fur covered toy.
German Shorthaired Pointers are one of the more popular breeds in the sport of canicross which gives a great outlet for running over long distances.
Hiding food or toys in long grass and then walking with your dog over the ground as they search out what they have hidden will be satisfying for your Pointer.
Another satisfying activity for Pointers is pointing. Spent time teaching your dog to go still when they find birds and point them out to you. This is a great way of helping your dog to feel fulfilled without them chasing birds for miles.
The sport of mantrailing is a great one to do with many hunting dogs.
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Predatory Motor Sequence statistics for German Shorthaired Pointers. The graph shows the percentage of German Shorthaired Pointers in my research study that had a strong level of interest in each behaviour.
Hunt: 62%
Orient: 62%
Eye: 38%
Stalk: 38%
Chase: 54%
Grab-bite: 69%
Possess: 31%
Kill-bite: 15%
Dissect: 15%
Consume: 8%
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I am the founder of Best Dog Learning and Stuff and a massive prey drive enthusiast. I've lived with high prey drive dogs for over 20 years and I love them. I run the awesome High Prey Drive Club where I help my members learn to have fabulous walks and happy lives with their high prey drive dogs.
I am a published researcher in my field with both my original research and my review of the literature looking at prey drive in dogs being published in the respected journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
I am the author of Canine aggression: Rehabilitating an aggressive dog with kindess and compassion.
I want to show you how easy and fun it can be to have a high prey drive dog.
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