Hunting Instinct - Page 1

Hi Friends,

How will I know if my dog has hunting instinct. What are the signs to display? Is thsi a desirable trait in Modern GSD?

regards
 

hunting instinct??? please explain what this is.

I think he/she is talking about prey drive.  If it moves and your pup goes after it, that's a pretty good sign and yes, it is absolutely a desirable trait.

 I didn't know Hunting was prey drive thanks for clearing

regards

Unless hunting instinct refers to something else, like the dog that will persistently scour the tall grass for the missing article, never giving up until it's found.  A dog that will do that intensively for 20-30 minutes has what I would call good "hunt drive".

I think the TS was reffering to the ''hunt drive'' as described by dahrylehret and it's different from the prey drive.

 

I stand corrected...guess I learned something new today!

Hunting instinct or drive,

Simply put it is the dogs desire to seek out and follow a scent, and or casting the air to an end point.

Could be following the leaky dripping trash bag to the trash can outside of the gate.

Could be following the scent of a deer to the deer.

Could be searching for the scent of a rabbit eventually finding the rabbit.

And it can be throwing his ball into 3' tall grass and him useing his nose to find the ball.

Those are all the same drive to seek something he can not see, using his nose to follow the scent to an end point or to use his nose to find a scent and locating an article.

We had a GSD we took with us for walks in the country along with our Labrador. She would always be hunting for pheasant or quail. Eventually the GSD learned to hunt pheasant and quail by following the Lab and watching. Monkey see, Monkey do.

just my thoughts, mahon

I agree with Daryl about hunt drive.  I also agree with mahon, but Mahon IMO you add tracking drive and air scenting into the same drive.  For me, hunt drive is simply the desire to pursue.  Prey drive is the desire to bite, catch or kill prey.  If we make a ball, toy or a tug it's "prey item" the dog wants to catch and bite the prey item (tug or toy).  The higher the prey drive the more it wants to catch, bite or kill the prey item.  If you throw the ball, tug or toy (prey item) into the woods or tall grass the greater the desire to pursue or find the prey item the greater the hunt drive.  If a dog will search for an extended period of time to find the toy, as Daryl mentions, the higher the hunt drive.  This is slightly different IMO than "tracking drive" or airscent drive as Mahon mentioned.  The dog may be forced to use his nose in high grass to locate the toy, but he is really not tracking for it.  He is searching or hunting for it. 

Mahon, I agree with you that the dog is using his nose to get his reward whether it's a toy or a pheasant.  But, I differentiate how the dog uses his nose and the technigue he uses.  You could further break down your analogy into tracking - following the ground disturbance, air scenting - following the airborn scent and hunting the desire to pursue.  Obviously, they all work together and dogs can switch form one to another very quickly. 

JMO FWIW,

Jim

Hi Daryl, Mahon, and Jim,  you all can put these areas  into words that make sense to me, you are all amazing. Thank you for being you.
Always,
Cee