How Do You Know If Your Dog Is A Hunter?
We all love to see pictures of dogs and puppies on the Internet and, in addition, many of us have a furry person beside us who we consider an inseparable friend. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine that these tender beings are predators by nature.
It has been proven that the instinct of dogs, despite thousands of years of domestication, is to hunt their prey. Therefore, it will be useful for you to know if your dog is a hunter or, at least, has a greater hunting instinct than other breeds.
Indeed, this is a characteristic imprinted in the DNA of dogs, but there are breeds that are particularly prone to hunting. As a partner with a dog, and for the sake of both of you, it’s good to know if your pet is one of these breeds.
This particularity of our dog can bring us difficulties, especially if we are not dedicated to hunting. In these cases, your instinct can result in a risk to them and to those around you: a child on a bicycle or playing ball in the park can become a tempting target if our dog is a hunter.
How to know if your dog is a hunter
A priori , your friend’s race will be a good indicator. Although hunting is an innate instinct, there are breeds that have developed it more, so it is convenient that you know that you are facing a species of hunting dog.
Among the hunting breeds are the Beagles, Terriers, Pointers, Setters, Perdigueros, Bracos, Dachshunds, Dalmatians and Golden retrievers, among others. If your dog is within these breeds, be sure he has a well-developed hunting instinct.
Likewise, there are characteristics that can help you find out if your dog is a hunter. Although sniffing is common among dogs, those who have highly developed hunting and tracking instincts sniff constantly, almost obsessively, we might say.
Dogs of these breeds, during the walk, seem to be finding tracks to follow all the time. This characteristic makes them sometimes difficult to control during walks, among other things because getting them to lift their heads off the ground is difficult.
Uncontrollable actions of our pets
If your dog is out of control with other animals and inevitably goes after them, you are in the presence of a hunting soul. A domestic dog should not hunt or kill an animal, whether from home or outside.
One action that may seem cute to us is when our pet arrives with a fang in its mouth. However, when this attitude is not controlled, it can become dangerous, because our dog may not distinguish what is prey and what is a neighbor’s pet.
It is essential to detect these signs to know if your dog is a hunter. If you are unsure and want to avoid inconvenience, it is recommended that you go to a subject matter expert.
Care you should have if your dog is a hunter
If you already know that your dog is a hunter, it is convenient that you take some measures for your safety and for the environment, your neighbors and the animals around will thank you:
- The walk is the opportunity he has to release his nature, if they identify an animal that awakens their instincts, they will go after it. Avoid walking through places where this situation may present itself.
- Good training is vital. Teach your dog to obey a particular order.
- Be sure to take precautions so that he does not run away from home. Even opening the door for a visit could be the perfect opportunity for him to get away. He will seize any opportunity to unleash his search and hunt instincts.
- It is good to avoid signs that favor your negative behavior towards possible prey. For them, a cat, a mouse and even another smaller dog can be prey. Use a loud sound or a spray with a liquid that displeases your dog when showing him possible prey, this can serve as training. Perhaps you should ask for professional help for this.
- A hunting dog requires a lot of exercise. Several daily walks and activities that require physical exertion will be vital for him. In this way, he will be able to drain the energy contained due to the lack of hunting activities.
- Although we don’t like the restrictive elements, there will be cases where the use of a muzzle and strap will be necessary.
We hope that with this information you can find out if your dog is a hunter, and that you can take appropriate action. When we have a pet, we must recognize its innate characteristics so that we can offer it greater well-being and security.
