Hunting instincts are in our dogs' blood: they can neither be permanently trained away nor suppressed. But a dog that indulges in uncontrollable hunting quickly becomes a danger to itself and its environment. Hunting dog coach Anjela Daedler would like to encourage dog owners. She knows: To make a hunting dog a reliable companion, time, commitment and competent support are often necessary. But the effort is worth it!

The daily walk often becomes a gauntlet for owners of hunting-ambitious dogs. As soon as the tempting smell of game penetrates into the nose of the quadruped, it says goodbye to the merry Halali and leaves its owner helplessly behind. Relaxed trips are hardly possible in such a way, because potential loot gives it everywhere: in the forest, on the field, even in the city cavort rabbits and CO. A hunting dog means substantial stress for domestic game animals and can it in the worst case even to death rush. And how fast the dog can get in his hunting zeal on a busy road! There it brings not only its own life, but also humans in danger.

The fatal: If the hunt-ambitionierte quadruped only once a success experience had - and that does not have to be even a killed rabbit, already the adventurous hunt can be a confirmation - it will try it again and again. Often the desperate dog owner does not know how to help himself in any other way than to basically not let the dog off the leash anymore. But is that a dog's life as one would wish for one's best friend? Freedom of movement means a big piece of quality of life for dogs. Constantly having to walk on a leash frustrates both dog and human alike. And such a frustrated dog will probably take the next best opportunity to escape the leash and go on a little hunting trip.

The hunting instinct vicious circle

Dogs with hunting ambitions and their humans quickly get caught in a vicious cycle that they can't get out of on their own. "Often the core of the problem is that the dog owner has waited too long," explains hunting dog coach Anjela Daedler. The professional dog trainer specializes in helping people with hunting-ambitious four-legged friends and has been working with non-hunting hunting dogs for more than 20 years. "Many dog owners don't recognize the first signs of their dog's hunting behavior, because hunting doesn't just start when the dog sprints off, but much earlier. They are very subtle signals by which you can tell with a trained eye whether the dog is just mentally set on chasing or possibly has already picked up a scent." At this early stage, the dog's attention can often still be caught and hunting behavior interrupted.

"Hunting dogs love to work with their humans. That's what they were bred for - not independent, uncontrolled rushing off. In fact, most hunting dogs offer themselves to their humans, but he in turn doesn't even realize it. He has not learned to read his hunting dog correctly. And if the human doesn't respond to his dog's attempts at communication, the dog eventually makes up his own mind - and says goodbye." Usually, the dog has already made off on his own a few times before it dawns on his humans that they need to make a change. Many dog schools now offer anti-hunting courses aimed at making the four-legged friend's hunting behavior controllable.

On the personality aligned anti-hunt training

But this form of anti-hunting training is often to be enjoyed with caution. For one thing, improperly conducted anti-hunting training can actually be counterproductive - especially for hunting dog breeds. "Every dog carries hunting instincts, but they are particularly pronounced in hunting dog breeds. Their hunting instincts can neither be permanently suppressed nor trained away," according to leading dog trainers. On the other hand, the various hunting dog breeds are highly specialized and, like every dog, have individual personalities. Standard solutions are often not the way to go for them. "The most important thing is that the dog owner learns to read his dog correctly. The entire training stands and falls with that. In the context of a group lesson and on a dog park, unfortunately, this can not really be done."

Components of anti-hunting training

Professional dog trainers work exclusively in one-on-one training and in authentic situations with their clients for this reason. "The first thing we do in training is to sensitize the human, so that an understanding can develop between dog and human. Only in this way can mutual trust grow - and last but not least, a reliable connection with the help of which the dog's hunting instinct can be controlled." Anjela Daedler's training always has one goal: constructive teamwork between man and dog instead of lonely hunting trips by the four-legged friend. "You can't train away the dog's hunting instinct - but you can offer the dog alternatives that match his personal preferences and talents. For one dog this can be mantrailing, for another dummy work, for a third again something completely different. Often, simple mental exercise is enough to keep the dog's attention. As a rule, the dog gratefully accepts these alternatives, because he wants to please his human. In this way, the hunting instinct is not suppressed, but transformed into something positive."

At the end of the training is the relaxed walk without a leash - but until then it is often a long way. Depending on the disposition of man and dog and the sense of achievement that the four-legged friend has already had, a lot of time, patience and consistency are necessary. But Anjela Daedler would like to explicitly encourage dog owners. "Almost every hunting dog can be made controllable again with the appropriate training - and the effort is worth it." After all, it is neither a solution for responsible dog owners to keep their dog permanently on a leash, nor to let it hunt uncontrollably. The relaxed walk, the freedom of movement without a leash, the dog's new understanding and joyful willingness to cooperate - these are quite simply wonderful experiences with which man and dog are rewarded.

Success often comes after a short time. Once the human has understood how to read his dog, it often goes very quickly," explains the hunting dog trainer. It helps not only with humans dog pairs, with which it came already to problems. Hunting dogs are wonderful companions and give you a lot in return. But there are a few things to keep in mind, and people should prepare in advance and seek competent support.