 |
Dog Hunting Instincts
Dog Retrieving
All the organs of a dog and its senses are specially designed to help the dog hunting and retrieving of its pray. Their keen sense of smell let them track a prey that is kilometers away, even hours after the prey has left the place. Their eyes, specially in the case of the Lebrels, that use their sight more than their sense of smell when hunting, let them notice even the most meaningless movements that can be produced from afar. Dogs also have a good sense of hearing and can detect even the softest noise made by prey like if they were dog toys.
The body of the dog has been modified by the breeders to increase its abilities as a hunter. The Lebrels (hare hunters) have their bodies as sprinters in order to catch the rabbits and hares on the run; the Terriers, on the other hand, can sneak into the most narrowed hideouts looking for pests and the shepherd dogs, quick and having excellent reflexes, have the necessary ability to chase other animals. dog training shock collar
HUNTING PARTNERS: During millions of years, dogs have kept men company on hunting journeys, since the time when they hunted looking for food until now (for sport purposes only) Many modern breeds come from dog specialization.
The hunting process consists in different tasks and phases. The first one consists in finding the prey and numerous breeds specializes in tracking preys were bred with this purpose. The trackers, equipped with the finest sense of smell usually work in packs, following the aromatic trace left by the preys on the vegetation when stepping on it or even in the air. The Bloodhound, the Beagle, the Foxhound and the Basset are all tracking dogs.
The Lebrels, among which we can include the Afghan Hound, the Greyhound and the Whippet trust more on their sight than on their sense of smell to find the prey. There are also dogs that besides detecting the prey, alert the hunter in different ways about their location. One example of these dogs is the Kurzhaar as well as the Braccos and the Pointers. The Spaniels, beside raising the hunt by obliging it to get out of its hideouts so the hunter can shoot it or catch it in a net.
Once the major hunt is located, it has to be attacked and that is why breeds such as the Deer hound exist. Once it is dead, the prey must be taken to the hunter and then to the hunter's house and that is why all the Retrievers were bred for.
RETRIEVING PREY: Among the Retrievers, there are two very appreciated breeds as company dogs: the Golden Retriever and the Labrador Retriever, as well as many other as the straight haired Retriever, the curly haired Retriever, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever and the Duck Tolling New Scotland Retriever. All of them are equally able to retrieve pieces on earth and in an aquatic environment.
All retrievers have something in common, they love to hold and transport things in their mouths. When properly trained, they learn how to bring any object to their master. Retrievers are famous for their gentle personality and for being submissive and patient with humans. Even when there are always exceptions, it is precisely this trait of their personality what lets them bring the prey intact to their master. A dog, less submissive and indulgent than the Retriever would probably run away with the prey and would eat without a problem were no one would disturb it from its dog kennel house.
Canalizing Dog Hunting & Retrieving Instincts
Nowadays, dogs are usually company dogs and this new function carries out an inconvenient: the animal can't let its hunting instinct flow. Many dogs loose control chasing the incorrect preys when going for walks, as for example, someone jogging, a cyclist or a squirrel at the park. These behaviors can cause serious problems. The Retriever, specifically, can turn into thief dogs because their instinct leads them to retrieve false pieces and run away with them. In order to avoid this problems and let the dog carry on, it is very important to canalize its hunting and retrieving instincts through obedience and agility exercises, training it as a working dog or simply playing with it. A working dog without a job will probably look for an occupation on its own. It is the owner's responsibility to let these instincts out in order to prevent from having bigger problems. If he gives the dog an occupation, it won't prank all the time.
|
|
