stalking... a breed trait?

LOL.. Obviously this is your first Terrier... j.k, but seriously a lot of Terriers tend to do this!  Our Airedale would stalk birds, squirrels, chipmunks, neighbourhood cats, and anything that resembled prey.  It was more prevalent in our one female, who's prey drive was through the roof, but all of them did it to some extent. 

I'm sure that some of the pointing/setter breeds may do this behavior as would the herding breeds and the sighthounds.  Just Terriers seem to still have such a strong prey drive.

 Both of mine stalk.... each other! LOL They stalk prey, too, and Ena stalks the flirt pole.

Nah.  It's a predator thing.  I've seen all my dogs do it.  Here's Lynn from a couple weeks ago.

 LOL Bugs stalks everything - today on our walk he stalked a leaf that was in the road - very suspect apparently and also a turtle sized clump of mud. One just can't tell what something might be until you stalk it and approach it cautiously

IMHO Absolutely a breed thing !  I have yet to have a RR who did not stalk my friends Mastiffs haven't the first clue, On top of that a few folks had some other breeds "pets" hee hee they broughtas tag a longs to the Ridgeback Rodeo...the difference in ability and attitude was marked.  If it is not there genetically it is never likely to be there ....

Bonita of Bwana

 It is a breed thing in that some breeds have a higher prey drive than others.  It is most certainly a prey drive behavior. Some dogs don't have much of a prey drive.  My Dob mix really did not care about critters, either.  She was all about reigning supreme in the yard.  

In pointers, it is refined, through selective breeding to maximize the stalk and minimize the pounce.  Good pointers are not suppose to grab the bird, just stay staunchly in position as you locate, flush and shoot it. 

Have you ever tried stalking your dog?

If Rory wont play with me I do it to her and she instantly gets all excited like "woo hoo chase me", LOL!

I think it's a prey drive thing, or even just a drive thing, not really a breed thing.  Of course, some breeds have more prey drive and more drive than others so it may seem like a breed thing.  Kenya "stalks" when in prey drive and when tracking prey.  It's not as pronounced as some stalks I've seen, like by Border Collies, but typically she slows down, locks her eyes, lowers her head, and moves forward with purpose, like she knows exactly what she is doing.  On vacation she tracked several groups of deer.  She can smell them miles off and will all the sudden start tracking/stalking.  We have no formal training in tracking, so I just kind of let her go on her instinct and she finds them (I let her b/c I like to photograph them). 

Liesje

She can smell them miles off and will all the sudden start tracking/stalking.  We have no formal training in tracking, so I just kind of let her go on her instinct and she finds them (I let her b/c I like to photograph them). 

And where are the deer photographs??!!! I want some deer photographs! Wail!  

Blizzard and Drizzle would stalk other dogs during play, initiating a chase.  It is so funny to see these giants peeking around a tree thinking their bodies were hidden from sight.  As they got older this play stopped.

In my avatar is Lady, a field pointer.....she only stalked and pointed at birds, no other animals and did not do the stalking behavior.  Her play start is the famous Pointer tap dance.   So enjoyable to watch.

Kaiser will stalk other dogs...and i've seen wyatt stalk cats

Chuffy

Liesje

She can smell them miles off and will all the sudden start tracking/stalking.  We have no formal training in tracking, so I just kind of let her go on her instinct and she finds them (I let her b/c I like to photograph them). 

 

And where are the deer photographs??!!! I want some deer photographs! Wail!  

LOL they are kinda blurry b/c of the distance, darkness, and instability of the camera.  I need to start a thread for my vacation pics.  Deer are a dime a dozen here, especially this season.  In one night, Kenya stirred up nine of them, and we only walked about a mile.  There are two does and two fawns we routinely tracked and then would herd out into the open or across roads so I could try for better shots.  She also tracked a fox.  I spotted it before she did, but she had her nose to the ground and led me right to it, then when it crossed the road she tracked after it until she finally saw it (sometimes she is so intensely tracking she neglects to SEE the animal).