German Pointer Squealing Behaviour

Hello,

Has anyone any tips/ideas as to why my German Pointer has started squealing on our walks and how to stop her?

She pulls at the leash and squeals and jolts forward and this lasts for about 50% of the whole walk.
She is obsessed by cats and if she see's one she goes into a screaming noisy fit and wont stop until we turn her away or the cat is gone.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Do you train or work her at all? GSPs need to use their drives in some way. And yes, they do scream when excited.

Yes I try to train her, if she pulls I stop her and walk her close to me.
I tell her No and I make her stop if she squeals and pulls too much.
I am just not sure if there is anything that would work more effective, as these methods do not seem to be working.

Thanks

I think ClaireandDaisy meant training as in gundog training, agility etc. Something for her to focus on and expend energy. Gundogs are fairly high maintenance (I have 2, one is a HPR also), they need lots of exercise and mental stimulation. Do you do anything like this with your girl? It sounds to me like she's got a lot of pent up energy and needs to learn to listen and focus. Trick training, obedience training and the sports I mentioned above would be great for this

You have a gundog whose whole being is driven to work - to hunt, scent, point etc. She will never be satisfied with a lead walk.
You could do a sport like agility with her? But ideally, join a working trials or gundog club and learn about these lovely dogs?
She needs off-lead running and opportunities to use her nose, and she will be driven to work. If she doesn`t get this, she will get very frustrated.
In the meantime, read up on the breed and gundog training, and start to play Finding games with her - in the house to strart with. And start to train Retrieve. I would also recommend you teach a whistle recall.
This is a lot to take on but GSPs are lovely dogs and worth the work.
Google gundog training forum - I`m sure you will get a lot of help there.

GSPs are prone to this noise annoyingly, and you need to train her to understand that this noise (which is based on frustration) results in whatever she wants being more inaccessible, so you might have to start in the house........

I have a GWP and she screams if she puts up a deer. (I can call her off.) If I take her to the race track you would think she was being beaten to death she loves it soooo much she just screams her head off till it's her go and then she is TOTALLY focused.
Work her. I think you'll both really enjoy it.

I would perhaps look into clicker training - not only to give her an outlet for her energy mentally, but you can move on to training a "watch me" command and perhaps a "touch" command - both prove useful for reactive dogs and I would say the same principle would apply to passing by another dog and passing by a cat. The "watch me" command is where the dog makes eye contact on command, and the "touch" is something along the lines of (as it can vary, depends how you want to train it) the dog putting its nose to your palm and holding it there until released. Both of this could distract a dog focussed on a cat and redivert that focus to you as a training exercise as such - the dog will switch from its desire to chase to its desire to work for you. I know lots of people who've used this for dogs who react to other dogs find that it doesn't take long until the dog twigs and when passing other dogs, it instinctively makes that eye contact/does the "touch" instead of focussing on the dog.

Hi,

Thanks everyone for all your help will try some of those ideas/suggestions.

I think you've been given some good advice. You can do so may different things with a GSP that I'd try and find another way of exercising her or at least do something else on top of lead walks as others have said they just arn't enough for most gundogs espcially hprs.
Yes I'd try distacting her with something she loves more than cats is that possible? I know quite often nothing is more interesting to them than cats / game / etc.

I know before any one tells me that headcollars like dogmatic etc won't slove the problem but they can make things easier, if the dog is very stong.

HTH