# Pointing/Stalking a problem?



## Bushclass (Jan 7, 2018)

Banjo just had his first day at daycare the other day (whoooohooo for me because I work from home). It seemed to go very well but they were very concerned he was pointing at the smaller dogs and brought it to my attention.

Let me just fill you in that Banjo is almost 6 months old and has grown up mostly only around smaller dogs for the most part. And his best dog friends are little dogs (a Dachshund and a Boston). I know stalking is indicative of hunting prey, however he literally stalks everything all the time but not in a "hunting" way. He's stalked his toys from a young age. When we're cooking or walking around the house I'll turn around and he'll be pointing at us, then runs and get a toy to bring to us when he breaks. At the park, he stalks around little dogs and then breaks form when he goes in to play. To us, it almost seems like Point = Play not Prey. Because of this, we've never given it another thought. He's got an amazing temperament and plays with most any dog wonderfully, very socialized and is very receptive to cues. 

Because pointing has never been a problem, we never thought about it until the staff at daycare voiced their concerns. This is our first V, is this something we should be worried about? Could this develop into something more? Are there instances where Pointing can be playful and not hunting/stalking?


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Yes, it sounds like he is just playing.
Even my dogs that hunt, play this way.


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## Anida (Jun 10, 2016)

My V points and stalks my beagle. It always turns into play.


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## Betty (Apr 14, 2016)

Time to educate the daycare personnel?


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## tknafox2 (Apr 2, 2013)

IMO this is very normal Vizsla temperament, and is either an invitation to play, a greeting, a recognition of friendship or just their own goofy style... I have posted this video before, but it is normal behavior between these two buddies every time they see each other.


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## lilyloo (Jun 20, 2012)

Yep, completely normal. We have also had the issue with people thinking that our V is stalking their smaller dogs like prey. Nope, they're just playing.

The only time we have actually seen Ruby 'hunt' a smaller dog was a very small (probably around 5 pounds full grown) teacup Yorkie that snuck into our backyard. Ruby thought it was a rabbit or something similar. I had to pick up the small dog to keep her from going after it. Once I was able to show her that it was indeed a dog, all was fine.


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## Bushclass (Jan 7, 2018)

This video makes me very happy  
Yeah, I said all these things regarding my OWN dog. Because of how I know he plays, but again I was unaware if it would turn to something else.

The other thing I think of though is that people always downgrade their dogs "problems" and the Daycare personnel are just trying to be proactive and safe.
If I hear one more time at the park "his bark is bigger than his bite" when their dog is bullying, harassing or trying to bite mine...


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## NutterButter (Mar 5, 2016)

Sadie definitely "stalks" other dogs as well as lizards and squirrels. Funny that even her favorite playmates cause her hair to go up too. Some other dogs look at her stalking with a quizzical expression like "what the heck are you doing?" but then the last 20 feet are all about running in circles and playing.


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

LOL! They know not V's.

If a V's "Prey instinct" was truly activated, the little fuzzball he was stalking would be but a bad memory. No, he was instigating...they do that...in an attempt to get the others to play.

My concern with this daycare is that they do not know their clients and this might not be a suitable place for him.


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