Have posted in the past about my now nearly 5 year old schnuazer bitch. She has always been hunting since she killed a  squirrel 3 years ago! usually around the autumn time she goes into hunt mode for a couple of months- mostly what i call birding. she will see a bird in the sky, maybe 200 feet away and just start to chase towards it like a rocket. obv with a road nearby this worried me a lot so we now have an excellent recall which is my 'cheese' call. well, since the warm weather she has started birding already. i had to do 3 cheese calls yesterday and then she took off after nothing so ended up staying on  her lead for the rest of her walk.
Shes never been so hunty so early in the year. its as if shes hyped up on the ceiling, as soon as an object moves in her eye shes off. not intersted in her ball or anything. shes never done it at this time of year before and it seems she gets worse each year! any advice? im wondering if the vet could give something to sedate her a bit on walks (valium) The stress is killing me, i cant take my eyes off her for a second. Is it normal for hunt instinct to get stronger as they get older? i thought she would have forgotten killing that squirell by now and how she thinks she can catch a bird 200 feet away in the air is beyond me!
she did it to an aeroplane the other day too-crazy!

Hi Tina
Having a dog that loves to 'hunt' for birds, rabbits, squirrels, moths and flies I do sympathise.

I do not let my dogs off lead unless I am in a secure area and even then I have to keep my eye on Henry as he goes off in a bit of dream, chasing anything and everything and having 'cloth ears'.  He is generally worse in the spring but this time it seems to be going on.  I'm not sure the hunting instinct gets worse as they get older, Henry is 4 and a collie/retriever cross, but I do think if they are the type to hunt it is difficult to stop them, as my other dog a golden retriever isn't the least bit interested in hunting, well occasionally but he is not obsessed as Henry is.

My advice would be to continue as you are with recall but don't let her off lead unless it is completley safe to do so, I personally wouldn't want to sedate her for doing something that comes natural to her.

Good luck, hopefully you will get more advice from the experts soon.

im wondering if the vet could give something to sedate her a bit on walks (valium)

Oh my goodness, I've heard it all now, absolutely not! No vet would ever prescribe such a thing.

These are her natural instincts, some breeds have a stronger prey drive than others those that do and can not be trusted off lead and there are many dogs who can't be trusted with all the training in the world, from terriers to beagles to husky's etc, the calling is very often too strong these dogs need to stay on lead, get a flexi or a training line for your walks with her and only allow her off lead in places where there are no roads etc, and it is fine for her to have a sprint and go on the hunt.

You don't have to be stressed, or worried or be on walks with your heart in your mouth, just keep her on lead for a nice long walk and play ball with her at home to run off any excess energy.

I agree. A hunting dog is only doing what it was bred to do. I have 4 hunting dogs that I have to watch carefully. One in particular is a menace and I have to keep putting her on a training lead (20-30 feet long, depending on which one I use) as I live close to the dual carriageway. Recall is the best way to start training, but be prepared for moments when recall is thrown out of the window Even the best trained working gundogs have days off where their instinct takes over the training. I have taught all of my dogs to answer to a whistle. Bought from the local gundog shop, though you can get whistles from pet shops, ebay, etc. It has been invaluable, except for my 10 (nearly 11) year old who will come quicker to a blade of grass held between my thumbs Silly girl

Please don't try to stop normal instincts. After all, it only proves that the dog was acting as it should. It's not the dogs fault it is no longer needed to do the job it was bred for. No-one told her that!

the bit about valium was in fact tongue in cheek. i just thought schnauzers were not hunting dogs? my other schnauzer bitch is far too lazy and spends all her time sniffing and scent marking

On ebay you can get 100 foot tracking leads £12.99, means your dogs is sort of off lead but not, i used them when one of mine wouldn't recall to practise on worked a treat, needs a big open field tho or you'll get tangled up but mine worked a treat now have my dogs off lead, but might be an idea while he's in hunting mode ( just a thought )

thanks just bought one on ebay- but only 30 feet, i thought 100 too long!

the 100ft ones can be halved to 50 by clipping onto the ring, its how i trained mine to recall to the whistle, they rarely go to the end of it unless they are in a testing mood lol