Is pointing releated to pointers only?

[memyselfandmiah]

Thor *sometimes* points like a pointer would. right leg up, paw bent into his body. Does this generally only happen in pointer breeds, or do many dogs exhibit this?

Thanks.

 

[Southpaw]

I don't see why other breeds couldn't. Molly sometimes has the whole pointer thing going on, except she's weird and it's her hind leg that she lifts up.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

No, it's not just pointers. My dogs have done it - a lab, a terrier mix, and a border collie mix.

 

[memyselfandmiah]

Ok, well that shoots down another possiable part of his lineage

 

[brock23]

Let's see him, maybe we can find some pointer in him.

 

[Julie]

All my dogs have done this at one time or the other.
My yellow lab Shiloh does it quite often. Here she is duck hunting a couple years ago. Notice she is locked on target.

 

[sparks19]

Teddy also does it. A LOT and he doesn't have any pointer in him but a lot of Hound.

 

[mojozen]

mojo does it.

 

[MomOf7]

Red when he was a pup pointed. He also carried pointing lines on his mothers side.
So there are pointing labs. I guess they are real fun to hunt behind. You got a great water dog who can work a field like a pointer. What more could you ask for in a hunting companion?

 

[Dani]

I had a pug that used to point

 

[bubbatd]

All my Goldens have.....

 

[brock23]

I think all dogs have it in them somewhere. Just some are bred gen after gen to bring it out to the forefront. i.e. Otto

 

[4WheelVFR]

My NAID, Una, has done it.......only when he's hangin' out with my Mom's Viszlas though. He's a bit of a copy-cat sometimes.

 

[jess2416]

Chloe has NEVER done it....

 

[oc_spirit]

All dogs possess the ability to point. It''s a natural reaction they have when they don''t know whether to advance or retreat. In hunting dogs it''s just been exaggerated for something more. I have a pic of OC "pointing" to my aunt's cat back before he decided they were fun to kill!

 

[zoe08]

My beagle has done it lots of times...

 

[smkie]

a lot of breeds do it..the difference in a pointer is the intensity and duration that they will stay that way..as in forever! A point isn't always with the foot up either, it is a frozen stance. Victor will stay in a point for so long the squirrel will forget that he is there and start coming closer and closer. You can see that vic is using all the control he has only his eyes will shift to look at me and then back to the animal as if to say " see it's right there mom..right there..shhhhhhhhh!" there is only a quiver in the back muscles of his legs..so far it hasnt happened but it won't suprise me if it does. Pointers also honor another dog's point. Mary and Vic do that all the time. Most other breeds kinda miss it on the honor part.

I know there is an african dog that points by squatting down with the front quarters and keeping the hind ones in the standing position..

 

[Zoom]

My Aussie has done it before; like smkie and brock said most dogs will do it when indecisive. It's totally different when you see a 'real' point, it's like a laser beam going from the dog's nose to whatever it's pointing at. I walk a Graathar occassionally, and she will point to things in trees that I have the *hardest* time finding, but all I have to do is crouch down next to her and follow the end of her nose.

 

[jess2416]

I know there is an african dog that points by squatting down with the front quarters and keeping the hind ones in the standing position..

Chloe has done that before especially when she shes rabbits

 

[Snark]

My old terrier/beagle/? mix, Patch, would go on 'point', except she would be pointing moles... She'd follow a tunnel, freeze in point position with the paw up while her head tilted from side to side as she listened for the mole. Then she'd pounce and dig it up. She was my #1 mole hunter...