How does my cocker spaniel know hunting poses if he was never trained?

How is it possible for them to be born with this knowledge? I realize cocker spaniels are sporting dogs whose purpose is to fetch ducks and geese that the hunter shoots down. Before they do that, they lift up their front paw and hold it close to their chests, and then lunge. My dog does this, and I know it is a very breed-specific thing to do.





Does anyone know how he could have been born with this kind of specific knowledge?How does my cocker spaniel know hunting poses if he was never trained?
Many breeds of dogs have been bred to do a certain job. After generations and generations it is called 'instinct'. I have seen it demonstrated strongly in Welsh Corgi's and Australian Shepherds that they instinctively want to herd. Labradors and most Goldens seem to just instinctively want to go into water. Dachshunds seem to have strong instincts to go after small animals such as rats, ground squirrels, etc.How does my cocker spaniel know hunting poses if he was never trained?
Its instinct. My Golden Reitriver does the same thing and she was never trained for hunting, although she still hunts mice and squirrels
Our yorkie hunts birds and squirrels and groundhogs. It's just in their nature.





They are just born with it. I just don't know why either.
instinct
i think its instinct


i have a brittany spaniel(bred for bird hunting) but he was never taught to hunt and is a family pet however he does hunting poses too such as pointing at animals
Instinct, which was honed by humans through careful breeding to emphasise those desirable features to become (originally) a dog exclusively for hunting.
My Cavalier King Charles Spaniel does the same thing. They are just born knowing this king of stuff.
Instinct indeed! They were (and some still are) used for hunting and retrieving before becoming popular house dogs.





But please don't tell any Pit bull people....most of them don't believe in instinct!
Cocker spaniels were bred for generations by people who selected dog with this trait.
yep, its his natrual instincs.
Instinct baby, instinct.
It's instinctual. Just like it is instinctual for animals to defend themselves if their lives are threatened.
The same way that a kid knows that he should ball his hand into a fist when he wants to hit something. Instinct.





We are all born knowledge. Watch a nature channel sometime. Your dog's 'stances' are boring compared to what some other species do. For instance, think of how a spider spins a web. This is a creature of almost no intelligece, and with no training, it knows exactly how to make it's web. How? Genetics....