January 29, 2025, 9:15 am | Read time: 4 minutes
It has now been more than a year and a half since Heidi Klum surprised her husband with two cute puppies. The two German Shorthaired Pointers are named Jäger and Uschi. But it’s not the animals’ unusual names that are causing a stir …
Heidi Klum introduced the new family additions on Instagram with the caption: “When he tells you he’s not ready for a new puppy and you surprise him with two on his birthday.” The snapshot, which shows her husband Tom Kaulitz with the two puppies, is not only heart-warming but was also able to collect lots of likes within a short space of time. However, even now, more than a year later, not everyone is delighted with Heidi Klum’s dogs, particularly regarding the choice of breed. This includes dog trainer and hunter Dennis Panthen.
“More Than Questionable”
“My first thought was that it was a complete disaster,” recalls the hunting dog trainer in an interview with PETBOOK. “These dogs are highly specialized dogs that normally need a job. But Heidi Klum and her husband obviously have no actual work for such dogs. That makes the whole thing more than questionable.”
An assessment that dog trainer Andrea Stelzig from the dog school “Hunde-ASS” also shares. In the PETBOOK interview, she also wondered why “a Heidi Klum needs a German shorthair.” After all, this breed ranks among the most capable hunting dogs, possessing nearly the greatest passion for hunting one can find, the dog expert with a hunting background elaborated. “It makes me wonder why such people have a dog like this and get it from a breeder.”
“I Don’t Think Either Heidi Klum or Tom Kaulitz Have a Hunting License or Go Hunting Themselves”
She knows of no German shorthair breeder who would give such a dog to a non-hunter. “I also don’t believe—and you can prove me wrong—that either Heidi Klum or Tom Kaulitz have a hunting license or that they go hunting themselves, whether sitting at a high stand or participating in a driven hunt,” she added. So what we can say is that this type of dog has been bred explicitly for professional hunting for centuries and therefore has an enormous hunting instinct embedded in its DNA.
But what consequences can this actually have if a dog with such prerequisites ends up with people without a hunting background who train and exercise it like an “ordinary” dog? “Some dogs may have less pronounced predispositions, while others, like Heidi Klum’s German Shorthair, are still very close to their original task,” explains Dennis Panthen.
“If the Genetics Come Through Strongly, it Can Quickly Become Problematic for Amateurs
“If the genetics are strongly expressed and the dogs are not engaged in activities appropriate for their species, it can lead to problems. Hunting dogs then hunt uncontrollably, and guard dogs are overprotective, which can quickly become problematic for non-professionals. I don’t think Heidi Klum, for example, would take her dogs pheasant hunting, which would actually be their original purpose.”
Of course, it is impossible to tell from the outside whether Heidi Klum is possibly working with experts who are training the dogs for her. Panthen also admits this in an interview with PETBOOK. “Heidi Klum could have the money to organize professional care for her dogs. However, it remains to be seen whether she actually does so. If she doesn’t, the question arises: why does she have the dogs? Are they just a status symbol? It’s reminiscent of celebrities who keep exotic animals like lions or monkeys.”
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Some Hunters Also Choose the Wrong Dog Breeds
Of course, it is possible for “ordinary people” to keep hunting dogs, “but the question is whether it makes sense – and I would clearly say no,” says Dennis Panthen. “There are many other breeds that are better suited as companion dogs. Constantly working against the genetic disposition of a hunting dog is neither species-appropriate nor practical.”
However, Panthen also occasionally observes hunters choosing the wrong dog breeds. In some cases, they are guided more by appearance than by the needs and characteristics of the animals when choosing their dogs – just like “ordinary people.” “Some hunters choose dogs for visual reasons that don’t suit their hunting style at all. For instance, a hunter in Brandenburg who pursues wild boar in the forest might choose a German Shorthaired Pointer—a breed typically used for bird hunting—simply for its appearance, despite needing a dog skilled in rummaging or tracking. Of course, the German Shorthaired Pointer can do that, too, but it has a different focus. That is simply wrong advice.”