July 18, 2024, 4:05 am | Read time: 6 minutes
Last year for his birthday, Heidi Klum surprised her husband Tom Kaulitz with two cute puppies. The two German Shorthaired puppies are called Jäger and Uschi. What’s causing a stir is not the dog’s rather unusual names, but their breed.
A few months ago, Heidi Klum enchanted her fans on social media with a particularly sweet post. For his 34th birthday, the top model gifted her husband Tom Kaulitz two adorable German Shorthaired Pointer puppies. In a photo showing the Tokio Hotel star with the two puppies, she wrote: “When he tells you he’s not ready for a new puppy, and you surprise him with two on his birthday,” she captioned the photo.
Heidi Klum and Tom Kaulitz are ‘prime examples of people who choose the wrong breed’
The couple occasionally shares content from their lives with Jäger and Uschi with their fans on social media. For instance, when they go for walks together or cuddle. But not everyone is impressed. Dog trainer Andrea Stelzig posted what was to become somewhat of a viral hit on social media. In the video she posted, the Austrian expressed her displeasure at the choice of breed.
“I recently saw a video on TikTok where Heidi Klum and her husband Tom were walking through the city with their two dogs — German Shorthaired Pointers — heading out to eat, and I really shook my head,” says Andrea Stelzig in her video. In her opinion, many people choose the wrong dog or the wrong breed, but “this is a prime example”.
The dog trainer wonders why ‘Heidi Klum needs a German Shorthair?’
She wonders why “Heidi Klum needs a German Shorthair?” After all, this breed is one of the most powerful hunting dogs “that has the greatest passion for hunting that money can buy”, the dog expert continues. “This leads me to ask why such individuals would own this type of dog and obtain it from a breeder.”
She is certain that no German Shorthaired Pointer breeder in Austria would give such a dog to a non-hunter. “I also doubt — and I’m open to being corrected — that neither Heidi Klum nor Tom Kaulitz have a hunting license. Or that they actually go hunting, sit in a high stand, or participate in a driven hunt.”
Dog trainer on Heidi Klum: ‘I feel truly sorry for the dogs!’
That’s why she thinks the dogs are out of place with them. “I feel truly sorry for the dogs. They have such a strong instinct for hunting.” In an interview with PETBOOK, Andrea Stelzig explains the background to her controversial video in more detail. “As a full-time dog trainer, I see it almost every day. Dog lovers that choose (in terms of breed or character) the wrong dog for themselves and their lives.”
This is usually the reason these people come to her for training. “The dog may become too strong for them or start showing — genetically predetermined — behaviors that don’t suit the owners’ lives. I am then supposed to fix this. Even though this has been bred into the dogs through selection, sometimes for decades or centuries.” The problem is that many owners choose their dogs primarily on the basis of appearance and often disregard breed-specific needs.
Dog trainer Andrea Stelzig is not explicitly talking about Heidi Klum and her husband
“My video about Heidi Klum sums it up quite well, although I would like to make it clear that I’m not only talking about Mrs. Klum or Tom Kaulitz,” the expert explains to PETBOOK. “It could easily have been Ms. Müller from the 1st district of Vienna, who doesn’t have a hunting background. In this case, I would have voiced the same criticism.”
The important thing for her is to convey that dogs of this breed are demanding working dogs that have been bred for hunting for generations. They need to perform these tasks in order to lead a fulfilling dog life. “The German Shorthaired Pointer breed originated at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, which means this breed has been genetically selected for over 200 years. Targeted breeding was carried out in order to improve its hunting skills. Dogs of these breeds are therefore optimized for life alongside hunters and for the tasks associated.
‘You can imagine how much exercise these dogs get’
Therefore, in her opinion, “a businesswoman like Ms. Klum, who travels a lot, jetting around the world from TV production to TV production, or her husband, a successful musician — also on the road a lot — do not need a full-time hunting dog, in all honesty.”
Because if you look at the life of a hunter or professional hunter “who is out on the hunting grounds several times a week or even every day with their dogs, you can imagine how much exercise these dogs get. Not just that, they also have a genetic predisposition for hunting”.
‘If you’ve ever witnessed a true working dog engaged in its tasks …’
She is sure that the dogs in the Klum household are certainly well looked after and do not lack anything. “Be it by the couple themselves, or perhaps by the employees who look after the dogs in their absence,” Andrea Stelzig continues. Nevertheless, she still feels sorry for the dogs. “Because they most likely can’t pursue their genetic passion. At least not in the same way as a ‘thoroughbred hunter'”, says the long-time dog trainer and ex-breeder.
“Because if you’ve ever witnessed a true working dog engaged in its tasks, seeing how these dogs immerse themselves in their work, lying down, tired, and content at the end of the day, you can appreciate my stance. That is, genuine working dog breeds should be kept in a manner that honors their genetic predispositions.”
PETBOOK research Victims of abducted dog: “The worst part was the constant uncertainty”
PETBOOK inquires Hunter speaks out against the docking ban for hunting dogs: ‘It’s about the welfare of these animals!’
PETBOOK interview How therapy dogs help coma patients back to life
Species-appropriate dog ownership doesn’t just mean regular walks
For her, species-appropriate dog ownership doesn’t just mean regular walks, good food, love, and a bit of play and mental work, but “keeping the dog in line with its genetic passion or disposition.”
Andrea Stelzig says that she herself has had to take a lot of criticism for her criticism of Heidi Klum’s choice of dogs. She has heard many comments, such as: “I have an Australian Shepherd, but no flock of sheep at home / Labrador, Münsterländer, Dachshund, etc., but I’m not a hunter either, so I’m not really allowed to keep this breed”.
For her, however, the comparison is flawed, as these breeds have had a breeding line for several generations. The breeding selection alone means that it cannot be compared with a German shorthair/ wirehair/ longhair.
“Even though I have a hunting license, I wouldn’t choose a hunting dog for myself, as I don’t hunt regularly and wouldn’t be able to provide the lifestyle that these dogs are genetically bred for,” Stelzig explains. “I also wouldn’t buy a Ferrari or SUV if I lived in a big city and only drove around there.”