GSP with high prey drive making life painful

Question
I have a 1 1/2 yo German Shorthaired Pointer, that has so much prey drive, that I am ready to give her up.  We
have worked very hard to train and socialize her. She is generally good with come, sit, stay and heel commands.
However, once the prey dive kicks in when outside, all bets are off. She breaks stays, bolts after birds, and pulls
so hard as to easily dislocate your shoulder, even when on a short leash. Although she is small for her breed
(42 lbs) she is incredibly fast, and within a 2-3  seconds, can get very far away. We have a fenced yard, and a
large park across the street.  When she bolts in the park (ripping the leash out of your hand), she has nearly
been hit by cars more than once. When in the back yard, she runs circles obsessively with her nose to the
ground for hours without tiring. If taken to rural or wooded areas and let off leash, she will disappear for 20
minutes or more, getting miles away from you. Hard exercise in the morning and evening seem to take only the
slightest edge off of her energy and drive.

We though we were prepared. Our first dog is a Weimaraner that we have had since he was a puppy.  He was
crazy, but his energy could be channeled into fetch and hide-and-go-seek games, and will stay with you as
long as you have a tennis ball.  The GSP will sometimes chase balls or frisbees, but rarely retrieves them, and
looses interest quickly, the prey drive kicking in again.  We have tried leash walking with Halti collars, electronic
collars, and other techniques that we though might increase her connection to us.  Her pain tolerance is so high
when in prey dive mode, negative conditioning seems to have little effect.

What can we do?  I'm afraid that this dog can only live life in a rural area free all day and night to chase and
roam.

Thanks!

Answer
Your dog appears to have a neurological problem that is interfering with the truncated prey instinct which should be genetically hard wired.  The obsessive circling and total loss of cognitive function can be a sign of this type of disorder.  You might be seeing low level temporal lobe seizures.  I suggest you find a veterinary neurological specialist and present her symptoms.  Meanwhile, do not use punishers of any sort.  The Halti is an excellent tool but it CANNOT BE USED as the sole method of control!  Halti collars should be attached to their own leash, with the majority of control still on the neck collar or body harness.  To increase your GSP's cognitive skills, you might try using the Halti only to GUIDE DIRECTION along with a body harness and long training leash that you can tie around your waistline.  Put a ladder down in your backyard.  Using the Halti, change your dog's direction and take her through the rungs of the ladder (with multiple reverse directions) for praise and food reward.  Associate a "come along" command every time you use the Halti to change her direction.  She will develop a conditioned response to that phrase after approximately 30 to 50 trials over the course of 2 to 3 weeks.  Keep her strictly confined and DO NOT take her into any area where you can lose control of her and allow her to run free.  This dysfunction in her cognition might be developmental and might begin to self resolve as she approaches age 2 to 3 (I've seen other GSPs with this sort of problem.)  There's no place to "get rid of her"...she'll end up abused or dumped.  You made the commitment.  Keep it.