i wondering because i have a German Shepard and a Siberian i would love to take them with me i just dont know were to start and i cant afford to have them trained.i think if i taught the husky that rabbits taste good i wouldn't even need a gun
can any dog be trained to hunt?
- Thread starter GSE2
- Start date
Not knowing your dogs maybe it could work depends on the hunt drive of the dog......and how smart.
When I was a kid we had a Doberman that was a great quail dog........she even retrieved to hand.
Good luck give it a try......just get that dog on a lot of game you'll know pretty quick if it's going to work
When I was a kid we had a Doberman that was a great quail dog........she even retrieved to hand.
Good luck give it a try......just get that dog on a lot of game you'll know pretty quick if it's going to work
S
stikbrandon
Guest
I have a lab mix that points on lizards in the bushes and loves to retreive. So I just gun broke her SLOWLY and started taking her bird hunting. She picked it up on her own and with a lot of praise when she did the right thing!.
She has flushed many quail and retrieved a ton of quail and dove .
If your dog will retreive a ball, get a dead quail or dove and start to play fetch with it . Dude look man , there's a ton of guys that have full blown bird dogs that are dam near perfect but there on dog runs all day and are working dogs. If your like me all I need is a family dog that knows heel come stay and fetch it!
I don't know man I think any dog that is toy motivated can be a bird retriever. Not saying any dog can point but if your dog likes to retrieve its a great start
She has flushed many quail and retrieved a ton of quail and dove .
If your dog will retreive a ball, get a dead quail or dove and start to play fetch with it . Dude look man , there's a ton of guys that have full blown bird dogs that are dam near perfect but there on dog runs all day and are working dogs. If your like me all I need is a family dog that knows heel come stay and fetch it!
I don't know man I think any dog that is toy motivated can be a bird retriever. Not saying any dog can point but if your dog likes to retrieve its a great start
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stikbrandon
Guest
Sure there's more qualified people that could tell you a good way or the right way , but hat I did was I would show my dog my shot gun and play fetch with a ball in the back yard for a couple days,
and when she was feeding I would have my gun on its sling than bang to pots to together from far away, and over a week or so get closer and closer till you can do it next to your dog with out your dog freaking out,
iv read and heard that if you gun break a dog wrong it will make your dog scared of loud noises.
Once I got that covered I would take my dog to where I shoot clays and bring my wife and have her throw a tennis ball and when my dog would go fetch it I would crack a shell off when she was 30 yards or so aw way, in the opposite direction of where she was running and I did that for a box or so every time I went out to work with her, I only went twice and she was fine.
Every dog is different and to tell you the truth I'd ask SnakeCharmer he trains bird dogs . Just cause it worked for my dog doesn't mean it will work for every dog.
Now when I get my gun out she goes ape SH** and knows its time to fetch some birds !
Just gun break your dog slow don't rush it cause it can ruin your dog.
and when she was feeding I would have my gun on its sling than bang to pots to together from far away, and over a week or so get closer and closer till you can do it next to your dog with out your dog freaking out,
iv read and heard that if you gun break a dog wrong it will make your dog scared of loud noises.
Once I got that covered I would take my dog to where I shoot clays and bring my wife and have her throw a tennis ball and when my dog would go fetch it I would crack a shell off when she was 30 yards or so aw way, in the opposite direction of where she was running and I did that for a box or so every time I went out to work with her, I only went twice and she was fine.
Every dog is different and to tell you the truth I'd ask SnakeCharmer he trains bird dogs . Just cause it worked for my dog doesn't mean it will work for every dog.
Now when I get my gun out she goes ape SH** and knows its time to fetch some birds !
Just gun break your dog slow don't rush it cause it can ruin your dog.
Snake Charmer
Happiness is a warm gut pile
Honestly don't waste your time trying to train a dog that was bred for one thing to do another. If you want a good hunting dog start with a breed and blood line that has a proven history. A dog that retrieves dead birds is not necessarily a "hunting dog". A hunting dog is dog that is trained to search a field and flush or point game as well as search for wounded animals and follow direction given by the handler. If you are interested in having a real hunting dog I would encourage you to check out The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) they are the premiere training and hunting dog club in north America.
snake charmer... i appreciate the advice but i got two dogs now and the wife isn't having getting another (right now) i just want to get the dogs out with me there both working dogs and kinda feel bad for the husky considering she doesn't have a job really, the Shepard's job is protecting the wife,the next pup i get will definitely be one for hunting but that's a decade down the line
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stikbrandon
Guest
Snake Charmer said:
To each his own ....... My dog is the best dam dog, she ain't a NAVHDA trained bird dog, who would have known a Lil gutter pup turns in to DEAD BIRD retriever, flusher and live bird tracker ! Sure I can't blow a whistle 100 yards out and have her stop look my way give her a command and keep moving but I also didn't invest 3000 bucks to get a started dog, that if you let in your house and your wife or girl friend spoils it and let's it on the couch and bam your 3000 dollar started BIRD DOG is a lap dog that wants to kiss your face.
Shoot I payed 100 bucks and she had her shots!
in my book if your dog can heel at your side till you tell it to fetch a bird that you just shot out of the air in mid flight and bring it back to you with out it being chewed up, That's a bird dog...... And my dog rides in the front seat of my truck and sleeps in my bed with me!
Most guys want a dog that can retrieve and just walk in the fields with them.
And have as a companion And hunt birds with, I'm sure having a dog that can run all day and win competitions would be great but that's unrealistic for guys that are just staring out or don't have the time for a REAL BIRD DOG.
There is nothing wrong with trying to see if your pet wants to chase birds around with you, cause at the end of the day if your out having fun with your dog and your dog is having fun , that's all that matters
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stikbrandon
Guest
GSE2 said:
Take your dog out in the field keep it on a 20' lead leash and try to jump some bird or a rabbit and see what happens.
8
8SteelTown
Guest
MJB said:
X2 ... as always, there's the extremist perspective that the average man's ideals aren't qualified and the average man's perspective that the extremist is too extreme. Keep at it Brandon. You're dog is a good hunter. She doesn't have to live up to other's standards.
No harm in trying to teach them. People hunt all the time with brown and yellow labs and they are not bred for hunting at all, just shows like the Westminster show.
get the fowl dogs 1 dvd http://www.gundogsupply.com/fowl-dogs-dvd-set.html
follow the basic ob to the letter so at least you will have that part of the problem down.
get the fowl dogs 1 dvd http://www.gundogsupply.com/fowl-dogs-dvd-set.html
follow the basic ob to the letter so at least you will have that part of the problem down.
Since you've never had a hunting dog or trained one it's going to be tough. You really don't need a dog for rabbits imo. What are your plans hunting wise with them?
I trained all my labs. They are not field champs but whistle and hand commad trained. Didn't spend thousands of dollars on them either but are well bred. No guarantees with any dog but there are ways to increase you and the dogs success rate. If you take the time to read books or watch videos etc are consistent it's not that hard. 10-15 minutes a day.
Depending on a dog just to "get it"on his or her own is a long shot at best.
You can set a dog up for success or failure. You should have a plan before you start.
I trained all my labs. They are not field champs but whistle and hand commad trained. Didn't spend thousands of dollars on them either but are well bred. No guarantees with any dog but there are ways to increase you and the dogs success rate. If you take the time to read books or watch videos etc are consistent it's not that hard. 10-15 minutes a day.
Depending on a dog just to "get it"on his or her own is a long shot at best.
You can set a dog up for success or failure. You should have a plan before you start.
Someone already mentioned the key point: how much prey drive does the dog have? If the dog likes to hunt things, then you have a strong basis to work from. The advantage of buying a dog that was bred to hunt is there is a much higher likelihood that it will hunt for you.
Now, if you just want a retriever, as someone else mentioned (the dog that walks beside you and retrieves the birds you shoot), then your dog needs a strong retrieving desire. I know a golden retriever that doesn't retrieve. I throw stuff, and it may run out and sniff it, but won't pick it up. It would be difficult to motivate that dog to retrieve.
I know a Weimaraner that is supposed to be a pointer (I'm told that this breed, unfortunately, has had most of the hunt bred out of it since the '70s), but is a really good retriever. I see a lot of pointers that good hunters, but are terrible retrievers. But because they have the hunting drive in them, you have something to work with.
I've seen one Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever that could actually do the work- a very nice little dog. But the other 3 I've seen wouldn't go in the water to retrieve a duck, even when it was only 3 feet from shore. "Fetch it up! Fetch it! Come on doggy!!! Fetch it up!!!" Embarassing. This shows that even dogs from hunting breeds might be complete duds for hunting, because the breeding program they came from put all the emphasis on things that would make them excel in other areas (like the show ring), instead of hunting.
This is interesting: I just looked up the stats for the Dock Dogs competitions (http://www.dockdogs.com/overall-worldwide-rankings.html). This is competition to see how far or how high a dog jumps, or how fast it can retrieve a dummy, but I think it requires a dog that has a strong retrieving desire (whether by nature or by nurture). Look at how many Belgian Malinois are listed.
The bottom line is the dog's desire to do the work. After that, the dog needs to be trainable (coyotes are excellent hunters, but how trainable are they?). How smart are they? How good is the dog's nose? My brother has a dog that is dumber than a box of rocks, and doesn't have a very good nose- not worth wasting time on him.
If you want to train your dog, go for it. You'll learn pretty quickly what he's good at and what he's not. Do the training yourself, and you'll find out what you're good at, and what you're not. In any case, your dog will benefit greatly from the obedience training (the foundation for good hunting training).
Now, if you just want a retriever, as someone else mentioned (the dog that walks beside you and retrieves the birds you shoot), then your dog needs a strong retrieving desire. I know a golden retriever that doesn't retrieve. I throw stuff, and it may run out and sniff it, but won't pick it up. It would be difficult to motivate that dog to retrieve.
I know a Weimaraner that is supposed to be a pointer (I'm told that this breed, unfortunately, has had most of the hunt bred out of it since the '70s), but is a really good retriever. I see a lot of pointers that good hunters, but are terrible retrievers. But because they have the hunting drive in them, you have something to work with.
I've seen one Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever that could actually do the work- a very nice little dog. But the other 3 I've seen wouldn't go in the water to retrieve a duck, even when it was only 3 feet from shore. "Fetch it up! Fetch it! Come on doggy!!! Fetch it up!!!" Embarassing. This shows that even dogs from hunting breeds might be complete duds for hunting, because the breeding program they came from put all the emphasis on things that would make them excel in other areas (like the show ring), instead of hunting.
This is interesting: I just looked up the stats for the Dock Dogs competitions (http://www.dockdogs.com/overall-worldwide-rankings.html). This is competition to see how far or how high a dog jumps, or how fast it can retrieve a dummy, but I think it requires a dog that has a strong retrieving desire (whether by nature or by nurture). Look at how many Belgian Malinois are listed.
The bottom line is the dog's desire to do the work. After that, the dog needs to be trainable (coyotes are excellent hunters, but how trainable are they?). How smart are they? How good is the dog's nose? My brother has a dog that is dumber than a box of rocks, and doesn't have a very good nose- not worth wasting time on him.
If you want to train your dog, go for it. You'll learn pretty quickly what he's good at and what he's not. Do the training yourself, and you'll find out what you're good at, and what you're not. In any case, your dog will benefit greatly from the obedience training (the foundation for good hunting training).
S
stikbrandon
Guest
S
stikbrandon
Guest
Good luck with trying to get a pet to hunt. Sometimes it works. I once had an Aussie (notice the dog had a herding instinct) that was out in a state park with me. I saw a herd of Mulies in the park. They disappeared in the trees behind the meadow we were in. My dog looked at me and whined to go get them. I told him 'bring 'em in'. Damned if he didn't reappear behind a herd of 25 deer with several shooters in there.
When I decided I wanted a bird dog I researched and found the breed then the breeder I wanted. I have a humphrey's llewellin. He has been everything I was told he would be. And is a house dog that sleeps in bed with me. He will chase a ball thrown and pick it up but won't give it back. But when he points and a bird is shot over him he will return the bird-but that is because he expects to get to carry another.
No 'trainer', once he saw what we were doing he picked it up with some moves of his own. He figured out after a dozen pigeons flying off that if he doesn't whoa then he doesn't get a bird in his mouth. To be honest, there is 160 years of breeding for exactly these traits. Didn't happen by accident.
Good luck!
When I decided I wanted a bird dog I researched and found the breed then the breeder I wanted. I have a humphrey's llewellin. He has been everything I was told he would be. And is a house dog that sleeps in bed with me. He will chase a ball thrown and pick it up but won't give it back. But when he points and a bird is shot over him he will return the bird-but that is because he expects to get to carry another.
No 'trainer', once he saw what we were doing he picked it up with some moves of his own. He figured out after a dozen pigeons flying off that if he doesn't whoa then he doesn't get a bird in his mouth. To be honest, there is 160 years of breeding for exactly these traits. Didn't happen by accident.
Good luck!