Is there any good bread of dog to train for shed hunting? I'm looking for a new puppy and just looking to see what I can get for the best of my dollar. I'd like a dog that can train for shed hunting and helping track deer after they have been shot. Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Any dog is trainable. I do believe some dogs, not breeds, are better then others. Those dogs will be the easiest to train. So you will know right away if you got a good one. I was lucky enough to find my lab at a grocery store for $250. He will search in the thickest of cover and run off out of sight only to bring back what he treasures. It is truely crazy how good he is at finding sheds!
Try looking into a Texas Blue Lacy... they are breed for being blood tracking dogs...but do some research about them first because they are far from your normal everyday type of pet to have... Sent from my SM-G930V using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
There has been quite a bit of research out there on the nose power of different breeds. I think some of your upland poitners, such as short hairs, have the strongest nose in the upland/waterfowl world. I know your hounds generally have great noses too but are pretty poor retrievers. That's why I, like many others, choose a Lab. I believe you cannot get more of a versatile dog. Well behaved, great family dog, good looking, great retrievers, good nose, loyal, can be a protector without the nasty attitude,waterfowl, upland, shed hunting, jump contests. In my opinion, unless you are a coon hunter, the choice is easy
I agree MnMoose. I grew up with labs and lab mixes. My uncle had a choc. Lab he literally brought back to life. His neighbor was going through a divorce, got drunk and kicked the dog in the throat. He brought it to my uncle crying. He gave it cpr and took it to animal hospital. Needless to say the dog became my uncles and one of the best hunters I've ever seen. Blind retrieve ducks like no other, bring back goose after goose. We pheasant hunted too. I've never seen my uncle shed a tear until that dog died at the old age of 12. Sorry for the long wind, I just loved that dog, R.I.P. Bear. Lol Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Any hound would be good for tracking sheds or deer. I trained my German Shepherd with the Dog Bone Shed kit and we have found a couple sheds together. The determining factor is how much you train your dog and work with them in the field. I'm sure a Chihuahua would be a good shed dog if you trained it well enough.
Have you ever heard of a Lacy dog because everything you have mentioned is exactly what a lacy dog is but has 100000x more prey drive than a lab because of the breeding that has been done to labs... a Lacy Game Dog will retrieve as well as truly search every square inch of a section of woods... I believe a lab would be good but as for as hunt, drive, persistence, and ease of training I think the Texas Blue Lacys are hands down the best choice with the Louisiana Catahoula being an easy second and the lab coming up 3rd in the list for shed hunting! So yes labs are Good but they aren't in my opinion number 1 for shed hunting... 1. Texas Blue Lacy 2. Louisiana Catahoula 3. Labrador retriever 4. English Springer Spaniel 5. German Short Hair Pointer
I know of some being used in Maine and New York right now plus I had my old lacy in Illinois for 2 years handled it fine...
What about cold water? that is a big difference. I dont know much about either the lacy or the catahoula, but if they were so good why isn't there more of them around? I guess I wouldn't risk getting one with never having seen one and hunted with one.. To each their own
Their are tons around once you start looking for them... catahoulas would be better for the water issue because they were bred for water even have Webbed feet for it... reason you don't see them is because these are actual hunting working dogs they aren't your family pet and yes if u want a dog to lay around ur house for 10 months out of the year and only used 2 or 3 times so be it a lab is prob best for you but if your needing a true working dog that will work day in and day out every day for you then yes a lacy or catahoula is better... they are a little harder to handle for your normal everyday pet owner but hey some people need a true working dog that can be part of your family and not just a family pet that sometimes works a couple times a year for ya... Do some research on them and your eyes will be amazed at what you see i promise...
I've just done some reading on the lacys and catahoulas. I think I'd still need to go with another lab or chessy strictly because I would want a dog that still excels at retrieving waterfowl and could handle icy water. If I had the time to have both types that would be awesome. The lacys and catahoulas both look like awesome dogs. My problem now lies with my older daughter and allergies. So for now I have two 12 lb poodle mixes Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
Hey those standard big poodles are actually water fowl dogs lol imagine headed to the blind with one of those big puff balls lol and remember we were talking about shed hunting not really water fowl hunting...
I would say that a lab is a true working dog just because there are bench labs doesn't mean others are not working dogs. My black labs pedigree is nothing but NFC,NAFC,CNFC,CNAFC his 3rd in line was winner of the Thomas Merrit Memorial trophy. He is a true working dog and has to be forced to stop. I would say a normal dog owner could not handle him. Hes not your typical fat bench lab he is 55lbs and runs hot and his prey drive is out of the world. Sorry for the tangent but it is kind of insulting when you say a lab isn't a true working dog
Please don't take it as an insult and I'm sure yours is as you say he is... but my point about it was that yours is the minority now in the breed which is sad and I blame AKC for this 100% a lab was made exactly for what you say yours does and it's great you still have one but now days because AKC and many ppl breeding for money has turned the majority of the breed into pets for a family... they have done this to many breeds another example is the German Shepard... take a look at what a registered German Shepard from the 50s looks like and then look at one now I'm glad to see you still have and are keeping what a true Labrador Retriever is suppose to be but I don't see how you can argue that yours is not in the minority now where as the other breeds I spoke about 99% of them all are working dogs and there are hardly no house pets because AKC has not gotten their hands on the breeds yet... So again please don't take offense to me saying that the breed is not true working dogs because yes there are still a few true working ones left but the house pet has taken over in that breed to much wouldn't you agree to that?
When did you guys start training your dogs on sheds? What is the appropriate age limit. Just picked mine up yesterday and I am going to let her grow up a bit (6 weeks) before doing anything with her . I have read 6 months or is that kind of to late in your opinions? When she gets a little older I plan on just playing fetch with her and having fun with some sheds or practice sheds to start off with.
Every dog is different, you will have to judge when they are ready. Usually if they are still a clumsy puppy they aren't quite ready for serious skills training, so I would just keep it light until they are out of that phase. 6 months is a good standard. I would wait the 6 months and then judge if more time is needed
We just started training my German Shepherd for human tracking for search and rescue, and while I strongly favor them or labs because they are what I'm used too working with, a buddy of mine has a bluetick hound that I cannot discredit no matter how hard I try at searching for deer and/or blood. That dog with very little training is pretty much spot on with her searches and crazy drive. Listening on the other hand when called off leash..... not so much. Now our 3rd dog, you'll all laugh at... My 9 year old daughter wanted to start training her dog like I am our other dogs, so she is currently teaching a miniature pinscher pug mix human tracking... lol
I have a vizsla. She is an awesome dog but has never found one shed for me. I'm sure she's capable -- i've just never trained her for it.
