I am kicking around these 3 different breeds and leaning hardest towards the German wirehair for ease of training purposes. Does anyone have any experience with these breeds? Also would it be feasible to train a dog to track deer AND shed hunt? Or would that be too much? Just started really opening the can on this so any feedback much appreciated.
Have a Catahoula Leopard that we rescued. Smart dog and fairly easy to train despite him being full grown when we adopted him. Have never had him find a shed but he had tracked a deer, nose to the ground like it was his job. They do need to be worked when they are younger as there is energy to spare. Now that he is 12 there isn’t a lot of that energy.
Thats awesome. Ive been reading on them. I really dont think i can go wrong with any of these breeds. Finding a reputable breeder is main thing
my next dog is going to be a GWP- good all around gun dogs. Can point, track and retrieve. I would think they would be fine with both shed hunting and blood tracking. Nothing against Catahoulas, I just like dogs with beards.
I had a Catahoula for 14 years. One of the best dogs I've ever owned, of course every dog I owned was the best. But I will say their loyalty is second to none. Fierce, brave and loving dogs.
I have read that Catahoulas are pretty good guard dogs for a hunting dog. Don't people use them for baying hogs?
I do enjoy the occasional upland hunt for quail or pheasant but havent been in years. Mostly for lack of species in my area. There are release areas that release pheasants. The GWP with its natural pointing characteristics definitely piques my interest.
I never heard of the Blue Lacey, but I have a Black Mouth Cur. I think the Catahoula is a cur type dog as well. If they are anything like mine they fear nothing and their number one priority is the safety of you, your family and your property. They will hunt anything if you train them to something specific. Mine was especially keen on squirrels. I missed the boat and did not train him for sheds. Over all the Cur has been my smartest and most loyal dog. My Cur takes everything seriously. The fastest also over German Shepherds and German Short Haired Pointers. A friend of mine has a Wire Hair that is highly trained as well. A hell of a bird dog. He seems smart and kind of laid back. He just loves to hunt. I don't know how it does with sheds. I would not hesitate to get another Cur, especially for where I live.
@GregH I believe you are right about the Cur being a close relation to the Catahoula. Ive heard that a couple times. All this talk has really brought back a lot old feelings for that Catahoula of mine. She has been gone a while now and it still hurts to think about her, such a great dog.
I’ve got a GWP and he’s an amazing all around dog. Great with upland/waterfowl and does a good job finding antlers. Problem is where I look, we normally have a tremendous amount of pheasants (South Dakota) so he tends to spend 99% of his time seeking and pointing birds. Totally fine with me because that’s his primary job anyways. As far as being easy to train, I wouldn’t put the GWP in that category. Sure they are very intelligent and loyal and want to please their owners but their energy and stubbornness can be a challenge, albeit a good one. If you get a GWP, hopefully it’s also for bird hunting and to be a family dog. They need a job and have been bred to hunt birds and track; shed hunting would be a secondary benefit to them. So if your intent is primarily for shed hunting, I’d look at other breeds.
Honestly my wife would make %110 sure that the first priority would be a family member who lived in the house with the kids haha. I would waterfowl hunt at least 10-20 times per year with it and we would shed hunt and i really want to be able to blood track as a bonus. Its in the works. Still going back and forth with the property owner behind me to sell me an acre. I want the dog to have room to run even if hes a house dog .
