Mixed breed hunting dogs????

C

Cro-mag

New member
Ok guys,here's my dilemma.

I would love to have a good upland game dog but it seems we always "get" the new dog while I'm away working. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Always an "animal shelter pup"

The dog we have now is a 2 yr. old Lab/ Springer mix. He's a good family dog and we've had him since 10 weeks of age. I've worked him as often as I can using books etc. but last summer I worked out of town and was only home a day or so a week.

He's got a good nose and has the basics down well: sit, stay, heel on a lead, whoa, fetch, and not gun shy. I haven't been able to get him to bring birds to hand, he'll usually drop them 10 ft. away, even using hand thrown freshly killed ones.

The second problem is he ranges WAY out ahead. Once he gets a noseful, he's gone. You might be able to hunt over him with a quad.mount 50 but it'd be rough on the birds. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I've been thinking of trying a shock collar to break him of this but don't know what else to do.

Any suggestions or should I accept the fact that he'll never be the dog I would like to have and look for another or resign myself to the fact that because of my line of work, I may not have the time to devote to having a higher caliber gun dog?

Don't get me wrong. He's a great dog and everything, a joy to us all but I guess I want a "little" more out of him.

Cro-mag
 
getting a dog to bring a bird to hand is tough...always have them retrieve and walk towards them. As for the ranging...the more work the better get or make a long lead as far as you want him to range and work with him so he knows what you want...a shock collar can sometimes confuse a dog, get him in range with a lead then try with out and the collar...dog training is just like everything else the more practice the better you get...if your gone, show your wife or kids how to train him but make it playful...my wife works with my dogs and has helped alot once she learned what to do! good luck...
 
oh forgot one big thing....there are plenty of shelters that are hunting dog rescues, my best friend rescued to two english pointers from a shelter in chicago and they are great hunters! but don't give up on your dog...
 
Thanks drewMIhunter,

I appreciate the tips. Hopefully I'll be working closer to home this summer and can really step up the training. It does make a guy feel good to have friends stop by and "show off" the mutt. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Thanks again,

Cro-mag
 
My experience of shelter type gun dogs is simply that they have been screwed by some hunter NOT knowing what they are doing with the SHOCK COLLAR, or cause them to become gun shy, or abuse them in the field some other way by shooting at them etc.

Now if you can get your hands on a young pup, that is a better deal, but an adult dog will just cost you money, time and loads of work for not. I realize there are exceptions to every rule, but I am speaking in generalities here OK. I learned the hard way, so this is why I will go with young pups instead of adult dogs from a shelter.

There is always the case of someone not wanting to hunt anymore and they have a dog or two, they would like to give to a good home or sell cheap. This is a very good way to get a bird dog also. You just try them out and see how they stack up against your wants is all.
 
Good luck Cro-Mag. I've got a pound puppie also. He is one hunting S.O.B. Mine is lab/beagle. Sounds like it's back to the obedience drawing board. Got to get the idea of how far is OK ingrained before you throw birds into the mix. Time is whats working against you. Fifteen minutes a day can work wonders. Shock collars can help but, they are a tool- not a cure all. If I paid big $$$ for a showey feild trail dog, I'd be pissed too. BUT, I've got a pound puppie. He finds birds, points on a good day, rarely retrieves, holds cripples in place and I DON'T loose anything that I knock down. I miss more birds than he does. Another thing in your favor is the lab part. Sometimes it can take 2 years for them to settle down. Good luck.....
 
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