How long??

Peter Eaton

Well-Known Member
Lost a deer Sunday, looked high and low to find her and spent most of the day trying to find her but with no luck. For all I know she was lay up in the hedge row near by and it guts me I couldnt find her even though Ive no doubt she died pretty quick. My thoughts are turning to buying a dog and training it, the thing is how long is it feasible to leave a dog? I doubt id get a pup but an older dog. My problem is I work shifts, so any idea how long I leave the dog alone without it being affected.

Thanks for your help

Pete
 
Hi Pete,

sorry to hear about your lost deer. It happens eventually if you have been stalking long enough. I built a custom built run for my hound and he is fine, although he goes nuts when he see's me at the days end. Now the lighter evenings are coming he is out with me most evenings when I get back. Mind you he has stalked with me consistently through this winter, even for a month in the highlands with clients. Only thing I would say is that getting an adult dog to me is going to be hard to train for deer stalking. But I wish you much luck with your endevours.

Best

Sikamalc
 
Pete,
We all have to work or you cant afford things like dogs in the first place. I have found myself in a similar position to yourself when my wife has been away and I have had to work unnatural shifts. We were aware that this would be the case before we went ahead and got a dog. A helpful neigbour could be a help just popping in to see if the animal is OK. We were very lucky on that score I think our super neighbours loved our dogs even more than we did. If you do go ahead make sure you book yourself some holiday, 2 weeks if you can. Dont spend all this time with your dog but begin to cut back the time that you are with it so it becomes used to time alone. As Sikamalc said you are going to have a very excited dog when you get home but when you do get home as long as you then have the time to give him/her the attention they require they should be fine.
We purchased our first dog from our vets and we asked the same sort of questions as we wanted to ensure our dog would have the quality of life we felt they deserved. His answer was IT IS A DOG THEY BECOME USED TO THE LIFE THEY LEAD.
The other thing to think of is how will you feel when your dog has had a fit of the chewies? If the answer is pretty ****ed of with them its got to be a kennel and run.
Ours live in the house and when puppies confined to a large cage. Some have been chewers some have been angels and over the years I have become an expert with pollyfilla.
Sorry about the deer, that is not a nice feeling.

John
 
Hi
On a more practical basis , if it happens again before you get a dog SHOUT!!!!!!!!!!! there are plenty of us on here who would be more than happy to bring a dog along to help you find it , I'm sure someone will be in your area

steve
 
Pete, quite a lot of people ask my advice on deer dogs. I don't know anything about your circumstances or experience but you have to ask yourself if you really need a dog for stalking or just access to a dog? Please don't get me wrong, I am not trying to put you off getting a dog, just suggesting that there may be other stalkers in your area willing to help you when you loose a deer (which we all do). Most recreational stalkers go out once every couple of weeks so, say twice a month, shoot a deer every other trip if they are lucky so, say, a dozen deer a year. Ten of these drop on the spot or run 10m, the eleventh runs 50-60m and the twelth is wounded and needs a dog to find it. What I am saying is, most people only actually need their deer dog once or twice a year. Again, don't let me put you off, I'm just throwing an opinion into the melting pot. JC
 
Lost a deer Sunday, looked high and low to find her and spent most of the day trying to find her but with no luck. For all I know she was lay up in the hedge row near by and it guts me I couldnt find her even though Ive no doubt she died pretty quick. My thoughts are turning to buying a dog and training it, the thing is how long is it feasible to leave a dog? I doubt id get a pup but an older dog. My problem is I work shifts, so any idea how long I leave the dog alone without it being affected.

Thanks for your help

Pete
Pete
there is more to this than meets the eye
just getting a dog because you hav lost one is like up the creek with out a paddle
more to the point
what was the POI site like
did it give you any clues that you understood
that is the first port of call
after that you hav an idea
if the strike on the deer was non fatal it could run for several miles and if only a flesh wound should make a full recovery aslong as the flies are not about
to find a deer of this nature, you would need a very good/experienced dog
as you hav given so little info on this and i presume this might be your first lost deer
it leads me to think several veiews
the main one being a dog
if you are not in a position to hav one DON'T, ask a mate or fellow stalker if you could call on them if you ever need to
most dogs will be able to follow an easy trail with out any training
having a dedicated dog is not all it is cracked upto be if you don't hav the work for one, as i recall most recreational shoot between zero and 10 deer a year others are more fortunate
beter to learn the art of tracking first then call on the dog that way you will help eliminate all the hassle and give the dog a chance to find what you are looking for
 
Thanks for all your replies and ive taken on board what has been said. I fully agree that a dog probably wont be used that much and realize it wont be a 'cure' for all lost deer. I have looked at the cons of my shift and it actually works out better when I look at it in detail regarding keeping a dog. I am lucky enough to have 3,4 and 5 full days off at a time and even when Im working shifts there are only 4 days a month when the dog would be left for an extended period Also I will probably get a run for the dog and have around an acre of land backing onto hundreds of acres of land where I live. Im know my neighbours will help with looking after the dog should I need help.
I suppose its not just about having a dog for deer but also the fact i live on my own and the dog will be great company and I will get emmense enjoyment traing the dog and seeing my efforts pay off, I suppose in a perfect world it matters not if the dog never actually recovered a deer, though as you know this probably would never be the case.
My friend is retiring his dog in the summer and is looking for a new black lab so Ive told him to look out for one for me , maybe from the same litter.
Im giving the time between now and the summer as time for thought and a cooling off period incase anything changes, I think that only fair on myself and a a future dog, not going to rush into this. In the mean time in going to start dealing with all the requirements should I get a dog... such as finding a decent vet before I purchase,suitable insurance and talking to the neighbours.

Many thanks


pete
 
Pete, a vast amount of full cream advice through this thread, beginning with Stones thoughts on the point of the strike, & any info you could gather from there, secondly, I have bred dogs since I was a kid, dogs get used to what they have to get used to, this is not an ideal situation,dogs are pack animals, & suffer mentally BADLY from isolation regardless of their age & situation, reliance on an available dog from a "Handler" is the best option from what you describe, if you have to go down the route of ownership then it would have to be in a full time fashion, & preferably with some accsess to other dogs to socialise a little with your dog. Steve.
 
Hi Steve , Im a tad confused here, can you clarify your comment of 'a full time fashion' are you suggesting shift workers shouldnt have dogs? I understand what you say about isolation but I know many game keepers are to busy during the day to be with their dogs and they are in the kennel for long periods of time and dont suffer.
I note what stones said and please understand I did exactly what he suggested, thing is sometimes stalkers dont find deer...hence why would anyone need a dog? I would love to be able to call on someone with a dog but unless I know the person I dont tell anyone where I stalk now...ive learnt the hard way on that one.

I agree with your comment about socialising the dog, hence why I thought it a good idea to get one when my friend does and of course introduce it to other dogs early on. I think I should point out , this isnt just some whim of mine...ive been thinking about this for two years. Just came here for advice.

Regards

pete
 
Sorry if I sounded like I was preaching Pete,That was certainly furthest from my mind, just my inarticulate way of coming across, It probably stems from the way dogs are treated at our place, more like family members.:D, Probably not the right way to treat working dogs for some people. Steve.
 
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As long you take your dog for obedience training when they are still a puppy, and you exercise where there are other dogs, your dog will get plenty of opportunities to socialise and interact with other dogs. If you have friends who have dogs, I would also suggest taking your dog with you when you visit ... great opportunity for them to spend time together.
I'm also pretty sure that if you had to look around, you will find dog trainers who do "socialisation classes" if you are that concerned your dog isn't getting enough.
And with regards to the shift working ... sounds better to me than working 9 to 5, 5 days a week where the dog is alone for 12 hours a day. I don't know what shifts you work Pete, but sounds to me like this is a good balance between work and being at home.
 
My dogs live out in the kennel full time apart from the Kopov who sleeps in the house at night. I start work at 6.00 and i'm home by 15.30. The dogs get perhaps an hours walk when i come home and any training. the rest of the time they are in the kennels. It would be nice to have them all running around the garden but as the Taxen and kopov are hunting dogs they would just bugger off into the forest and start hunting something.
Don't feel bad about leaveing a dog. The most important thing is to train it properly for tracking. Even if you don,t track many wounded deer you will still have a good stalking companion.


www.prokennel.se
 
It probably stems from the way dogs are treated at our place, more like family members.:D, Pobably not the right way to treat working dogs for some people. Steve.

steve
i feel that is the best way to treat a dog
some even take it further
P1060493.jpg

P1060562.jpg

but i hav to admit this is probally one of the best deer dogs i hav ever seen in action
now what does that say about the way it was treated
PS
i'm probably dead when he see's this, but what the heck
the dog is worth it
 
I just thought of taking a picture of Rosie, our aged lurcher peeking out from next to Mrs Finnbear's feet, but I think I might be suffering the censor's stamp, (not the rubber one either!):D, though I could take one of Basil the greyhound, fast asleep on the spare bed next door!
 
steve
i feel that is the best way to treat a dog
some even take it further
P1060493.jpg

P1060562.jpg

but i hav to admit this is probally one of the best deer dogs i hav ever seen in action
now what does that say about the way it was treated
PS
i'm probably dead when he see's this, but what the heck
the dog is worth it

that dog looks like it should be smoking a cigarette!:eek:
 
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