I have trained collies and kelpies, although admittedly for livestock work, not tracking. Both can be trained to a high standard, but whereas collies seem to remember everything you teach them, kelpies require frequent revision sessions, so the training process takes longer.
Collie x Kelpie as a deer dog????
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With collies I have found you have to desenstitive them to sudden noise slowly I do it by clattering their metal food dishes together before you feed them getting increasingly noisier overtime depending on their reaction.
Regarding tracking most dogs will find a freshly shot deer steadiness to shot and not chasing any un shot deer in group is more important.
Regarding tracking most dogs will find a freshly shot deer steadiness to shot and not chasing any un shot deer in group is more important.
Oh that’s great, definitely positive encouragement. I didn’t want to bother if it was going to be a complete waste of time but there have been a lot of positive responses so I think it’s definitely worth a crack! ThanksThe Kiwis use heading dogs which are pretty similar to collies all the time in New Zealand, so it's not a long reach.
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They do work them differently to European methods but they appear to be effective both before and after the shot.
Guy Wallace said the main problem with collies was finding one that wasn't gun-shy but it doesn't seam to be a problem for you!
Most Collies I have known are the same, but luckily mine has absolutely no problems with loud noises at all, she actually gets very excited when I have a gun on me.
Her chase instinct with deer is very hit and miss. She’s great with pheasants and partridge, she just watches them around her when she’s out with me. She has chased a few muntjac but only when we’ve sort of surprised them and ended up quite close. Distant ones seem to be ok
Craigsaun
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Well ! The worst that could happen is he could round up all the deer for you to have a closer shotMy sentiments exactly! What’s the worst that can happen?
Ahahaha I didn’t think of that! Sadly she couldn’t herd herself out of a paper bagWell ! The worst that could happen is he could round up all the deer for you to have a closer shot
Rhodesianjess
Well-Known Member
I've owned three collie/lab crosses in 30 plus years of keepering. Definitely more switched on than standard lab, work a lot out for themselves.
Don't know if it helps but you won't know till you try. If she's willing to please you, you're on the way to owning a useful dog. Best of luck in your endeavours.
Don't know if it helps but you won't know till you try. If she's willing to please you, you're on the way to owning a useful dog. Best of luck in your endeavours.
Thank you! That’s really encouraging. A collie lab cross sounds gorgeous. She’s definitely eager to please so hopefully it’ll work out. Would be great to give her a proper job
That’s very true, I never thought about it like that. I had a friend with a SAR collie and it had learned to walk over cattle grids, which is pretty cool
I thought collies were born knowing how to walk over cattle grids.
Maybe it's only Welsh collies. Welsh sheep walk straight over them too!
Sorry to hear that BenWe had that cross for few years working sheep & beef. Brill bitch, obedient as & brave to her core. Only talking of her, but I'd have been confident could have trained her to do petty much anything. Lost her in freak accident.Never replaced her.
Go for it, I think any dog that is keen to please its master will do the job, I have an Irish terrier as a deer dog, slow but methodical.
You said the dog is always 20-30yds in front of you, that is sometimes not a bad thing, mine will certainly let me know when there is deer close by, her behaviour changes dramatically,if you stop she will automatically come back, she also knows when you are in stalk mode and sticks close to heel.
I think with a little training you will have a good deer dog, and more importantly a good companion.
Hopefully we can get away from the over inflated prices of so called "dogs for deer".
You said the dog is always 20-30yds in front of you, that is sometimes not a bad thing, mine will certainly let me know when there is deer close by, her behaviour changes dramatically,if you stop she will automatically come back, she also knows when you are in stalk mode and sticks close to heel.
I think with a little training you will have a good deer dog, and more importantly a good companion.
Hopefully we can get away from the over inflated prices of so called "dogs for deer".
My brother has had various collies (including kelpies) over the years for working sheep. Although being very intelligent and versatile, the majority were sensitive to gunshot noise.
I remember buying a second hand pair of binoculars from a shepherd on Loch Lomondside 20+ years ago. He did a bit of deerstalking and his collie would accompany him, but chose to follow several hundred yards behind. When the collie heard a shot being taken, it would join him and help locate the deer.
I remember buying a second hand pair of binoculars from a shepherd on Loch Lomondside 20+ years ago. He did a bit of deerstalking and his collie would accompany him, but chose to follow several hundred yards behind. When the collie heard a shot being taken, it would join him and help locate the deer.
My old collie has tracked and found a few deer. I never trained her she just does it.
As mentioned before the noise issue is a problem and she hates guns and even a 22 makes her cower but if she is in the truck out of the way I get her out and she follows a trail.
She also has been brilliant at dogging in again no guns involved but she really just knows what to do.
My collie cross lurcher is another story. Not gun shy and the prey drive blocks out the collies brains in her makeup.
She would track but if anything got up in between it would be chase on.
As mentioned before the noise issue is a problem and she hates guns and even a 22 makes her cower but if she is in the truck out of the way I get her out and she follows a trail.
She also has been brilliant at dogging in again no guns involved but she really just knows what to do.
My collie cross lurcher is another story. Not gun shy and the prey drive blocks out the collies brains in her makeup.
She would track but if anything got up in between it would be chase on.
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