Collie x Kelpie as a deer dog????

[Tagtree]

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".

That’s really nice to hear of other people using the non obvious deer dog breeds. She’s definitely a good companion either way

 

[Tagtree]

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 get that, lots of collies seem to be gun shy, or shy of most loud noises. Mine seems actually like them, she hates being left behind when a gun comes out and can’t get enough of chainsaws!

 

[Tagtree]

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.

I’m definitely starting to wonder what’s wrong with mine lol, she has no issue with noise, I must just be a noisy person and she’s gotten used to it!

 

[roaring_stag]

Ive seen a welsh collie/kelpie cross working on the deer before - very steady and intelligent dog, with years of stalking under his belt. As a poster above says, they can be trained to do different jobs!

RS

 

[NickJ]

Nearly all of the dogs used in the Highlands in the old days (of less efficient rifles) were collies so that must mean something!

 

[Tagtree]

Ive seen a welsh collie/kelpie cross working on the deer before - very steady and intelligent dog, with years of stalking under his belt. As a poster above says, they can be trained to do different jobs!

RS

Blimey Tally is a Welsh collie kelpie cross so that’s brilliant to hear!!

 

[Tagtree]

Nearly all of the dogs used in the Highlands in the old days (of less efficient rifles) were collies so that must mean something!

Wow there’s a lot more variation in deer dog breeds than I expected

 

[shortshot]

I have a chum who uses two border collies as gundogs they hunt and retrieve one day a week and work cattle and sheep rest of time.
Paul Michaels favours border collies as first choice....the kelpie bit is a bit less predictable!!!

 

[Tagtree]

I have a chum who uses two border collies as gundogs they hunt and retrieve one day a week and work cattle and sheep rest of time.
Paul Michaels favours border collies as first choice....the kelpie bit is a bit less predictable!!!

Turns out it’s not such a weird idea after all!

 

[User00036]

If you got a collie that's not gun shy then great stuff! I've never found one, most are thin skulled & terrified of fireworks too. Bring it on.

 

[Tagtree]

If you got a collie that's not gun shy then great stuff! I've never found one, most are thin skulled & terrified of fireworks too. Bring it on.

She’s not gun shy at all, I’m considering myself very lucky

 

[xbilly]

Had my collie for the last 8 and a bit years, she is my 3rd collie, the first two have both been great working with sheep but were both completely gun shy. As a working dog in an area of several pheasant shoots they could be a nightmare, setting off for home while leaving me to move the sheep when a barrage of shots rang out in the distance.
I dropped lucky with this one, doesn't turn a hair at the rifle going off and is as excited as any Wire Hair Pointer when she sees me moving the rifle from my van to the ATV.

I've had her from 6 months old from a breeder in Worcestershire, she's three quarter welsh , one quarter border. It soon became apparent that she had a fantastic nose, started on active mole hills, then to watching the moles as they moved between the hills then pointing mice in tussocks of grass, she lets me know when any rats are in occupation by standing staring at the drains and walking her in the evening on the estate she would point to the bracken and wait as badger walked out onto her nose! Never chased them, just likes finding em!
She trained up easily on the sheep work and I decided to try her finding deer. Having shot one from a seat on an open ride I dragged it 50m off to the side into an area of brambles. Fetched her from the landy and walked her down the ride just encouraging her to sniff about. As soon as we got to the shot point her head was down sniffing and licking the blood then looked about and took off into the scrub and ran straight to the deer. I did this just a few times and on the third or forth time, rather than walking with me to where it was shot she stopped looking off the main ride we were walking in on. She had scented the deer already which was 100m away and when I sent her off she did a straight line to it rather than the curves route I was taking her in on.
In short, if you can get one like mine, they are so intelligent and obedient that once they know what you are wanting they are dead keen to do it for you, whether that is finding a shot deer that's run off the track or walking with you and air scenting and pointing to warn you of where they are, collies can be fantastic. She wont do the job that I know some deer dogs do, as in pulling down something that isn't quite dead, but she will give them a good licking to clean up any blood!
Good luck with it

 

[Tagtree]

Had my collie for the last 8 and a bit years, she is my 3rd collie, the first two have both been great working with sheep but were both completely gun shy. As a working dog in an area of several pheasant shoots they could be a nightmare, setting off for home while leaving me to move the sheep when a barrage of shots rang out in the distance.
I dropped lucky with this one, doesn't turn a hair at the rifle going off and is as excited as any Wire Hair Pointer when she sees me moving the rifle from my van to the ATV.

I've had her from 6 months old from a breeder in Worcestershire, she's three quarter welsh , one quarter border. It soon became apparent that she had a fantastic nose, started on active mole hills, then to watching the moles as they moved between the hills then pointing mice in tussocks of grass, she lets me know when any rats are in occupation by standing staring at the drains and walking her in the evening on the estate she would point to the bracken and wait as badger walked out onto her nose! Never chased them, just likes finding em!
She trained up easily on the sheep work and I decided to try her finding deer. Having shot one from a seat on an open ride I dragged it 50m off to the side into an area of brambles. Fetched her from the landy and walked her down the ride just encouraging her to sniff about. As soon as we got to the shot point her head was down sniffing and licking the blood then looked about and took off into the scrub and ran straight to the deer. I did this just a few times and on the third or forth time, rather than walking with me to where it was shot she stopped looking off the main ride we were walking in on. She had scented the deer already which was 100m away and when I sent her off she did a straight line to it rather than the curves route I was taking her in on.
In short, if you can get one like mine, they are so intelligent and obedient that once they know what you are wanting they are dead keen to do it for you, whether that is finding a shot deer that's run off the track or walking with you and air scenting and pointing to warn you of where they are, collies can be fantastic. She wont do the job that I know some deer dogs do, as in pulling down something that isn't quite dead, but she will give them a good licking to clean up any blood!
Good luck with it

Thank you for the info, that’s really encouraging to hear and a great pointer in the direction of training too

 

[jon15]

We had a great collie on the farm growing up, we used him as a spaniel for bushing and as a Labrador for retrieving, had a brilliant nose highly trainable and loved it. My stalking companion now is a jack russell, indicates marks and tracks. Personally believe any dog with the slightest inclination to work will make a deer dog, just do the training. The big game indicating stuff is a great place to start. Good luck.

 

[Tagtree]

We had a great collie on the farm growing up, we used him as a spaniel for bushing and as a Labrador for retrieving, had a brilliant nose highly trainable and loved it. My stalking companion now is a jack russell, indicates marks and tracks. Personally believe any dog with the slightest inclination to work will make a deer dog, just do the training. The big game indicating stuff is a great place to start. Good luck.

Thank you