Tracking with a guard dog breed?

[Hubertus_]

I would appreciate some advice from those with more experience. I have a 10 year old Doberman bitch, 32kg, she has been hunting and stalking with me all her life. She is a proven guard dog and a fine deer tracker. She has never completely got used to the gun firing off multiple shots (no good for rough shooting), but she is good enough for stalking and I’ve shot and tracked many a deer with her at the base of the high seat. As she is over the expected life expectancy for a Doberman she is due for retirement in a year or so and I’m looking for a replacement puppy to work along side her. Is my Doberman Bitch a one off or have others successfully trained ‘guard dog’ breeds to do the same type of work with similar limited success? Perhaps I want to have my cake and eat it too…any constructive advice from those with experience would be welcomed. Thanks

 

[User00039]

Hi,

In my experience it comes down to the dog.
There are obviously breeds which are more suited. But I have had Labrador/ mastiff cross which were great for scent work as a kid although mainly retrieving pheasant's. I have had Russian Black Terrier definitely a guard dog breed, one was excellent, others not so. One I have at the moment is a rescue he was great for search and rescue until he got too old. But no good as a gun dog or even just for stalking he is in retirement. When he passes I will get another, as I like the breed, plus I think I can train one for stalking. So it's more luck from my experience. Other than testing their aptitude when there young, I can't see how you would necessarily know. Sorry not to be more positive. Best of luck with it. Either way I'm sure you get a lovely pet. At the moment I rely of my friend's cocker spaniel. Daft as a brush but great at tracking and being quite when necessary.
Anyhow doberman do have a decent pret drive and a reasonable nose. So if you choose the most appropriate one and train them I don't see why you don't get similar results. But every dog is individual some just won't like or want to do it. Best luck.

 

[Sealgair nam fiadh]

I have found that Rottweilers can find shot deer.

 

[WH308]

I have no doubt at all a Doberman will track deer. They have excellent noses, are trainable and like to stick close to you. Tracking is part of the Shutzhund trials that Doberman’s are well capable of.

 

[Rhodesianjess]

I had a lady who picked up for me many years ago,she had a Rottweiler bitch that was as good as her Labradors. Good nose,soft mouthed, never any troubles.
I owned a Rottweiler dog at the same time,for looking at him the wrong way he would off the pickup and do unkind things to anyone. Superb guard dog for rearing field,woods at night, around the house.
Both dogs had been taught what was required of them,both were good at their job. Train them for your own requirements,a biddable loyal dog of any breed is a product of training more than specific breed.

 

[viking90]

I use a Malinois so don't see why you couldn't use another Doberman

 

[Hubertus_]

Thank you all. Very helpful, and what beautiful Dogs! Ok so Doberman it is all the way

 

[Greenmist]

One of the best dogs I've had for finding lost game was a staffordshire bull terrier, his nose was amazing. As I already said, its down to the dog and how you train it

 

[finbar]

I have a terrerspan the result of a lil patterdale terrier chewing his way through 12 mm ply 100 kingspan to get to one of me spaniels
Two abortion needles later 4 pups heart ruled head kept the smooth coated one other 3 looked like sprockers all went to working home all good lil workers
Reuben as he is known is outstanding at finding lost deer & works beating line so it’s how you enter them me thinks

 

[.25-06]

Three legs or more, a nose and an interest in hunting and the dog will work just fine. Less than 1 percent of the deer you shoot need an all singing and dancing deer dog. That'll leave space for a more useful dog that suits your family.

 

[camodog]

I use a lab x GSD. 48 kg of jet-black 'land-shark' ! He does everything, game, wildfowling, happy sitting in a pigeon hide or under the high-seat, soft mouthed and more than capable of bringing down a wounded beast ! A great family/house dog and a fearsome demenour when 'required' !
As others have mentioned, if the dog has something between the ears and provided the 'trainer' knows his 'stuff', then I think it's perfectly possible to train most any dog to almost any application (within reason).

 

[Nkawu]

Doberman tracking record
An interesting article about some tracking records (police) set by a Dobie.

 

[Bowland blades]

As long as the dog is physically able to do the task asked / trained for yes
Big points are though we breed working dogs to give the trainer / handler the best chance of success of making the grade . So unless your ok to keep said dog as a pet for the whole of its life if say its Gun-shy or totally not interested , basically BUY A GUNDOG BREED OR TRACKING BREED in the first place !
I have in the past got lucky in training unlikely choices but to be honest .... Why not give yourself the best chance at the get go ?
There are some breeds that only really need refining through training once they get the idea in almost any task ( The Collie and the Labrador come immediate to mind ) But here is the crux most collies are very noise sensitive and wont take well to you shooting a deer rifle close up and you can really only screw up a true work line Lab in regards to gun-shy by entering to the gun too young or without thought.
The fact that an odd collie works fine with gunshot is simply not enough ( no disrespect but the Collie dominate pretty much anything that requires a dog with drive and brains ) But you are more likely to fail on the above .
Think things through carefully you will have this dog into its teens or more and the amount of failed dogs passing home is an embarrassment to our society

 

[r judd]

Three legs or more, a nose and an interest in hunting and the dog will work just fine. Less than 1 percent of the deer you shoot need an all singing and dancing deer dog. That'll leave space for a more useful dog that suits your family.

Total sense

 

[Wilbur]

Any type of dog will track wounded deer

 

[Hubertus_]

Total sense

Thank you, yes this does ring true to my own personal experience also.

 

[scotch_egg]

No one will come in my house or garden when the lab is on his own. He is also incredibly protective of my three daughters to such an extent he wont allow me to play fight with them.


But if you have a breed you have a soft spot for, you can’t change. My wife yearns for another cocker.

Go for another Doberman. It’s the owner that determines what a dog can do.

 

[Bowland blades]

Any type of dog will track wounded deer

but not every member of the " any type " category will be of real use on a difficult or long track nor will they do the stopping it bit . Degree of difficultly level also comes into it , like was it on its own or with half a dozen or more others etc etc . Breed and type is not the be all and end all , but its very relevant to so much
Personally i wouldn't go outside the Gundog and hounds , possibly working bred terriers. Those three classes have their strengths and weaknesses via breed
I like Labs but its hard to get them baying , i have had other breeds but the Labs fit me well

 

[rem284]

A third class dog is better than a 1st class human when it comes to tracking deer

 

[Ronin]

A third class dog is better than a 1st class human when it comes to tracking deer

A lot to be said for this sentiment

Met quite a few stalkers over the years with “guard type” dogs who think they’re another Mike Ritland with an ex military K9 complete with bandana and a harness on the animal which also has a “tough” name

All they’re short of is some doggy goggles for the animal

Nothing wrong with the working dog of any variety but I avoid the Walt handlers

Remind me of the type of class chap with the Rottweiler and studded collar walking in a park