Deer Dog Trainer Wanted

[RS8000]

Hi Guys

I'm looking for a Deer Dog and have been offered a Cocker Spaniel recently by a good friend. He says its not going to make top a Trials Dog but might be what I'm looking for............

Can anyone help? and tell me that a Cocker will do the Job and if so, recommend a Trainer.

Cheers

 

[barongcw]

Hi Guys

I'm looking for a Deer Dog and have been offered a Cocker Spaniel recently by a good friend. He says its not going to make top a Trials Dog but might be what I'm looking for............

Can anyone help? and tell me that a Cocker will do the Job and if so, recommend a Trainer.

Cheers

In theory a good trainer can train a spaniel as a deer dog but in practice I wonder if it worth the effort.

Do not know how serious you are about tracking but suggest you buy a proper tracking breed, go to a course and train it yourself. You can spend the money saved on the training on the purchase of the dog and will end up with a much better result and not out of pocket.

 

[Caberhill]

I think cockers are at the top of their league when it comes to flushing game, working in and out of thick cover and pound for pound for their size their retrieving on large birds including geese can be impressive.

But a working cocker for deer? They are pretty energetic little critters that have bundles and bundles of energy and although I don't doubt their ablitiy to be trained for the task I recon it would be a hard and steep learning curve.

I think you'd be better to consider a HPR or even as suggested a proper tracking breed. If you are after a general purpose bidible breed maybe even consider a lab, plenty of good labs working on deer kicking about.


Cheers,

Ali



Disclaimer: before some one comes back with “don’t you think cockers can... my cocker has been……” I didn’t say they couldn’t be trained I just think different breed suit different tasks.

 

[Wolverine]

Barongcw and AliS are both correct
A cocker is a brilliant roughshooting dog but not so hot for deer,not a lot of them will have the patience to stay still for extended periods,not a lot will have experience with deer
Ideally look for dogs that parents have worked to deer,easier then to train for deer
Labs,hprs or the specialist tracking hounds are what you should be looking at
Terriers or teckels will do the job too if you want a challenge!
Better to train the dog yourself as the bond between you and dog will be stronger as a result and you'll learn more too
For a novice to deer dogs you won't go wrong with a lab,they are biddable and capable
Try and source a pup from deer orientated parents if you can
If you haven't time to train a dog ask yourself if you have time to even keep a dog at all
ATB

 

[rem284]

IMO A cocker wound not enter in to my head when thinking of a deer dog. If you have a wounded beast I would rather have a dog with a bit of size about it esp. when sika or red are part of the cull. Labs and HPR's would be my preference, in particular GWP's. I was at a meeting about dogs for deer with alot of full-time pro's and some part-time stalkers and almost every other word was GWP. However if you do a lot of rough shooting and just the ocassional stalk and just want the dog to follow up on the odd roe then it might be ok. If an out and out deer dog is what you want then HPR, lab or specialist tracking Hound would be your better option.

 

[stone]

Wot an interesting thread
A cocker with a great nose, full of enthusiasm and is suitably close to the floor so not to miss anything
Is not worth bothering about
Come on guys, hav none of you ever watched a cocker work
It's how you harness a Dog's energy is what makes the dog what it is
Choose the right lines to begin will make all the difference to how you train it to work
Atb

 

[jamross65]

Wot an interesting thread
A cocker with a great nose, full of enthusiasm and is suitably close to the floor so not to miss anything
Is not worth bothering about
Come on guys, hav none of you ever watched a cocker work
It's how you harness a Dog's energy is what makes the dog what it is
Choose the right lines to begin will make all the difference to how you train it to work
Atb

I agree with what is said by Stone. At the end of the day, any dog is better than none.

I have a wee cocker in my kennels just now and her ability to find game is incredible. Whilst she may never get the chance, nor has ever been on a deer track, I would bet money that within reason she would find something for me tomorrow if it was leaving blood behind it.

It is in the training and also harnessing that dogs enthusiasm for it's work.

It may not be my first choice for a deer dog either, but that is not to say it could not do it...

 

[Big Yan]

I’ll be honest I would never contemplate a Cocker for deer.
Questions you have to ask.
What stalking do I do?

1. What do I want the dog to do?
2. What type of stalking are you doing (Woodland Open Hill)
3. Would I need it to take me to a dead/wounded deer?
4. Would it need to pull down a deer? (How many has this been in the past two years?)

 

[limulus]

Its like most things in life, you can make do and accept their may possibly come a time when you wish you had the right tool for the job or take the plunge and get the right tool in the first place.
Cockers are brilliant dogs, full of character and endless enthusiasm and I'm sure they would track a deer to the carcass, what they'd do when presented with a wounded red/sika stag I dont know.

 

[jamross65]

Its like most things in life, you can make do and accept their may possibly come a time when you wish you had the right tool for the job or take the plunge and get the right tool in the first place.
Cockers are brilliant dogs, full of character and endless enthusiasm and I'm sure they would track a deer to the carcass, what they'd do when presented with a wounded red/sika stag I dont know.

I'll tell you what mine would do, she would make a sika stag dizzy trying to spin round fast enough to keep up with her

 

[limulus]

Bonnie would retrieve it

 

[jamross65]

Bonnie would retrieve it

Yep, fair one...

 

[Cut+Squirt]

I'm with Limulus on this one...........if you want a dog for deer buy a dog for deer mate. I wont knock spaniels because they are fantastic at flushing game, and on my local rough shoot they run rings around my GWP. However ask a spaniel to track, locate and physically hold a buck till it can be dispatched and your going to struggle.If I were you I would look towards a GWP....GSP or maybe a WHV.

 

[Wolverine]

Spaniels are good dogs but they are better at their forte which is hunting IMO
Any dog can be trained/conditioned to do what you want it to do but for a novice trainer why make it harder to start with
I have had spaniels in the past that will work deer(one used to bay deer),however they aren't the happiest dogs sitting still for protracted periods of time,especially trialing dogs,not saying all and I'm not saying you can't do it but why make it harder to begin with:?:
I love spaniels however still better with a lab,hpr or a specialist tracker IMHO
More chance with dogs with deer orientated parents
Stack as much as you can in your favour

 

[Gazza]

My mate currently has a very young cocker that he is slowly bring on as a rough shooting dog. She comes from a very good background of generations of working cockers. The breeding is a dog built to hunt cover and flush game. As we all know they are busy little dogs with huge amounts of energy specially bred to work cover, all day and everyday. Why would anybody wish to take such a purpose built dog and train it for a purpose for which it was never intended. To curb that inbuilt energy and speed to produce a dog that has to walk slowly to heel, sit patiently under a high seat for lengthy periods and maybe, just maybe if it is lucky enough his master may wound a beast and he will get a chance to perform. Yes I will agree that a cocker or any working spaniel has the nose to successfully track a wounded beast but there are far better breeds of dog that are purposely bred or will more easily adapt to a deer dogs life.

 

[prometheus]

Had a cocker working deer for about 6 years, she was trained as a game dog first and after she calmed down by about 4 she was great on stalking at heel waiting for hours under a seat and finding a hot runner. Not good at bringing down wounded deer, and i don't know how she would have been on cold trails, i never trained her for it, but i think she would have got bored.

 

[jamross65]

I agree with what is said by Stone. At the end of the day, any dog is better than none.

I have a wee cocker in my kennels just now and her ability to find game is incredible. Whilst she may never get the chance, nor has ever been on a deer track, I would bet money that within reason she would find something for me tomorrow if it was leaving blood behind it.

It is in the training and also harnessing that dogs enthusiasm for it's work.

It may not be my first choice for a deer dog either, but that is not to say it could not do it...

The reason I said this was based on the OP, 'I have been offered...'

I agree with the points made that there are better dogs perhaps than a cocker for tracking deer. But they may cost a bit of money that the original poster may not have to spend, and this offer is perhaps the gift of a dog.

As I said, any dog is better than none and any dog has a better nose than any stalker I know. One thing is for sure, a cocker will drive you to despair one minute and have you doubled up the next!!!

Love the wee things!

 

[Wolverine]

The reason I said this was based on the OP, 'I have been offered...'

I agree with the points made that there are better dogs perhaps than a cocker for tracking deer. But they may cost a bit of money that the original poster may not have to spend, and this offer is perhaps the gift of a dog.

As I said, any dog is better than none and any dog has a better nose than any stalker I know. One thing is for sure, a cocker will drive you to despair one minute and have you doubled up the next!!!

Love the wee things!

You'll love your new HS more(for deer anyway)!!!!

 

[6.5/284matt]

I'd seriously consider an HPR pal. I have a HWV and I use her for everything, and they will do everything. Saying that though, some of the best deer dogs iv seen have been labs. And before you decide on a spaniel remember this. Labs are born half trained, spaniels die half trained.

 

[dean]

I'll tell you what mine would do, she would make a sika stag dizzy trying to spin round fast enough to keep up with her

+1 sounds the same as mine would do. think she runs on duracell