ifitsbrownputitdown
Member
Intrested to know if anyone has had any experience with using huskys to track?
Huskys for Tracking
- Thread starter ifitsbrownputitdown
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huskies for tracking
It would probably track to a downed beast, but then there's plenty of dogs out there that would do the same. If you use a husky, best keep it attached to you, you may not get it back otherwise.
It would probably track to a downed beast, but then there's plenty of dogs out there that would do the same. If you use a husky, best keep it attached to you, you may not get it back otherwise.
pretty usefull at coursing sheep also....
nell
Well-Known Member
Not sure about tracking, but I've wondered if you could attach a harness to it and get it to drag the carcase home / back to the car
Maybe a huskie GSP cross would make a tracking dog that could also drag for you
Interesting you should write that Mat, not sure if your aware, but GSPs are used alot in sled racing,not in the big long distance races,but in shorter races they are renowned for thier speed and stamina......
devilishdave
Well-Known Member
They can be trained to recall but they tend to have little discipline, I would wager you would have dificulty getting them to be single minded enough to just follow the deer scent. They tend to have a deep routed killer instinct and will catch and kill anything that gets up infront of them. If worked off of the lead I would recon it would start to have its fill out of the animal before you got there. Other than that nice dogs!
Dave
Dave
nell
Well-Known Member
If you are talking Husky/pointer crosses or sledge dogs in general, we are lucky to have Norseman on here, he quite possibility knows more about this than anybody in the UK.
ATB
Tahr
They do cross them ,but also pure GSPs are used, norges call them Forshters, spend a lot of time in Norge and have had a bit to do with these,met a Musher that used X Salukis also for short races..
The Vorshter is a breed all of it's own, a scandinavian pointer would be a useful discription. Used typically on birds over longer distances than a GSP or EP would be used in the remainder of europe. They were taken as breeding stock by several 'mushers' wanting to create a crossbreed to compete against the north american 'alaskan husky', a cross breed in its own right.
What was created was typical 'hyrid vigour'. A dog that often took the best of each breed, but often the worst as well. Depending on the % cross, in a way like baking a cake. By playing around with the ingredience the final product could match the style of racing. ie. the more hound the faster the dog, the more husky the further it could go. So for the short sprints we would look at a higher percentage pointer in the pup or even the pure Vorshter on distances up to say 12km, for long distance races then we'd look at dogs with only 25% pointer or less. I was racing 16 in a team for around 25-30km and also stage races from 10km up to 50km each stage. 50% pointer down to 33% seemed to work well for that type of racing
As the main point here was to breed good racing dogs, so the selection of breeding stock focussed on athletic performance, drive and willingness to work rather than looks. So there is no breed standard, if it does the job then all's good.
I have been through close on 100 pointer crosses in my years of racing sleddogs, most I've bred myself and trained up to win the world championships on several occasions. Bred the right way they are fantastic dogs, but like all dog breeds there are the 'criminals'. I started out with pure huskies, and learnt the hard way, never again!!!
The saluki cross didn't seem to cut the mustard, but bred back to alaskans seemed to be better. But then it comes down to personal choice as always
I have retrained one female to deer, her mix is alaskan husky/vorshter/greyster (greyhound x vorshter) 70% approx pointer in that mix and looks typically 'houndy'. She is doing well and will no doubt point my GWP pup (from Thar on here) in the right direction to begin with.
ATB
Norseman
What was created was typical 'hyrid vigour'. A dog that often took the best of each breed, but often the worst as well. Depending on the % cross, in a way like baking a cake. By playing around with the ingredience the final product could match the style of racing. ie. the more hound the faster the dog, the more husky the further it could go. So for the short sprints we would look at a higher percentage pointer in the pup or even the pure Vorshter on distances up to say 12km, for long distance races then we'd look at dogs with only 25% pointer or less. I was racing 16 in a team for around 25-30km and also stage races from 10km up to 50km each stage. 50% pointer down to 33% seemed to work well for that type of racing
As the main point here was to breed good racing dogs, so the selection of breeding stock focussed on athletic performance, drive and willingness to work rather than looks. So there is no breed standard, if it does the job then all's good.
I have been through close on 100 pointer crosses in my years of racing sleddogs, most I've bred myself and trained up to win the world championships on several occasions. Bred the right way they are fantastic dogs, but like all dog breeds there are the 'criminals'. I started out with pure huskies, and learnt the hard way, never again!!!
The saluki cross didn't seem to cut the mustard, but bred back to alaskans seemed to be better. But then it comes down to personal choice as always
I have retrained one female to deer, her mix is alaskan husky/vorshter/greyster (greyhound x vorshter) 70% approx pointer in that mix and looks typically 'houndy'. She is doing well and will no doubt point my GWP pup (from Thar on here) in the right direction to begin with.
ATB
Norseman
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Similar looking to my untrained eye - my friend uses a Norwegian Elk Hound (if you're reading this Paul - I am talking about Jager).
nell
Well-Known Member
Norseman, i stand corrected, i always thought they where Gsps,i have been luky enough to hunt grouse and capers with them on many occasions...
I have seen many sled teams, and im sure you (hope) are not offended when i say they can look a right hotch potch of different looking dogs, unlike the teams you see on the big long distance races (iditarod) where the dogs seem more typical????
sure are a hotch potch, but the point is racing hard, so looks can afford to go out the window. But they sure are healthy. Iditarod... respect those dogs, 1050 miles in 8 and a half days, awesome
nell
Well-Known Member
I am a dog man through and through and love to watch any breed doing its thing,but the enthusiasum of a sled team keen to go rates fairly high in my eyes.......
come over for a trip sometime, 16 still running in my kennel
nell
Well-Known Member
That would be great, flat out shearing for next couple of months, but will be in touch
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