Ive always understood there is nothing you can do about human smell. No washing, washing, sheep ****, anything, the deer will smell something is up if the wind is flowing from you to them. But sometimes wind can do weird things - it can seem like its heading away from you in one direction but it then does something else, you can get turbulence around crags or it heads along valleys.
Labs for deer dogs ??
- Thread starter secondtry
- Start date
Ive always understood there is nothing you can do about human smell. No washing, washing, sheep ****, anything, the deer will smell something is up if the wind is flowing from you to them. But sometimes wind can do weird things - it can seem like its heading away from you in one direction but it then does something else, you can get turbulence around crags or it heads along valleys.
Malxwal
Well-Known Member
Aye. air movement is an interesting thing. But this was blatant, and it's ground I'm on daily.
HighlandsAustralia
New Member
Picking up a lab pup in January for deer stalking. With a baby on the way I wanted a dog that’d be a calm family dog and a scent dog. Living in NSW, a lot of people told me to go the gsp route which seems to be the go in Australia for deers dogs. We shall see how it goes.
In our collective experience 95% of people will get a better result with training a lab - there are dogs with “better” noses but it takes a very fine trainer indeed to bring out a noticeable difference.
A few of us run labs and they’re very capable when it comes to holding down large deer species (fallow, red, sika) that are shot and injured - there’s a limit though; no typical tracking dog is big enough to bring down and hold a highly mobile large deer (unless you’re using a deer hound or other large running dog as your tracking dog!). An experienced/trained dog has a better chance of surviving an encounter with such an animal, but if you’re worried then use a harness and keep your dog close.
For something that doubles as a family pet then a lab is a very safe bet; some of the “best” deer tracking dog breeds can be a bit snappy. If you’re recreationally stalking a few times a month then a lab is far more suitable than something like a BMH etc. - Labs are generally superb at finding deer in 99% of situations that require a dog, and the extra 1% takes some serious expertise when it comes to training something like a BMH.
There’s lots of very learned dog guys on here - they’ll all have different opinions but you will learn a lot by reading what they have to say and using your own judgement off the back of it.
Good luck and hope you enjoy it whatever you decide
A few of us run labs and they’re very capable when it comes to holding down large deer species (fallow, red, sika) that are shot and injured - there’s a limit though; no typical tracking dog is big enough to bring down and hold a highly mobile large deer (unless you’re using a deer hound or other large running dog as your tracking dog!). An experienced/trained dog has a better chance of surviving an encounter with such an animal, but if you’re worried then use a harness and keep your dog close.
For something that doubles as a family pet then a lab is a very safe bet; some of the “best” deer tracking dog breeds can be a bit snappy. If you’re recreationally stalking a few times a month then a lab is far more suitable than something like a BMH etc. - Labs are generally superb at finding deer in 99% of situations that require a dog, and the extra 1% takes some serious expertise when it comes to training something like a BMH.
There’s lots of very learned dog guys on here - they’ll all have different opinions but you will learn a lot by reading what they have to say and using your own judgement off the back of it.
Good luck and hope you enjoy it whatever you decide
My Labs have proved far and away better than the GWP i had previously , its also a heck of a sight better dog to live with . Remember the Lab is the worlds favourite pet dog and the worlds most prolific service dog .
Only problem is also a gift for early days training - Totally food obsessed !
Some think they ain't tough enough but i must say they hold their aggression back until really needed using their brains first
Can you mess up with a Lab ? Yeah but those folks should maybe not really have any dog LOL
I think the only breed that approaches them is the Border Collie AND THEY ARE NORMALLY VERY GUNSHY beyond any real fixing
Don't expect show and pet lines to meet up to the best working gundog lines ( I only get mine from the very best ) its simply not worth cheaping out
Only problem is also a gift for early days training - Totally food obsessed !
Some think they ain't tough enough but i must say they hold their aggression back until really needed using their brains first
Can you mess up with a Lab ? Yeah but those folks should maybe not really have any dog LOL
I think the only breed that approaches them is the Border Collie AND THEY ARE NORMALLY VERY GUNSHY beyond any real fixing
Don't expect show and pet lines to meet up to the best working gundog lines ( I only get mine from the very best ) its simply not worth cheaping out
A good lab can pick up the trail of a pheasant that has been lightly hit , A badly shot deer is NO PROBLEM AT ALL even with no exit wound dribbling blood . Now lets talk about the look the Lab gives you when you catch up it often " My Gosh , you couldn't even find that easy one "
steve dunham
Active Member
Mine is fantastic, no training it came to her naturally walks to heel when stalking but runs around like a lunatic when on a normal walk.
Only issue is when stalking in the evening and shoot a deer just before dark she can't hold on touch straight to save her life
Only issue is when stalking in the evening and shoot a deer just before dark she can't hold on touch straight to save her life
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