I find getting the dog to be really steady at heel is the hardest bit, especially if "someone else" also walks the dog who is less strict than you and lets the dog hunt. I know its harsh, but insist others keep the dog on a lead but give it lots of miles to compensate. you can even stalk with a lead. You want to be able to be able to focus on looking for deer and not disciplining the dog the whole time.
Training a dog to come stalking with you
- Thread starter French David
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Polar Lynx
Well-Known Member
@ VSS. Mybe not, but I'm content. Have two cockers, 8 yrs and 3. The young one was wild at first, when semi-pub, but now cool. Always with me for all sorts of hunting. Both stay calm and the young have learnt from the older one. When we are out for the boars in full darkness both follow me un-leached. Both sit down by me and have learnt what sort of hunting is at hand.
The risk is that when the older dog dies you discover that the young one isn’t trained at all. It's just been copying the old dog, and not doing any thinking for itself.
Even if you intend to work dogs in pairs or groups, they should always be started as individuals.
purdeydog
Well-Known Member
Just the same as not stalking. Make your dog sit stay heal etc. steady to shot. You wouldn’t let them Do every retrieve and like wise stalking. Do some dummy stalks/shots get them use to what your doing before you go on a live deer.
Take the dog out with you stalking . This assumes its got basic obedience ! Dogs soon enough will be teaching you how to do things - seriously !
I am on my third Stalking dog and i tell you we dont really "train" a dog to track you facilitate it ! deer are the natural prey of dogs
Dont rush in with a young dog regards loud gunshot ( there are loads of gundog training books ) these will help you , perhaps even better than some .
I am on my third Stalking dog and i tell you we dont really "train" a dog to track you facilitate it ! deer are the natural prey of dogs
Dont rush in with a young dog regards loud gunshot ( there are loads of gundog training books ) these will help you , perhaps even better than some .
As in the experienced dog trains the young dog ?
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
You couldn’t be more wrong, a dog for stalking whatever breed you choose needs to be steady and focused on the job in, if it’s not focused on you leave it at home to keep the Mrs warm
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
Doomed for failure!
Therefore, you’re relying on the older dog to be good, that just doesn’t work
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
so what you going to do when you have a leg shot runner?
And being a man of experience, if you don’t let that dog go the chances of you getting that deer a very slim, but also it takes a certain kind of dog to have the sharpness to do that, all my dogs have done it, but then again, I am very picky of the breeder where I get my dogs from you need a trait within the bloodline for that kind of work
That's not what you want though.
You want the young dog to take it's directions from you, the handler, not just imitate another dog. That's absolutely essential, if you're hoping to end up with any degree of control over it.
Polar Lynx
Well-Known Member
Two schools here, which is good. To me it is essential that dog(s) follow me unleashed as there so many other things or matters to have control over when stalking, especially in full darkness. Next essential would be to trust the dog(s) understanding of command 'sit' and command 'search'. Obviously a young dog has no understanding of those commands and has to be learned. Dogs are bascially domesticated wolfs and with same behaviour i.e. there has to be a leader or alpha. A young dog learns quickly via older dogs.
Anyway, to learn a young dog what stalking is about it really may help to bring an expericenced dog as a company. When I say 'sit' the older dog sits down as he knows the command. The younger dog now imitates the older one and sits down (whith a little help at first ...). So a shot is taken and command 'search' is given. The older dog now runs out and the younger follows. Deer/boar is found and young dog now knows meaning of the command 'search'.
Next time you go out with only the young dog. He follows you unleashed as he is learned to do and sits on command 'sit'. Shot is taken and command 'search' is given and the young one runs out and start searching.
The other school is based on learning a single young dog the meanings of various commands. The dog has no memory or understanding of the meanings of various commands and it takes a (very) long time before entering acceptable behaviour. Risk is that handler becomes restless and raises his voice and the young dog become nervous and of no use. See it all the times, handler shounting commands to dog who don't understand.
Anyway, to learn a young dog what stalking is about it really may help to bring an expericenced dog as a company. When I say 'sit' the older dog sits down as he knows the command. The younger dog now imitates the older one and sits down (whith a little help at first ...). So a shot is taken and command 'search' is given. The older dog now runs out and the younger follows. Deer/boar is found and young dog now knows meaning of the command 'search'.
Next time you go out with only the young dog. He follows you unleashed as he is learned to do and sits on command 'sit'. Shot is taken and command 'search' is given and the young one runs out and start searching.
The other school is based on learning a single young dog the meanings of various commands. The dog has no memory or understanding of the meanings of various commands and it takes a (very) long time before entering acceptable behaviour. Risk is that handler becomes restless and raises his voice and the young dog become nervous and of no use. See it all the times, handler shounting commands to dog who don't understand.
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
I’ve trained 4 dogs now for stalking, 1 of which was to the highest standard of tracking in Europe, they have all been trained on a 1-1 basis, old dogs leading young leads to bad habits unless of course the old dogs leading is perfectly trained
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
I would shoot it again - I have shot running game so not phased with a running shot. Otherwise I would just leave it, let it lie up and stiffen up and then refind it. A leg shot runner will have 100 yards on the dog and unless the dog is fast all it will do is push it a long way.
Or if it turns then you have a dog facing an antlered ****ed of animal, likely to result in big vet bills.
But its your land, your deer and your dogs. Personally my hound is for pointing live animals and tracking down dead / wounded, but I an not going to use a 19kg dog go against a large wounded animal. I will keep her back and shoot it.
Edit: and there is world of difference between a full time professional deer stalker shooting many hundred deer a year with professionally trained deer dogs, that are kennel housed, working all day and every day, and regularly used on Injured deer from road traffic accidents etc. to a novice training a first dog, that will spend most of its time in front of an AgA and be out a few times a month stalking deer.
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An experienced dog is handy for a pup in its earliest days but it sure wont train the pup . The dog or dogs should look to the handler . Trust me unless your seriously into deer tracking you also need to be a terrible shot to give your " walk and stalk dog " enough work , unless your a terrible at the shooting bit of the job
IMHO the "stalkers dog " is way different from an out and out deer trackers job and vice versa.
TRAIN FOR WHAT YOU WANT AND NEED
IMHO the "stalkers dog " is way different from an out and out deer trackers job and vice versa.
TRAIN FOR WHAT YOU WANT AND NEED
Be prepared to lose a few opportunities in the initial training!
The trickiest bit I found was getting her to stop when I stopped to glass, she would want to push on.
After a few shot animals she worked out what the plan was and is now fully onboard.
But the rewards for having a hunting companion for the next 10 years will outweigh the few missed opportunities, I have a lab and just brought her every time I went from when she was a pup, whilst not perfect at 4yrs old she has definitely alerted me to deer that otherwise I would have been unaware of their presence.
The trickiest bit I found was getting her to stop when I stopped to glass, she would want to push on.
After a few shot animals she worked out what the plan was and is now fully onboard.
But the rewards for having a hunting companion for the next 10 years will outweigh the few missed opportunities, I have a lab and just brought her every time I went from when she was a pup, whilst not perfect at 4yrs old she has definitely alerted me to deer that otherwise I would have been unaware of their presence.
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
That’s simple to train, every time you go for a walk with the dog take your sticks and your binoculars in a pocket full of treats!
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