Training videos Bavarian Mountain hound
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Norfolk Deer Search
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Their tracking dogs, not retrievers!
If you wanted an all rounder should have bought a lab.
Thats not me being stand offish thats fact, worked the BGS home and in Europe for 15 years.
Resurrecting an old thread. So what are BMH like as an all round family dog, used for deer stalking?
Are they headstrong? Pain in the ass or are they a good breed for some one who has never trained a dog before?
Are they headstrong? Pain in the ass or are they a good breed for some one who has never trained a dog before?
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
Don’t bother unless you have work!
If you’re not shooting 200 deer a year get a well bred lab
Ive known the breed for over 15 years and went through the experience of getting a bitch from the KBGS in Germany, trained to to their standards and there wasn’t enough work in the uk for her!
Think very very hard before you even consider it and then think again.
She was the only BGS in the UK to get to that standard.
I miss her terribly we had some amazing adventures
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LarryLightFoot
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Will probably boil someone’s pss on here no doubt, my boy is a BMH x English Lab and I decided early on after a bit of non Deer shenanigans that he would be a Deer dog and I’m glad I did . I think if you try to have it all ways you might struggle once they are into Deer it’s quite a strong thing to ignore especially for a BMH .
Plus if your out on a Stalk last thing you want is your hound to be all up and interested in a daft Pheasant knocking about, you want them absolutely keyed into winding or in post shot mode harness on nose down and tracking into that Deer .
Plus if your out on a Stalk last thing you want is your hound to be all up and interested in a daft Pheasant knocking about, you want them absolutely keyed into winding or in post shot mode harness on nose down and tracking into that Deer .
SikaSeeker
Well-Known Member
Will they walk to heel/3 feet in front winding?. Could they hold a fallow doe if needed?
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
They are a tracking dog, not a stalking dog, you get them out of the truck when you need them that’s what they’re bread to do!
Mine pulled a red spiker down then held to bay
SikaSeeker
Well-Known Member
What kind of weight do the bitches make?
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
mine was 17kg
SikaSeeker
Well-Known Member
A grand size to have around the place
SikaSeeker
Well-Known Member
Do they open up on a track?
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
Heidi was silent on the track, but once she was locked on and you let her go weil of the banshees engaged, and when it went quiet, you knew she had hold of it, or if she was still barking, she had it at bey
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
I’ve tracked after drive hunts in Germany, where maybe 200 animals boar and red deer have been through the drive and after one hunt, I tracked a pig up a waterfall across two valleys, that’s what they’re capable of, but to reiterate they need work and a lot of of it
I’ve got Bella bmh x springer ,Buck Bmh and their son Odie. All excellent tracking dogs and fabulous house/home dogs. As mentioned their tracking abilities are fabulous. I take them out separately and in turn , mine are with me while I stalk and are steady to heel and shot apart from Bella who after5 years of never running in after a shot decided to run in all the time 
she’s now 9 .As a part of the family dog mine are excellent. This is my experience of the breed obviously others have had different experiences
she’s now 9 .As a part of the family dog mine are excellent. This is my experience of the breed obviously others have had different experiencesAttachments
I fully agree with the points Norfolk Deer Search has made, and I learned this lesson the hard way.
I once had a Bavarian Mountain Hound (BMH). He was a brilliant tracking dog, but utterly obsessed with it. In hindsight, it was unfair of me to get him because I didn’t shoot nearly enough to keep him satisfied. At home, he was wonderful with the kids, loved his cuddles, and was very protective of the house and family — which was reassuring since I worked shifts and wasn’t always there. That said, he could be a little grumpy with strangers. He was standoffish at first until he figured people out, which could be off‑putting for those who didn’t know him. Overall, he was good‑tempered but quirky, and I believe BMHs need far more social interaction early on than many other breeds — another mistake I made.
If you’re not working a dog regularly, I’d recommend a Labrador instead. Labs will do everything a BMH can, but they have an “off switch.” They want to please you, whereas the Bavarian doesn’t care about your feelings — it just wants to track. The drive in a BMH is unlike anything I’ve seen in other breeds, and while that makes them exceptional at their job, a walk in the local park simply isn’t enough. I often felt guilty when I wasn’t putting his instincts to proper use. Someone once told me that BMHs are a tool, and it’s true. You can’t out‑train genetics; instincts take over, which is why they’re best suited solely for tracking rather than stalking.
That said, they are amazing dogs: fiercely loyal, devoted, hard and steely in the field, yet soft and affectionate at home. I love the breed. But I would only get another if I were stalking full‑time and could guarantee daily work for the dog.
This was my experience with them. Good luck with whatever you decide.
I once had a Bavarian Mountain Hound (BMH). He was a brilliant tracking dog, but utterly obsessed with it. In hindsight, it was unfair of me to get him because I didn’t shoot nearly enough to keep him satisfied. At home, he was wonderful with the kids, loved his cuddles, and was very protective of the house and family — which was reassuring since I worked shifts and wasn’t always there. That said, he could be a little grumpy with strangers. He was standoffish at first until he figured people out, which could be off‑putting for those who didn’t know him. Overall, he was good‑tempered but quirky, and I believe BMHs need far more social interaction early on than many other breeds — another mistake I made.
If you’re not working a dog regularly, I’d recommend a Labrador instead. Labs will do everything a BMH can, but they have an “off switch.” They want to please you, whereas the Bavarian doesn’t care about your feelings — it just wants to track. The drive in a BMH is unlike anything I’ve seen in other breeds, and while that makes them exceptional at their job, a walk in the local park simply isn’t enough. I often felt guilty when I wasn’t putting his instincts to proper use. Someone once told me that BMHs are a tool, and it’s true. You can’t out‑train genetics; instincts take over, which is why they’re best suited solely for tracking rather than stalking.
That said, they are amazing dogs: fiercely loyal, devoted, hard and steely in the field, yet soft and affectionate at home. I love the breed. But I would only get another if I were stalking full‑time and could guarantee daily work for the dog.
This was my experience with them. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Norfolk Deer Search
Well-Known Member
Get one from Germany from the breed club, then you’ve got one like yours on acid
The breeding in the UK is nowhere near in comparison, in Germany with the KBGS your dog doesn’t breed unless it’s passed all tracking tests it doesn’t pass. It doesn’t get bred end of discussion and that’s without hips elbows full health checks, if it doesn’t pass any of those regardless of the tracking tests it doesn’t get bred
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