kardinalkennels
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Jun 2012
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Posts: 583 |
Re: Training bear dogs
quote: Originally posted by James50
What does everyone do to train their bear dogs? I'm just curious if anyone out there does anything different than the norm and has success with it.
You could get a million different answers on this. I have said it before yrs ago on her and I will say it again.
Stock means every thing. Two midgets can not make an EBA star. You need something with drive, grit, runs to catch, cold nosed but can move a old track not a boo hooo'er them type will never be able to put the heat on him enough to make him tree, must have feet, however I have seen boo hooers make good start dogs, konw your dog.
Your dog or pup has to have grit, and there is a fine line between grit and a mean dog, and a good prospect can become a mean dog if hunted with the wrong dogs.
MAIN THING !! Be involved with your pup, make it listen, make it understand you are the boss, earn its trust, once that is earned things become simpler if you have the right dog. I sold a pup once and the man said it wasn't any good, a cull it was a yr old and didn't have a name??? You can not take a two yr old dog out that can not load, gets car sick, never been exposed to water, off game, and gun shy and expect it to be a a good dog or know what it is doing regardless of stock.
Know what the right dog is for you, different areas require different dogs.
Not every dog makes a bear dog, it must show grit from 3 months old or you are wasting time and money, cut your losses and move on. The right stock doesn't mean it is the one, there are culls in all breeds, lines, and litters.
EXPOSER TO EVERYTHING!!! A dog that is shy or easyly rattled will not make a bear dog, I have seen few shy or timid dogs make bear dogs.
Right now thru Sept bear move alot, they are easy to find, look for trails, crossings, areas where bear are, again expose them to natural scent, this means lace your boots, get in the woods, and know what you are looking for and the end game, find the mass, and you will find exposure.
Remember it does not take 30 dogs, 10 truck loads of hunters to tree a bear, if you can't tree a bear with a single dog from time to time with a single dog it is time to reassess your goals, and dog.
I have been in the hunting dog business for 38 yrs, I can usually tell if a dog is going to be a good one by the time it is 6 months old or earlier. All dogs have flaws, know them by the time they are 8 months old.
Blood and fur in the mouth does not make that big of a difference with the right dog or dogs.
I have treed thousands of bear, only killed 6 in my life, one for the kill 3 because they were mean, and two from rattled hunters, sometimes you just have to get in there. The dogs that I hunt hard usually have life span of 8 yr tops, and have had no more than 8 bear killed to them. I have good dogs and spent a life time acquiring them.
Bottom line:
Have a harder head, more heart, been tougher, and have more desire than your pup or dog. Never gave up, having good a good bear dog is a constant up hill battle, and as soon as you find or make that special dog, start looking for another, sh!t happens. Go to them when they are treed, and be hard on them when they are wrong. Natural scent and timing Trumps everything, good luck on your training, keep your boots laced, and ALWAYS have a blue dog on the end of a lead.
It's late, been a long day, I think I have got on a rant and rambling and I am out, good luck.
__________________
Rocklynn Phillips
Kardinal Kennels
Pups and started dogs available from time to time.
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