Rig Dog???

[BearHunter'90]

I have been hunting bear for about 5 years now. Im trying to make a rig dog. Is there any suggestion on how to do this?

[houndnem]

A few posts down there is one tiltled houndnem catch 4/17/ check it out and try not to laugh at me. I'm in the same boat as you, exept about a year and a half ahead of you. I'm starting to get quite a few riggs, but the dogs are far from finished rigg dogs.

[Longspring]

The best way to get your dogs to rig is to run them with finished rig dogs. They figure it out real quick if they have a nose , brains and are competitive .

[houndnem]

good call longspring. but if you don't have access to a finished rig dog you might have to get creative.

[lepcur]

I think you'll find over time that rig dogs are born and not made, by that I mean it's in their blood and they can't help but rig, some better than others of course. I also think that if a guy were to mess with them and do set up rigs after they're running track on their own that ya could probably make one. Mike

[pegleg]

hounds started out as strictly a trail and bay animal and then somone said damn I wish they'd only run one game species and started breeding animals that showed quality and a marked preference for their targetted game animal. they got that going then later down the road a guy decided it would be great if they'd run game in a tree and keep it there and bark to let them know where it's at. even the voice of a hound has been breed for so they could be heard and are loud enough to intimidate the prey. but as many animals that have been breed for a trait twice as many have been trained. I see no reason a hound could not be encouraged to rigg by set up training scenarios. I would not expect great things from older drags but would think that if a hound could begin to strike trails laid a hour or two in advance and let run and tree trainers that they would pick it up if they had the slightest inclination to rigg. I would start out with a fresh trail and super low speeds and perhaps put the trainers only a few yards from the road. I would make a habit of laying trash trails more freaquently then game and really work on trash breaking on the rigg. a disclamer on all that is that I don't rig and don't know a thing about it there fore my thoughts aren't worth a whole lot on the subject

[Ike]

As previously state, putting them up with a finished rig dog is probably the quickest way. But that is a double edge sword cause if that finished rig dog is rigging or running trash so will yours. Get in good bear country and run them everyday, put them on top and if there is any natural desire in those dogs they'll come around........

Good Luck,
ike

[bristolblue's]

i've been in the same position, my uncles ran bear, but they didn't rig them, they use to just road the dogs up a side draw and hope they got one going, or check the watering holes. so when we go our pups, and had been training them, we started putting them up on top as we drove by the drag that we just made. it started them rigging but then they was rigging everything, we had to retrashbreak them, but i found we have to do that with every dog, even when putting them up with finished dogs. and i have yet to find a dog that couldn't rig, some don't like it, but they can do it. but you also have to be careful, cause i seen a kid ruin a finished rig dog, cause he didn't know what he was doing, but he also wouldn't listen to us. and to make a good rig dog you have to know you dog, it took us three years on a dog before we figured out what was fresh enough to turn him loose, and what was to old. just like anything else, teaching a dog to rig takes time, even with finished rig dogs.

[Dale T]

You can brake a young dog from running trash by braking them from the top of the box, as long as you start them with a broke rig dog, once broken from starting trash off the box they usually won't want to run them on the ground, you don't want to put them on the box with a blabber mouth that won't quit barking either, I've seen guys put up a dog on the box that won't quit barking and ask them when do you now when they are really striking?

[cobalt]

Never do any trash breaking or heavy disciplining while the dog is on or in the box. That is the quickest way to ruin a prospective rig dog.

[blueticker78]

a good way to start a dog on a rig is to actually walk them down a dirt road on a long leash and shorten the leash as the dog or pup starts to learn to strike lay some trash trails and some actuall game trails to help with the breaking process when you do this it is a controlled enviroment and you can easily tell trash from game and instead of making a harsh correction on trash trails just walk past them untill they strike the desired game they will get it once this is accomplished and the dog is comfortable then move to the rig and drive up and down the road till they catch on to striking of the rig some get it the first time and others take alot but most will get it same thing with trash make both game and trash trails only stop and let them down when they strike good tracks later on you can make corrections but at first you just want to ignore the trash trails not to over discipline the dog to early. I think desire is the number one trait in rig dogs and second competetiveness if they want to hunt bad enough they will let you know there is a track there in time.

[BearHunter'90]

All these replys are help me. I appreciate it.
James Curry

[Nolte]

James,

First thing I would do is select a dog or two to train. Don't try the whole works or it will be a big mess. Find the ones that you've got who like to either ride up top or always have their head out of the box winding. Most good rig dogs will always be winding, always. I have seen some old dogs that will hang their nose out seeminlgy sleeping, but they will fire as soon as they smell something. I still prefer the ones that are more active.

Now the steps I would do is get a trainer in a cage (if it's legal in your state) and place it just off the road out of sight with the wind blowing the scent across the road. Drive through slow and watch for any change in the the way the dog is acting when you get close to the trainer. It may not bark, but it may just get excited. If it does, get out and encourage it to bark. Once it does, pet it up good and encourage it. If it doesn't bark or show signs one way, go up a ways and come back through. Sometimes the dog's can only smell going a certain direction.

Now after it will do this a bit and has been on some bear runs (while showing signs of running/tree not just being around), then is the time to see if it will strike on bear scent. You can do a test run with some grawes bear scent on a rag prior to see if it will fire on bear scent on the rig. Just repalce the trainer with a rag. If it does this, then it is time to give it a chance for real. If you get a strike, just put down the dog that struck. Let it figure it out and after it has opened and lined out, try to feed in a dog or two with it.

Some dogs rig, some don't. I think it's more born in them than anything. Rigging is more about learning to read the dogs than anything else. Just cause a dog is barking, doesn't mean it's rigging. Find a dog in the group you trust and then base your decisions on what's going on with that one. Once you get a dog you trust to check, you've got most of the batlle won. My best advice when you get to that stage, trust the dog.

[Mikes Hero]

bearhunter90,

their is a lot of good advice in this thread. The one thing that I would do if I were you is to break your dog from trash while on the box.

"Quoting">>>>>>
"Never do any trash breaking or heavy disciplining while the dog is on or in the box. That is the quickest way to ruin a prospective rig dog."

If you have them broke before introducing the rig you are better off. But, as quoted above, I totaly disagree. If they are "rig" dogs they are rig dogs, and training them on the box is as important as training them on the trail. Do not be afraid to correct mistakes on the box. This is where the houndsman becomes as important and the hounds. You have to be able read your dogs and you must be able to back up your decision with (or without) a track of the desired species.

Just my two cents. Good luck and godspeed.

The other option would be to just run off of baits like all of the southern and eastern Idaho guys do. This method is easier for both hound and houndsmen. It requires much less knowledge of both the hounds the bears habits. It's kind of like hound and bear hunting 101.

[BearHunter'90]

i live in virginia its illegal