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My dad went along with me on sunday and we treed a bear (about 170 or so). We were just out to have fun and get some trainin in. Kate (my lead dog) struck up and we turned her and my pup in. The two trailed hard for about an hour and half, then Kate started treein. We hiked down- the pup was there too, but wasn't sure what she should be doin. Kate was hopping up on the tree just a little, so dad lifted her up and she crawled on up as far as she could get with his hands just under her hind feet. She was lovin it. After the first time, she couldn't get enough and started running up the tree on her own. I know there's a lot of dogs out there that do this, i wanna see everyones pics!! We used to have a male that did this too, but I don't have pics of him. Kate also likes to chew bark off the tree, although she didn't get much done on this one.

Plottgirl, Good job on catching that bear. I would not encourage the running at the tree and or climbing a good way to get a dog hurt and a very good way to start dog fights when they come back down and land on another dogs head.

try to brake them off that while they are young thats a bad habit. My buddy has a 8 year old dog that does this and I cant stand it. The other night she got so high in the tree she was to scared to come out. He shocked the heck out of her and she wouldn't come out. After waiting around a couple hours I was about ready to shoot her out.

Yeah, i thought about the whole dogs getting hurt thing. I always thought that our male dog that did it was going to hurt himself, but he never did. Surprisingly my pack has always been real good about everyone getting along at the tree. Kate is usually hopping all over the other dogs trying to get up the tree, just wouldn't run up it before. My dad's terrier (he thinks he's a tough bear dog) will try to beat kate up at the tree when she steps on him, but she just ignores him and continues treeing. Our bears here pretty much only tree in these BIG fir trees. My dad has been hunting dogs for 30 years now and has only had 6 bears that treed in something besides a fir. The dogs can't get stuck in the big firs. I don't think Kate will do it unless encouraged to, she's a fairly timid dog.

I have bad tree climbing problems with a couple of dogs, here is one recent example:

http://chat.waycoolkennels.com/phpBB/vi ... f=1&t=1755

My old dog that just died never met a tree he wouldn't climb. Those big fir trees you got probably could have stopped him, not much around here could.

Tree climbers might make for good photos and video, but they are not fun and a lion can really work a dog over up in the top of a tree. I have plenty of video footage to back that up.

I've been fishing dogs out of trees for about a decade now and I'm getting mighty tired of it, but as long as the dog is catching game I'll live with it.

But tree climbing is BAD! Good way to shorten a dogs life.

yea, the tree climbers do make good pics.

Our big fir trees just don't have the limbs down low for the dogs to work their way up. I'm not going to encourage kate to climb anyway though. I can't afford her getting hurt or killed doin it. I've got no one to replace her as a strike dog! I'm trying to get my pup and kates sister going as strike dogs, but they've got a long way to go yet.

I had one that started climbing on apple trees, got better at it on swamp maples, and was soon shinnying up branchless trunks like a monkey. Don't think he could've handled a fir that diameter, though. BTW, he was a coondog, but was culled for attacking my husband. Repeatedly. A one-woman hound!