teaching dogs to hunt while you are on horseback.

[nmplott]

I got all my dogs as pups with the exception of the one I bought that was already trained to run cats from horses. I then made the costly choice of training them and running them my self a long with the aid of a few friends who are outfitters. Since they were pups they where kenneled next to the stalls and allowed to roam freely with the horses that tolerate pups. So getting these guys to hunt while I am on horse has not been overly challenging but my question is how do you do this with other dogs that have not been raised with horses. My friend has a 1.5 year old dog that is extremely testy with this concept. Any help would be appreciated.

[Mike Leonard]

I don't understand extreemly testy.

The only dogs i have seen that had much of a problem were dogs that had been hunted free cast such as coon dogs that you just cut loose into a big patch of woods and stand around till they strike. These dogs don't recognize that the hunter is an intragal part of the hunt and that the actual hunt centers around the hunter not the dog.

Most dogs recognize an alpha and as the hunt organizer you must be the director or the alpha. This doesn't mean that the dogs won't sell out on a track when they strike it, but it does mean that you can direct them to areas to hunt and keep them orderly and spread out all over the countryside.

I love hunting off horses and mules and I truely feel that most of the dogs I have been around actually enjoy it and really respond to you in a positive fashion because they recognize you are a bit more mobile that you are on two legs and really a part of the hunt.


Dogs! Sssssstt! Over here! Here's a track, hunt him up! You will be the actual strike dog many times when hunting this way. Many times when hunting this way you will actually see a track that the dogs might pass over and you must judge it, and then decide if you think it may be a runable track if you work on it a ways . Many times these tracks may not hold real good where you actually see it but you can work it along with the dogs for sometimes even a short ways and the dogs will fire up and go run it and maybe even catch it.


Dogs have to get on tracks and trail and catch to get them inspired to really hunt their hardest. You can't just expect a dog to start pounding the ground up in front of your horse if he hasn't had some experience, but once he figures out what is going down most of them will try. I choose dogs that are naturally very active hunters becasue a busy dog will get around to places where a lion may pass thru but you may not naturally ride your animals over that spot. Some dogs seem to have that natural strike dog instinct that drives them to the likely places to scour for lion sign. Other dogs will learn but there will be some that will have a natural gift for it.

[Big Mike]

Not much you can do. Just introduce to being around the horses a time or two before you take him hunting. Then just take him, most dogs will pick it up and stay with you. But some that arnt brought up that way never pick it up.

As Mike said you are the strike dog at times. The hunter is so much more involved in the hunt horseback makes it really enjoyable. I had a hunt the other day where my dogs walked right over a frozen lion track. I saw called them back, pointed it out them and they took it right way. 2 miles later it burned out with no tree that day. Maybe they knew they couldnt catch it LOL

[nmplott]

Mike's,
Now that you mentioned it, this dog is a darn good coon dog, if this state had more hunts he would easily be nite champion but he was bought to hunt bear and cat. This dog will go for a while with the other dogs and horses and then he goes and does his old thing looking for a track.

Stephen

[Mike Leonard]

Pretty typical of night hunting coon dogs I would say. He may still make the grade but he will have to learn to trust the dogs and get on some cat tracks. On bear you will likely lose this dogs and spend a lot of time looking for him and screwing your other dogs up. I would collar him up and keep him in tight until he gets the hang of it and if he doesn't come around sell him to a coon hunter and move on to a real big game hound.

Dogs that are heavy on coon can screw up a lion hunt many times. Most think when you are lion hunting you waon't encounter coons but that is not true especially when hunting on bare ground in warmer climates. Many western areas that have any water in them at all will have some coons and you will end up with egg on youyr face if you have to go whipping and spurring thru the cottonwoods and sycamores to head off a coon chase or drag them out of some hole where a coon has crawled in to spend the day. Bear hunting can be even worse in many sections of the country and dogs that rig every dang coon that crossed the road or took a crap close to it will drive you nuts.

[nmplott]

Mike,
Excellent information. I will pass this along to my buddy. (especially about collaring him in the fall when we run bear).
Stephen

[BLACK RHINO]

Can you say Tritronics..... Work with him at home first N you will be able to keep him talked to the rest till your running.. Scent drags.... So he learns that what your lookin to run smells like. They can be converted. Depends on if the dog is worth the time involved or not..

[nmplott]

that dog can follow scent drags, like mike said I think he is just geared to find a hotter track and strike. who knows if it will make the grade, my friend hunts more bear than cat so its up to him if it will make the grade.

[pegleg]

as much as it can be dangerous if you have a real solid horse try exercising him from it on a lead. mind you this can get real dangerous if he gets to acting up and gets you wrapped up. also you can try leading him between two riders both with leashes. other option lay a bear drag and lead him and one other hound in to it on horse back so he gets the idea staying with the horse gets him to game. put some thought into it and see what happens. a hound that hunts some distance from the horses is good as long as he doesen't get to far off. I work the dogs so they will look at me on a whistle and change direction when I do. I do my pup training and starting from horse back so I can keep up and see the progress.

[STUNTMAN]

If that dog is having problems being around the horse, put up a chainlink kennel right in the pasture with the stock and drop hay right next to the kennel when feeding the hound. I would think after being around them for a few weeks if he was right in the head he wouldnt give them a second look.

[Brady Davis]

I've not seen really any hounds that couldn't be hunted from horses. The main issue is to make sure the hound handles and listens to you...Same as was posted above. If the hound handles you can be on anything, (ATV, horse, sled, etc) and the hound will handle consistently.

[Yard Dog]

Some good information here but have to disagree a bit with the coon dog thing...

Yes, if you run your dogs on coon you will always stand a chance of getting a coon race going when you not out for coon, however some of the best cat dogs I have ever seen were also very good coon dogs. I myself want an "all around hound" that I can run 365 days a year. Here in Utah, with the exception of a few nice cats I have seen on here, our lion hunting is the shits.... not enough cats combined with hunters who are content with a 120 pound trophy because it was the only cat they could find...

That all being said, a dog that does not handle well at night will not handle any better when the sun comes up.

Just my thoughts......

[pegleg]

one thought on feeding the horse outside of the kennel. if the dog doesn't like horses this tactic might encourage him to bay the horses and increase the problems.

[nmplott]

this dog is "kenneled" in the barn at his place. The dog goes in and out of the horse stalls with very little problems. The dog is horse friendly and perhaps he just has a hotter nose than my dogs and I am just blowing it out of proportion. I do not know the breeding of this dog it is english hound and I am totally unfamiliar with them.

[pegleg]

so is he just leaving for parts unknown on his own and not staying with the pack and hunter?