Bells

[spooke]

why do some guys run bells on there dogs

[sheimer]

The theory is to create a "human" sound to deter wolves from eating them.

They also make the dogs easier to find in the dark.

Scott

[Grzyadms4x4]

I use them when I am hunting thick brushy country to know where my dogs are heading.

[desertdog]

I'm using them hoping it'l keep the javelina's away from my dogs...seems like it's working, not sure yet.

[larry]

interesting one on the javelina's, curious to learn how that works since they are not a predator, but man can they tear up a dog! Would like to hear some results down the road sometime when you have a better idea how well it works.

[HeeHaw]

Poor mans tracking system... I use them for wolf deterrent. I have had a hound killed by a wolf but he was not wearing a bell.

[artrodex]

javelina's, why you want keep away from javelina's , we use to hunt them in my country, good meat

[Mike Leonard]

All good reasons to run a bell on a hound. I have one other reason that I have used a bell for. If you happen to have a cold nosed dog that is good at finding a track but a little stingy with their mouth it may help. I have one old dog that is dang sure a hard hunter and he knows where to look for a lion but he is pretty silent until he moves the track a ways. At times he will slip out on you and the other dogs get over a ridge and then go off a good ways and bay or tree a lion. Well he has had the crap knocked out of him a few times alone by getting knocked off a rock or out of a tree but he is hardheaded and tough so he just keeps after them but it really helps if he has a little help. By putting a bell on him the other dogs seem to keep tabs on him better and are more likely to be up in there working with the sneaky old bugger. LOL!

I don't like those little tinker bell snow bell types I like the mini bull bell brass type that clangs pretty good. I can hear it better anyway and if you let them wear it awhile before you take them hunting it doesn't seem to bother them.

[slowandeasy]

mike, funny how smart those hounds really are. it does not take them long to figure witch ones in the pack are the hardest workers and most succesful at what they do. if you watch them hounds they will tell ya whats going on, even in a pack where they are all wide open, they will keep an eye on their truly talented co workers at losses. you also bought up a fond silly memory of my younger days and a bell! i had two mixed bred dogs both would open on track. one wouldn't tree a lick the other would tree but would't say a peep. i found this out by hurrying in to them at loses and in the winter when there were no leaves would stumble on the coons. and there would be that black and tan looking dog standing on the tree, sitting, or circling the stump but would not even whine. just stare up that tree like he could see that coons soul. but he moved around enough to ring a bell and save me having to sweat my hind end off trying to keep up trying to find a quiet trees! ah! it's amazing what youth and lack of money will make you to tolorate. good luck catch ya later!

[desertdog]

On a good day, I can hear the bells up to 600 yards, I can turn off the Garmin and save battery life.
Hey Art, tell me a little about hunting Javelina's with dog's.. Around here they run in packs and will run up behind your dogs and try to hamstring em'..Or, try to bite the front leg up high and slash around the neck area..

[Redwood Coonhounds]

If you happen to have a cold nosed dog that is good at finding a track but a little stingy with their mouth it may help. I have one old dog that is dang sure a hard hunter and he knows where to look for a lion but he is pretty silent until he moves the track a ways. At times he will slip out on you and the other dogs get over a ridge and then go off a good ways and bay or tree a lion.

I have one JUST like that. And she so happens to be my best start dog.... She is tight, not silent. But she has her moments, where if the track is tough and she really has to think about it she won't open until she's headed out. She's a fast dog, and don't let the grass grow under her feet when she's trying to figure something out. Sometimes she's long gone before she starts to open. That leaves the others scratching there heads, and trying to figure out what just happend. Or if you throw a super mouthy dog on the ground with her at the start, she'll shut up and try to sneak off... At night, I run a lighted collar. But I have thought hard about putting a bell on her in the daytime. I'd like to be able to have one to snap on/off so I wouldn't have to hear it on the box. I sometimes worry that something like that would snag in the brush. Anyone had an issue with that? At this point me and the other dogs already know her well enough to know if she is gone for more than 90 seconds checking something, then you better hurry up!

[Melanie Hampton]

Cassandra... I put my bells on a zip tie and leave it loose enough I can slide it on and off the collar as I want.. I used them up in coast range in the PWN in the BRUSH and never lost one..

I would be slightly worried about putting bells on bear dogs tho.. What happens when you get one bayed up in the brush? Since the dogs usually shut thier mouths.. I would hate to get my dog ambushed because it was wearing a bell..

Also using them as a deterrant (sp?) I did a 9 minute speech in my college speech class on wolves last term.. I was able to gather quite a bit of info on dogs killed by wolves.. At least half of them were wearing bells.. I'm not convinced it will keep them away.. Also, worries me that it would give the wolves an even more unfair advantage.. But.. since I don't currently have wolves in my backyard.. I guess you do what you think is best and I will cross that bridge when I come to it.. I am not trying to say anyone is wrong..

I do like bells, especially when coon hunting.. and run them on the dogs during bobcat season quite a bit to.. My dogs love the bells.. they hear the bells and know they are hunting

[Lynxhunter]

Bells on dogs in wolf areas was discovered by Scandinavians in the early eighties. People from Sweden went to Russia on trophehunts and/or to buy hunting hounds/dogs. Russian hounds and West Siberian/East Siberian/Russian European Laikas was the breens in question.
Them Swedes saw that the Russian dogs were carrying tiny bells. Thay asked why and the Russians answered: It keeps them dogs safer from the wolves.
Later when the wolf population increased in Norway and Sweden. Lots of dogs were fitted with bells(also domestic) and a lot of breeds and dogs were killed, like Melanie Hamton writes.
Some Swedes then contacted the Russians they had spoken to before and asked them why wolves still was killing their dogs, even if they were carrying bells. The Russians replyed that the bells dont make the wolf stop attacking, but it makes them attack in ANOTHER way/style, so the dogs can see 'em comming and thereby flee back to the handler and save their life.
The breeds listed above are super fast dogs/hounds that can outrun a wolf under the right sircumstances.
I dont know how the bell thing came to the US, but it came to us from Russia and its a bell and breed question, not only a bell question, the way we see it.
This works in Russia, there is no doubt about it. Some areas in Russia got way more wolves than any other place in the world and they keep running hounds and dogs.

Hans

[Redwood Coonhounds]

I wasn't all that worried about loosing the bell, as I was having a dog get snagged somewhere. But I suppose thats no more of a chance of a regular collar getting snagged.

Trust me, on a bayup, a bell isn't going to make a difference. I don't know of any dog that shuts its mouth for more than a few seconds. Usually its when they are trying to get closer. I've heard people tell me running lighted collars will spook a bear too, and I've seen quite the opposite effect. But I think things like that actually help "desensitize" them. They tend to be less nervous by time you get there. Bell might work in the same fashion. Jumpy bears are just that, some of them don't need a reason.

[Brianshounds]

I have found that if the wolves u are hunting around are dog killers it dont matter one bit what u have on your dogs, bells or no bells. they will be hunting your dogs to kill them. but if the wolves have never killed dogs before it will keep them back about 2-3 hundred yards this is just far enought that if u walk the lion down till you jump him then turn the dogs loose you have just enought time to get to the tree before the wolves get the idea to kill all your dogs.