Bear Aversion Dogs

[albertaguy]

Hello Folks,
Hey, I am looking for opinions here. I am an Outfitter up here in Alberta, I also contract to an Oil Company in Northern Alberta. I am the guy they call when they get bears in Camps or where the bears are bothering workers in the field. I need to run bears off out of Camp, but I don't need a three mile chase either. The dogs need to be good around people and good to be around, but need to be tough on bears but recallable. Also looking for dogs to help out with wounded game in the Outfitting business. I've been running Catahoulas, but the dogs are getting old and lost some grit. Plus the cold weather is tough on these dogs.
I was told a Catahoula/Airedale Cross was a good one, I'm looking to run some new dogs this coming spring. Anybody got any advice to give?

Thanks for now.

[pegleg]

The terrier would probably work for you if its from hunting stock. I don't know how hard you want them to be but Blue heelers can be real hard on command and are easily trained for recall etc. So you have plenty of choices that might work but I personally I would split the bear work and blood trailing between different dogs. Any dog gritty enough to jump every bear it sees is going to be difficult to keep mild on wounded game

[Major]

I agree on the terrier. You described exactly what the airedale is best for. They have a dense wire like coat so they are best for colder situations. They are extremely intelligent so giving commands shouldn't be an issue. Also, they are known for their grit. They don't have an excellent nose on them. They usually take Hot and some times medium tracks. I hope this helps and influences you into looking into airedales! Where did you say you were from again?

[albertaguy]

Thanks for the replies. I am in Northern Alberta. I spent the day looking for Bear Dens on a Seismic Program, I find suitable country and then trust the dog to sniff out any dens. poor old Catahoula is getting too old for this, but she has rode shotgun for me for a long time, got me out of a couple jams. Used to be hell on bears.
Worst thing about her was wounded game/blood trailing. Running silent was good, but if she found the animal dead, she'd chew it up a little and move on. Wouldn't let a guy know. If it was alive, she was pretty good, hear her for miles. Her nose was okay, but not overly impressive.
What blood trailer would you recommend?

[Major]

There is a man on this board forum that breeds biggame airedales in canada. I believe he is more in the B.C. area. Here is a link to his website he personally hunts bears and lion with his dogs. Also, there is an airedale on another forum that is used for mantrailing and bloodtrailing so it can be done. Hope this was helpful.
http://www3.telus.net/airedales/hunting_breeding.htm

Thanks,

Peter

[albertaguy]

Thanks Peter,
I had seen this fellows web-page and e-mailed him awhile ago but I didn't get any response from him. I am interested in trying out one of his Airedales, I am curious what kind of a nose they have.
One of the problems I have is when my Catahoula finds a dead animal, she won't let out a peep. She chews it up a little bit and leaves to go find something else interesting. Nice to have a dog let you know she has found what you are looking for.
Anybody have any suggestions for a breed choice?
One of the jobs I have is finding and documenting bear dens for an Oil Company so they can avoid them. My Catahoula is just not interested in doing this, guess she just got old. I need a dog to sniff out dens and alert me to them. Hard to train for this, need a dog(s) that take to it.

I am needing younger dog(s), and would appreciate any advice anyone can offer.

Thanks for now.

[Rimrock]

In that cold country, have you considered a Lab?

[StrawberryMt]

might look into an akita you would be amazed at how much instinct alot of them still have.

[pegleg]

might look into an akita you would be amazed at how much instinct alot of them still have.

He stated he needed it to be good around strangers. I'm not to familiar with many american strains but all the imports I've been around were anything but good pr dogs

Try a working breed they are more owner satisfaction oriented. This would put more emphasis on your being happy then running something. Blue heelers come to mind they're normally hard working gritty dogs that are easily trained

[dmunk]

Sounds to me the dog u need would be a karelian bear dog. A type of laika i believe. They are fearless with big critters and are amazing at harassing a bear into leaving. Their combination of constant bark and well timed bites are very effective! Laika breeds have good noses as well, so with training i'll bet one could help u locate dens as well. Being a nordic breed they would be perfectly comfortable in the climate u work in. I've only seen one once, but i think the F&G in washington uses em to haze problem bears. Ask some of the guys from sweden and norway on this forum, they have probably seen em in action! Good luck!

[dmunk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp-eaTbV ... re=related
Link for the bear dogs. These guys are amazing. 2 can run off a grizz. 1 can easily handle a blackie. Good around people as well.

[Emily]

I do this kind of thing in the Catskills with redbones. We don't have a kill season on bears in front of hounds, but we are allowed to "train" on bears during the summer, and I run them out of a summer camp and a couple of parks when asked to. You can't call mine off a hot bear trail, but they usually tree the bear and you can catch them--don't know if you have enough trees there to count on that. On the other hand, one guy I hunt with lost a pair of blueticks for a week hunting at the camp I clear bears from. Don't think that would happen in cold weather, but I don't think it was the color of their coats that made the difference. The biggest problem I have with my redbones is they tend to run into the summer camp kitchen when they're done. The kids and counselors all love them. Obviously, conditions are colder in Northern Alberta, but mine coon hunt to 20 below in the Catskills with no problem even though they live indoors.
If they're asking you to chase bears away from camps full of garbage, nothing will work that well. They've got to teach the oil guys to put their garbage in bear proof containers. A bear will wake up from a winter nap if it knows it has a steady source of garbage, and a couple of hound chases won't stop it. The camp supplements my hounds with rubber bullets, firecrackers, and other aversive techniques, but the bears are there every night until the kids go home.
For the blood work, there's a strain called the Bavarian mountain bloodhound (looks a lot like a small redbone), or some people use the much smaller wire-haired dachshound. NY State deer search may be able to help you find a trained dog or a pup with potential: http://deersearch.org/resources/

[albertaguy]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I have looked at the Karelians, well, talked to fellows that use them. They have their drawbacks, one is they are one dimensional dogs and not good dogs to work with you, they like to be gone. As in long gone. I was also told they were not smart dogs. Good for barking at bears. I ran a hound for a year or so, that darn dog would bail out of the truck and surface three days later and 35 miles away. Got rid of him. The Catahoula has been good in a lot of ways, but there was drawbacks. Doesn't like cold weather, stays silent after it finds a dead animal, and a few other things.
I map out active bear dens on an Oil Program, I found one today, before the dog sniffed it out. Not good. And didn't really put on much of a show at the active den with two bears right there. Not good, she has just lost her drive.
The Oil Camps are actually very clean, the standards are very high here, Camp is held to a high standard, bear proof dumpsters. Anyone caught feeding wildlife is dismissed on the spot. Any litterbugs get one warning, second offense they are sent home. Very strict standards.
The last bear here got up on the Cook Trailer roof and peeled back the tin and dropped right on in. Also, the guys out in the field who are in the bush run into aggressive bears and need a guy to respond pronto with a couple of dogs with a drive to chase bears. There is a lot of bush here, and some big timber in a lot of places. And alot of big bears, some who have never seen people until a Program starts up and they can be grouchy.
Picking up new dogs is a big investment on a few levels, and I want to pick the right ones. Also, when I'm not working and am working my ranch or guiding hunters, I like a good companion dog or two to help out with what I do around the ranch.
Probably asking too much, but I am looking for the closest to the perfect breed I can.

[albertaguy]

Here are a couple of pics of the bears looking out from the den, I need a good dog for sniffing out these dens and letting me know they found something.
The pictures were taken today.

[dmunk]

Didn't know that about Karelians? Good 2 know! I know the F&G has them trained real well to come back, I think they use a whistle?
I have 2 admit i'm jealous of u albertaguy, U ranch, guide, and get paid oil $ to chase bears! Awesome!
Since i now know u ranch i'd have 2 agree with pegleg, Heelers have always been a part of our cattle operation and will bite a bear for sure. Their easy 2 train & listen well. You'll probably need 2 of em to properly harass them bears. We have one now that will use her nose on racoon. Definitely not a hound nose however.