Cougar Dog Training

[LBM]

Never owned hounds, been on one hunt and never saw a fresh track, know a few guys with tons of hound experience.

That being said lets just look at common sense for a second. A cougar is a killing machine, teeth and claws meant for ripping flesh. If a 130 pound cat grabs a single 65 pound dog its not even a close fight. It will be over in literally seconds.

So that being said, if said cat decides to fight for what ever reason its not going top end well for said dogs. Even two dogs have been known to be killed. It will take one second for that cat to grab the spine of the dog and its over. 2^nd dog comes in a second later and guess what he gets the same thing as the first dog.

Heard a story of an outfitter down south (Penticton/Princeton area) running one dog. He came upon his dead dog killed by a cat. He went home and grabbed two more dogs (not sure why he only had one the first time). Let the two dogs go on the cat track and found those tow dogs dead. Went and borrowed another two hounds from a buddy and released on the cat. Those two dogs were also killed. I think they gave up after that. I think they assumed it was an old cat that was unable to tree for whatever reason and the cats only choice was to stay on the ground and fight.

You can plan and hope for the best but shit can sometimes go sideways. You could run one dog your whole life and never have a problem and you can run a bunch and still have dogs die. A cat bite in one spot results in a few stiches, same bite an inch over and you have a crushed vertebra.

Took a driving course through work taught by a RMCP crash reconstructionist. Told us a story about one of his crash scenes. A guy driving like 40km hour hits a patch of ice slides sideways and hits a large tree square on the side of the car right between the doors where your shoulder strap connects to the frame. Guy was killed instantly. He said 99 times out of a hundred the guy walks away from the crash with only a headache. Guy wasn’t going fast, wearing his belt doing everything right, but cars are not meant to be hit in that spot by a narrow object like a tree. Cop said head on or quarter panel guys walks away. Earlier in the course cop asked who had ever been in an instance where you thought back and said “F**k that was close” and nothing happened. Well he said your number wasn’t called that day. That guy hitting the tree at just the right spot had his number called. The exact same thing can happen with hounds.

BHB

I will agree with the one comment that you can plan and hope for the best but one never knows, and as mentioned many other issues/dangers out there then just the cat.
But again you say dont own hounds been on one hunt so not much experience or knowledge on it.
Cougars are not killing machines, that is just drama being put out there. Maybe one should get out there and learn about them a bit.
As for your story well as others said a lot of the blame in that case seems to be on the person letting the dogs go and as you say there just assuming why so could be the cat
had a trap on its leg and couldnt climb or had been wounded by a hunter, who knows. Thats why i asked tomcat the circumstances to why so many dog deaths when he was
doing it but his answer was dont really no. So dont really no it may be human error. Thankfully have not lost a dog to a cat have had a few close encounters but each situation
is different and treated that way so decisions are made weather to use 1, 2, or more dogs to insure the best chance at safety for all, and being present in the mix has helped
many times as well. Lots of variables involved and the human has to use some brains or commen sense as well and not just let dogs go and hope for the best.

[tomcat]

. Thankfully have not lost a dog to a cat have had a few close encounters but each situation
is different and treated that way so decisions are made weather to use 1, 2, or more dogs to insure the best chance at safety for all, and being present in the mix has helped
many times as well. Lots of variables involved and the human has to use some brains or commen sense as well and not just let dogs go and hope for the best.

Yes and what brains do you think I did not use in the following senario for one instance when I lost a dog. I turned three dogs loose on a cougar track that ended crossing a large creek and then jointed two other cats, probably the first cats two nearly full grown kittens. Two dogs went after one cat and the 13 year old, very expeience dog, went after one cat on its own and met its demise. So, explain to me what I did wrong other than turning the dogs loose on the original track

[bighornbob]

Cougars are not killing machines, that is just drama being put out there. Maybe one should get out there and learn about them a bit.

Really so how do cougars kill deer and elk??? Do they find all the animals they eat already dead. No. They kill them with the weapons that god gave them. So they are in fact killing machines!!! They have the knowledge and the tools. Just because they choose not to kill the dogs does not mean that they are not fully capable Of doing it rather quickly.

Your ordinary house cat is a killing machine if it so chooses to be. Doesn’t mean it preys on smaller dogs but dont kid yourself if push comes to shove it’s killing.

BHB

[tracker]

Yes and what brains do you think I did not use in the following senario for one instance when I lost a dog. I turned three dogs loose on a cougar track that ended crossing a large creek and then jointed two other cats, probably the first cats two nearly full grown kittens. Two dogs went after one cat and the 13 year old, very expeience dog, went after one cat on its own and met its demise. So, explain to me what I did wrong other than turning the dogs loose on the original track

Turning out on a female track is always risky , the kittens will be around and she will defend them .

[LBM]

Yes and what brains do you think I did not use in the following senario for one instance when I lost a dog. I turned three dogs loose on a cougar track that ended crossing a large creek and then jointed two other cats, probably the first cats two nearly full grown kittens. Two dogs went after one cat and the 13 year old, very expeience dog, went after one cat on its own and met its demise. So, explain to me what I did wrong other than turning the dogs loose on the original track

Well would need to no more for a opinion but since you make it sound like you lost your dogs well trailing pet or livestock killed cats, i would have thourghly checked the area. What time of day did you turn loose. How far away was this large creek, open or iced over, how deep etc.
I wouldnt be turning a 13 year old dog with young dogs odds are they are going to be seperated by speed any way. So where did the 3rd cat go they all went in different directions. How far behind the dogs were you. Which cat killed the dog the
first track or one of the others. Lots of variables in play. Sorry for the lose of the dog.
Been lots of cases for one reason or another we just say no, and dont turn dogs loose.

[LBM]

Really so how do cougars kill deer and elk??? Do they find all the animals they eat already dead. No. They kill them with the weapons that god gave them. So they are in fact killing machines!!! They have the knowledge and the tools. Just because they choose not to kill the dogs does not mean that they are not fully capable Of doing it rather quickly.

Your ordinary house cat is a killing machine if it so chooses to be. Doesn’t mean it preys on smaller dogs but dont kid yourself if push comes to shove it’s killing.

BHB

Humans kill deer and elk as well so you call them killing machines as well. You must write for the media, like to add drama and spice things up.
Get out and learn a bit about them, they have lots of fails at trying to find some thing to eat.