The soon to be famous tracking dog!!

[yukon john]

Last year while guiding spring bear I had several bears get wounded and I wasnt able to find them, many of you know that bears dont always leave much for tracks and they usually dont leave a good blood trail. Often well hit bears dont show any reaction to the hit. One professional tracker/outfitter told me that as many 50% of bears that are ''missed'' ie no blood or reaction to the shot, are actually hit and can be found with a dog. I wanted slovakian hound but due to exremely strict breeding, very few are sold each year and it can take a long time to get one. I did some research and came up with a rat terrier (think jack russell with an off switch) Rat terriers are fox terriers with beagle (for the nose) and whippit (for speed). So I bought one at christmas and here she is as a pup.
Then I started training at 8 weeks with peices of steak on the kitchen floor then moved onto dragging dead rabbits through the field. The first couple bears of the year dropped within 30 yards but I let her ''find them'' and then awarded her for it, she ended up doing three tracks after that, one that I definately wouldnt have found without her. Trails that a impossible to me are highways to her and bears that would take an hour or more to find she finds with in a couple minutes. Its the first hunting dog Ive trained her name is Sifton, big thanks to mooseman for all his helphttp://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/huntingbc_3.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=19344&ppuser=11734) http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/huntingbc.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=19342&ppuser=11734) yj
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/huntingbc_2.jpg

[knighthunter]

Nice looking dog. But, I have to tell you, somebody stole it's tail.

[Buck]

Nice tracker in a compact size.Have fun!!

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Looks like its working out well for you. My dogs were called on to find a wounded bear this year and had no luck. Unfortunately the guide waited 24 hrs with 12 hrs of rain before contacting my to use my dogs. A good dog is worth his weight in gold when guiding for bear.

[BimmerBob]

Good stuff, she looks and sounds like a keeper and she won't eat you out of house and home! Nice to hear of her success so early :mrgreen:

[Fisher-Dude]

She'll work out great for you. I've trained my wolfhound to do the same thing with ungulates as well as bear. Get him on a trail, and it's a done deal. Just hold on tight to the leash! :)

[boxhitch]

Good dog there YJ
A pair of those would fill the saddlebags nicely

[yukon john]

Good dog there YJ
A pair of those would fill the saddlebags nicely


Yep, shes a little small for some of those nasty cassiar horse trails.

[BIGHUNTERFISH]

She'll work out great for you. I've trained my wolfhound to do the same thing with ungulates as well as bear. Get him on a trail, and it's a done deal. Just hold on tight to the leash! :)

The way you shoot your dog has been a god send.:)

[Danimal]

She's a nice dog you got there Johnny boy, hyper as the day is long though......... haha

[GoatGuy]

Just hold on tight to the leash! :)

I have a lead solution for that.

[GoatGuy]

This is a good way to go.

Lab started at 5 1/2 months and has worked well. Used to get the tracking assignment up north. Only two bears that weren't recovered since we started, one local one up north. Tracked one for four hours down two lakes to find the bear dragging itself in bad shape the next day. Wasn't a good scene but it all worked out in the end.

Found one for me two weeks go the day after - bout 10 drops of blood in total covered a lot of ground, two yelps and a dead bear - 2 hours back out to the road. Never would have found it without her.

Only advice is don't give up on the dog, you'll get discouraged and think the dog's leading you in the wrong direction or that it's focused on something else. Might want to break it of deer, might not.

All in all, really quite amazing.

[Clint_S]

Keep us updated on how she does.
Looks like she'd fit well in a saddlebag.

[steepNdeep]

Right on looks like a great little dog! Those terriers are tough... lucky bigger dogs don't have their temperment... Nice work on the training. Dogs are invaluable out there...

I've got a Norweigian Elkhound - bred for hunting moose and bears. I got her at 3 years old to protect the kids on the property. It was instinct and I didn't have to train her much, just encourage her. She's chased and treed dozens of bears, but I haven't shot one since I got her, so she hasn't found any dead ones... But with the way I've been shooting, I might have to bring her on teh next deer hunt... :rolleyes:

Here's a fat cinamon on my property that tempted me...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3357/4577617638_1f24d71d52_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2725/4426708564_a53ecde8a2_o.jpg

[yukon john]

Right on looks like a great little dog! Those terriers are tough... lucky bigger dogs don't have their temperment... Nice work on the training. Dogs are invaluable out there...

I've got a Norweigian Elkhound - bred for hunting moose and bears. I got her at 3 years old to protect the kids on the property. It was instinct and I didn't have to train her much, just encourage her. She's chased and treed dozens of bears, but I haven't shot one since I got her, so she hasn't found any dead ones... But with the way I've been shooting, I might have to bring her on teh next deer hunt... :rolleyes:

Here's a fat cinamon on my property that tempted me...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3357/4577617638_1f24d71d52_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2725/4426708564_a53ecde8a2_o.jpg



good looking dog!, I think i would have piled that cinnamon!

[steepNdeep]

Thx. Yeah, that thing was almost a rug in front my fireplace... It denned on the property & we treed it twice. Check out the size of it's body in relation to its head... GUBBA! :mrgreen:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3327/4576984005_0a546dc1fa_o.jpg

(sorry for the hijack ;) )