Hunting & Fishing Can you train a mutt to hunt?....Yes, Yes you ca

[186thFCo]

So little over a year ago I was in the market for a puppy. I wanted to get a dog from a breeder that has a proven hunting bloodline like everyone else does. But while waiting to save up the funds to out a deposit for the most expensive fur ball ever, I ended up going to a Pet Smart. They had a puppy adoption thing going on and just like every time one of those going on I'm going to look at the puppies, because puppies are awesome.

Long story short there was a Lab mix there that I just had to have because she was too cute. After getting Kimber (my new puppy) everyone told me that she probably wont hunt because of bloodlines and that sort of thing, but what the hell right. After doing basic obedience, training her to retrieve and than introducing her to scented decoy she was doing pretty good so i took her out for opening day. Kimber had no clue what she was doing at first, but she did find a bird almost right away. It was mostly dumb luck, but she did put it up and i shot it she ran up to it and didn't know what to do next, it was pretty funny to watch.

She put up four birds that day and each day we went out she got better and better, we had a great season last year and I'm looking forward to next year.

Sorry this was a long post, I just wanted to convey that even a mutt can be trained to hunt with the right amount of time and training.


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[186thFCo]

[No message]

 

[186thFCo]

Thats a pic of Kimber and her first to birds

 

[knockemdown]

Looks like your girl has a bit of mt. cur in the 'lab' mix?
Not that it matters. Good on ya for adopting & enjoy your new partner!

 

[Dog&Jeep]

Some of the best hunting dogs I've ever seen were mutts. I'm currently working with a rescued Akita. She ain't real thrilled about gunfire, but she'll tolerate it to hunt with me.

 

[K-tech]

If the dog hunts it doesn't matter what she is, congrats to you! I like to think the a lot of the hype with bloodlines is people being afraid of getting a dud that going to take a lot of work. That being said I get a little frustrated with how much adopting pets can cost, so I myself am getting a Catahoula pup through a breeder within the next six months or so

 

[bogeybrown]

Whether a dog will hunt/retrieve/whatever is a matter of drives. Some drives are more closely tied to specific breeds and from there to curated bloodlines, but it's all about the individual dogs. Champion lines still produce duds and unrecognizable mutts can work with the best of the pure breds.

Ive worked with Labs that won't chase or retrieve, GSDs that won't hold their ground, a Golden Retriever that couldn't swim, you name it.

It sounds like you've got a good companion who enjoys being in the field with you and isnt pain in the ass (which many dogs are). The fact that she's trying to be helpful is icing on the cake.