okay folks, i've got some questions about squirrel dogs....

1)Whats probably the best breed of dog for treeing squirrels?
2)how do you train them?
3)is it better to buy a dog as a pup and train it or buy an adult?
4)is a certain sex better at treeing squirrels than the other?

thanks for the info guys

Man, saying this I am gonna admit my "bird dog " is a squireel dog but oh well, she aint a good bird dog.

I have a GSP, she hunts squirrels and trees them pretty good ever since I shot one and she got to mouth it and shake it when it fell out of the tree. Now she hunts rabbits ever since I started bringing her with my beagle. If I shoot it and she gets a taste of it she will start hunting that particular animal for the day or until I shoot something else.

My beagle has also shown an interest in squirrels but I have not shot one for him to get so he doesnt pay them that much mind anymore.

I think anydog will chase squirrels so long as you let them get ahold of one and praise them when they do.

anyway here is a link to info. squirrel dog cetral

Most of the hardcore tree rat hunters I know use beagles .

1) A Cur or a Feist
2) Take them ALOT in woods that have plenty of squirrels
3) Buy a pup. A trained adult dog will cost $1000 and up.
4) Either or.

A squirrel dog is fairly easy to train if you have some woods with lots of squirrels. Get a pup out of well bred dogs. See both parents in the woods treeing squirrels first.
Curs have hound in their background whereas Feist have terriers.
Curs will go 30-60lbs. depending on the breeding
Feist are under 30lbs.

Otherdogs of different breeds may come to hunt and tree squirrels but they are the exception rather than the rule. Cur & Feists have been bred for squirrel & coon hunting in the southern states for generations. The old fella(81 y.o.)that I bought my Feist pup from can trace this line of dog back through his famliy to his Great-Great-Great Grandfather. Different strains of Curs & Feist are often passed down through the families from generation to generation.

Here is my 5.5 year old Feist. He is 16" & 24lbs.

Hey Jump, good looking Pooch!

While I was stationed at Ft Knox, my wife got a hlalf German Sheperd, half Husky, that was an awesome squirrel dog. She could find em, follow em fro mtree to tree. However I left there in 2002m and havent been able to squirrel hunt sinve, War has a way of making that happen.. LOL Hopefully when I finally get to the states for some squirrel hunting, she will still be good at it.

another question...if the squirrel isn't on the ground, like if its in a tree, can the dog still locate it?

A good squirrel dog will tree a squirrel using it's eyes, ears, & nose. Mine will tree if it sees or hears one. It will trail a scent on the ground to a tree. But best of all he can wind a squirrel that's up in a tree from 50-75 yards away. He'll run through the woods with his nose in the air until he zeros in on the tree. This is pretty exceptional for a Feist, but most Curs are good at it.
Curs generally have better noses, and Feist generally have a keener sense of sight & hearing. It's a terrier trait.
There are a few fellas in the Wi., Il, & In. areas that breed good Curs & Feists.

I second jumpshootin's answer. I have 2 curs now and got them as pups and raised them on my own. Just take them to a park or the woods and they will tree. (give them at least18 months before you give up them because despite what all breeders say a dog isn't mature until he is about 2 so those 6 month old wonder dogs IMO are few and far betwen. If you've never hunted squirrels with dogs it tons of fun adn it isn't as easy as you would think. Those little buggers get very antsy when there are no leaves on the trees and bail outs and hot races make for some great action.

Good luck.

This is my JRT, not really a treeing breed, but she will tree her heart out. I've had sooners that were great squirrel dogs both male and female. I like to start a pup, then if there is something you don't like , it is not a problem to correct. If you can find someone that has an older dog that has been treeing a while, to go with, most any of the treeing breeds will catch on fast. Squirrel Dog Central might have more answers. I will say this about my JRT, the first year I had to work with her a good deal. She would bark a few times and then she would just whine, now she tells the news.

Good hunting to you!!