training a squirrel dog
 

i have a 5 month old pup that ive been training for squirrel hunting. ive been workin on havin him chase a squirrel tail on some fishing line. he will chase the tail on the ground just fine, but once i get it goin up the tree i cant get him to bark at it. any tips on how to get him barking at the squirrel once its in the tree?

You might try to teach him to "Speak" on command and then carry that over to treeing?

What kind of pup is he?

Are you getting him to chase live squirrels yet?

i know he is part feist, but i couldnt tell u exactly what else is in his blood.

on the 3 or 4 hunts ive taken him with me, he will chase the squirrels on the ground, but loses them once they get up a tree.

ive tried catchin a few squirrels in my live trap at home to get him used to chasing them, but havent managed to get one yet.

Don't overdue the live-trapped squirrel. Sounds like the pup already knows what a squirrel looks like, smells like, and that hey run up trees. Just keep getting that pup out into the woods. If it has the right breeding instinct will take over and it'll start treeing and barking.

Using dogs for squirrels is nearly unheard of here in the northeast ( Mid Atlantic to New England..) I always thought it was a southern thing, but some of you guys are from the west and midwest..

I'd be very interested in training a squirrel dog here in SW New York State...It would be a novelty..Sounds like lots of fun..

i would really try and catch a live squirrel. hoist the cage into a tree and use a drag to the tree. i have a cur that i have worked with a little bit and he is awsome. i think a lot of it should come natural to them.

I grew up in northern Westchester County. We had all sorts of mutts that we took squirrel hunting. My cousin had a GSD X Beagle & a pure Doberman, I had a GSP X Malamute/Wolf , had another cousin that had a Golden Retriever X GSD. All were good squirrel dogs.