I have a 3.5 year old Bluetick/Lab mix. He Favors his Bluetick side. I've had him since he was a pup, so we have a good strong bond. His Sire comes from a good bloodline of UKC coonhounds. When he was a pup I was living in the suburbs with my parents but I managed to get his paws wet. He is not gun shy. When we shoot clays he wants to retrieve them for me. He knows what squirrels are, knows their scent, and knows that they live in trees. However, he doesn't have hardly any time in the woods. I've let him in the woods a few times but when I do he takes off at a full sprint and runs real deep away from me. However, I've put him on a caged squirrel in the yard and he treed nicely for me. I think he could still make a good squirrel dog if he would stay more shallow and slow down.

Do you think He could still be trained and finished? If so, How do I go about getting him to slow down and stay closer to me in the woods?

Thanks Guys&Gals

He sounds like a great universal hunting dog. He just needs more experience in the woods, obeying commands, and as far as hunting goes, just let his instincts do the rest.

I have a 3 yr old female Beagle/Foxhound/Shepherd/"something" mix, that is both a wonderful family pet/house dog, and an excellent small game hunting dog. She does it all - except waterfowl. She won't go into the water and retrieve anything, no matter what it is.

She tree'd a squirrel for me a few months ago at the beginning of the season, and I blasted it out of the tree with my 12ga. She never ran off because of the shotgun blast, but went up to the squirrel, sniffed it, and then looked at me like she was saying, "Wow you got it, but dang, what did you use, a full choke? Ewwww!!"

She flushed a rabbit for me too, and tore a$$ after the rabbit. I stayed put waiting and hoping she'd run the rabbit back to me. When the rabbit did finally circle back, it zigged and zagged, and I missed it twice... She came running back at top speed, stopped, and gave me the most hilarious look. I swear, if she could talk she would have said, "You missed? How could you miss? It was coming right towards you! Geez..."


Sure he can. I started out training her slowly, first using a strong leash out in the woods and trails. She pulled and yanked, and wanted so badly to break free and go running off somewhere, but I held strong and restrained her. Next time, I brought one of those 15' retractable leashes. I let her have some freedom, but when she got carried away, I'd yank the leash and retract it back. Slowly, she learned to stay close by.

When it was time to let her off and test her out, I went to one of those business developements on a Sunday afternoon. You know... the ones with the big lawns, complete with a duck pond and water fountain. It may have only been 2 acres at max, but still, she had 100% freedom to move around and go wherever she wanted to go. She stayed right with me but about 25 yards in front and diagonally to me. She never once took off into the next county. When she would get a little too far or go somewhere out of sight, I'd let out one single loud whistle. When she came back, I stopped and petted her, praised her, and gave her a treat. So she learned that that one note loud whistle means, "Hey, get back here".

Anyway, when we go hunting together, she stays about 30 yards from me, and in open fields, I'll let her go out to about 50 yards. I cover one side of the field edge, and she'll cover the other. One of us will kick up a rabbit or tree a squirrel. We act as a team and have a great time hunting together!

Here's a photo of Amber, my 3yr old Beagle/Foxhound/Shepherd/"something" mix.

Great post ButchA. Very reassuring of what I hope to accomplish. Sounds like you and your companion have a great time out there. Like my dog, with tons of personality. Can't wait to start working with my dog and take him to the field.

Thanks... Good luck with your dog. It is a lot of fun and the teamwork and strong bond you form with your dog is priceless.

My dog knows that when I stop, she stops. She scans the woods and sniffs the air, then looks at me as if it's okay to continue on.