Questions about a mutt dog
 

I have a 6 month old mutt as people call them. She is half husky and half German short hair pointer. She's a great dog listens well doesn't leave the yard knows her name knows all the commands I've tought her and she behalves and listens good. I take her out to the woods with me and she stays by my side the whole time now my question is what can she be trained to hunt? She'll chase squirrels rabbits and she points to birds so can she be trained to hunt?

Sounds like if she is 1/2 GPS that your best shot might be getting her to hunt birds. I assume she is quiet when she runs rabbits and squirrels.

Rabbits she's quite but when it comes to squrals shes load and she try's to go up the tree after them

a dog is a black sheet of paper
you get out of then what you put into them
YES some have more natural ability's , but training is key to what they will work and do for you
there nose will be what ever they have, , again some have better here than others, but all dogs more or less have hunt in them , its your job to develop it in something better!


if you want your dog to HUNT game safely, DON"T be letting it chase game freely
its NOT how hunting game is done(minus rabbits and some odd things)
but if your looking for upland game dog like hunting
I would encourage it to chase rabbits and squirrels
in the early days its OK to get drive going, but a GOOD Bird dog doesn't run down birds, unless wounded and told to do so!

they FIND them and the flush them in a controlled manor!
a free roaming wild dog will flush things out of range and can be very dangerous to the dog if it chases them into dangers, from roads and traffic, to stumps and barb wire
a dog that listens to commands and hunts for YOU< and NOT IT< is what you want!
and all that comes from training!

I have hunted over a few outstanding so called MUTTS, that put many of pure bred dogs to shame
but to be honest, it was the training and times spent getting them that well that mattered more IMO!

training is also a great bonding between you and the dog, make it fun and enjoy it, will make for a much more well rounded dog in the end and a friend as well!

When I take her to the woods with me she'll get onto a trail and follow it until I tell her to let it go then she comes right back to me. I'm trying to figure out what she'd do best hunting and would be the easiest to train as this will be my first time training a dog to hunt

best advice is think about what you enjoy hunting most and whats most common where you hunt and go that way maybe, that or you will need to drive to hunt fav game with your dog?
next will be get some books on training the dog for what ever game you wish it to hunt

a Rabbit dog NEEDS to BACK while after the rabbit for safety reasons and that's also how you know to get ready and where the dog is at and what direction its going in?
a good beagle will bark its brains out and will run a dog back to you, its part of the game and its amazing what a GOOD beagle can do on rabbits

Upland game is also a loaded game, do you want a flushing dog, or a pointing like deal
BOTH can be trained into a DOG< but the flushing will be the more natural trait for a mix breed that you have
but again, you ca n IF you do your part, MAKE about anything out of the dog
TIME , Patience and staying behind good practices is CRITICAL to get a to a finished dog!
its either you want something ALL the time or NOT
go SLOW< train and make training FUN, kept things short and progress back and forts as you go thru the basis steps

But things NOT to do, are play KEEP AWAY< TUG OF WAR,, or tolerate commands NOT being followed AFTER the dog KNOW"S what your asking of it
when you don';t back up commands, it turns the game real fast on the dog THINKS it can do what it wants WHEN IT WANTS< and NOT when YOU want it to!

training isn't hard, but its about doing it the same ALL the time
its a HUGE bonding experience between you and the dog too,
I wouldn;'t trade the time I spent with my dog for all the money in the world
yes at times its frustrating, but stick to the game plan and the rewards are awesome!

also, kept an open mind in WHAT you will accept and won't and again GO SLOW,
150% easier to train RIGHT the first time than correct BAD habits!

I'd suggest blood tracking and maybe treeing squirrels. If you can get her out in front of you searching then maybe birds could be an option. I do agree that at six months chasing game should be halted.


Here is a little info on tracking to get you started.
http://www4.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/work2.htm#track


http://www.schutzhund-training.net/t.../tracking.html


http://www.schutzhund-training.net/t...-tracking.html


Put up some pics!

Mickey Finn ---- Ditto. If you have a need for a dog to help recover deer by blood trailing, this dog sounds like a great candidate. Training is relative simple and you'll know pretty much within a few sessions if your pooch will. E-mail me or look for "Born to Track" website for good info on how to go about training. I use dachshunds but my cousin's trackers have all been mutts.

A couple of techniques that have worked out for me, are using different leashes for different jobs and training them to circle back when they are off the leash.

I put the long line on my Terrier and his nose goes right to the ground and he knows what is expected of him. I put him on the short leash and he stays tight on my left side. I set him to flushing and he is in his element. Terriers are independent minded, a trait of the breed, much like Huskys.

Hard to tell what is likely to be dominant. Many times Mutts are the best dogs, the down side is their strengths might not breed true like pure breeds. But for a one off hunting buddy, they can actually be superior if you play to their strengths.

Just a thought, but I'd discourage her from running larger game, Deer or Hogs. If her Husky genes are dominant she may take off some day for hours or maybe forever. Females are often easier to train IMO, less of a dominance thing and more team player.

I had a male Husky that was part of a Hog/Coyote pack I kept for years. He was always tail end Charlie, but would fight an Elephant if need be. His long fur protected him from Coyote bites. Sometimes he didn't want to come back again and I'd have to send another dog to go round him up. Seems wandering is in their blood. I talked to other Husky owners and all said their dog was prone to wander.

German Short hairs can be amazing, Birds are in there blood. One of my daughters had one, He pointed and flushed with very little training and retrieving was easy to train. He had amazing stamina and could run forever at or near full speed 35-40 MPH. I was walking him in a city park, he pulled the leash out of my hands, dove into a bush, came out with a flapping male Pheasant in his mouth and brought it to me. I looked around to see if anybody was watching, dispatched the Pheasant and took it home for dinner. :)

Check his teeth and compare them to other Bird Dogs, this might give you an idea of what to expect. If he has Husky teeth he may tear up some game. Their bites are designed for crushing and tearing. They have really strong jaws/bites. Teaching her to not chew up game might present some issues for you.