Have you bought a puppy of a dog breed suitable for squirrel hunting? Congratulations! You have probably bought a feist, a treeing fest or one of the many mestizos and crosses with this breed. This short article will help you understand how to set up your new puppy's training. Read on and welcome to the sport of squirrel hunting with hunting dogs!
Steps
Step 1. The main starting point is to get a breed suitable for hunting
This will increase the chance that your puppy will become a dog capable of hunting. The following steps should give you some ideas to get started.
Step 2. Socialize the puppy from an early age
Whether he is 6 or 12 weeks old, the important thing will be to make him have the highest degree of human interaction possible. If you have children, let them play with the puppy as much as possible - it really is the quickest way to teach them to socialize.
Step 3. At 8-12 weeks, start working on obedience and get the puppy used to wearing a collar and walking on a leash
Starting immediately, you will save yourself a lot of effort when you find yourself hunting in the woods!
Step 4. At around 12-14 weeks, start taking your puppy for short walks in the woods, 10-30 minutes maximum
In this way you will allow him to experience this type of environment and to feel comfortable with the different landscapes, sounds and smells that a forest can offer. You will also have a profound effect on your puppy's maturation.
Step 5. At around 3-6 months of age, the puppy begins to play with tracks, such as squirrel tails and furs, or even with dead specimens
Try to get the puppy accustomed to looking at the trees in search of the tracks you will offer him. When the puppy starts barking, move on to the next step. There are several different methods to teach the puppy to "look up" …
Step 6. Use a caged squirrel
You can skip this step if your puppy has already learned how to bark at wild squirrels. Some people don't like to use caged animals as a training method, but it can be useful if you have limited resources and can't take your puppy to an area where squirrels are on the loose. In any case, you will simply have to trap a squirrel and place the cage in a high place such as a tree trunk, a picnic table, a bush etc. Have the dog walk casually near the area where the squirrel is. When his curiosity increases, he should come over to check. At this point, the sight and smell of the squirrel should excite him. When the puppy starts barking at the animal in the cage, pet it and encourage it. You can also try tying a rope to the squirrel's cage. By doing this you can raise it up to reach the branches of the trees, so as to accustom the puppy to barking upwards. Once you learn how to bark at the sight of a squirrel in a cage, you can move on to the next step. But try not to overdo it! Once or twice will be enough.
Step 7. Let the puppy catch the squirrel
Release the squirrel in an area where there are few trees and let the cub chase it and possibly catch it. If he succeeds, reward him with treats and lots of praise. Be careful never to release a caged squirrel more than a couple of times!
Step 8. From 5 to 6 months you can freely take the puppy into the woods to hunt
Practice is the key to training a good hunting dog! The rest are just tips and tricks that will help you speed up the process.
Advice
- The age ranges listed above may vary significantly, depending on the progress made by the puppy. Always keep in mind that it's like dealing with a baby, so try not to overload him with work too soon. If hunting is in his nature, sooner or later he will succeed …
- You will never be able to teach a dog to hunt. You will only have the opportunity to bring out what is in its nature. You can work on behavior, obedience and bad habits, but keep in mind that the puppy's instinct and breed will do the rest.
