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Hello All,
My wife and I recently adopted an energetic, ridiculously smart Border Collie cross. She is 5 years old and relatively well trained. I have pretty much zero knowledge about sporting dogs but I was wondering if anyone has or has heard of using a Border Collie and a hunting dog in any type of capacity? Please let me know what you think!
Grandpa had one, best dog around the sheep. He would bring the dog out for grouse, it would point them in the trees. If grandpa hit them (only used his 22LR or 25 Stevens) then the dog would collect the bird for him. If he missed the dog would still collect the bird, he would chase it until he caught up to it and more than once caught a bird with its mouth as it flushed.
This does was killed by wolves, mom said it was the best dog they ever had.
Most of the old lads now passed on around here had Border Collie or BC cross . Just about every house had livestock and many of these dogs were used to hunt . Always ran one with the hounds if we could for deer when I was growing up .
TD
My wife has an Aussie and it mimics my lab (she's not sure why but she does it). Her nose is not nearly as good as the lab, but in a pinch she'd do. Is she gunshy (pretty important to determine this)? They are very smart dogs but they just do not have the same natural drive and ability of a hunting breed.
An old friend had a BC cross that hunted deer up north with the gang, down on the farm that dog hunted coon's after all the farm chores were done and also hunted bunnies, when not hunting that dog was just as adept at bringing in the cows to be milked as any trained border collie would .
I have deer hunted with an Aus. Sheppard/Collie cross in the Bancroft area with success.
We have a Queensland blue heeler we currently hunt with.
One way to find out for certain......
The biggest problem is they are not generally as vocal as a regular hound when tracking/running.
I have a friend who bird-hunts with a pit bull, it points, flushes, and retrieves - softest mouth I've ever seen too. Anything is possible, giver a try and see what happens.
Would imagine you would be able to use them as a duck toller. Don't have first hand knowledge but rumour has it ducks and geese in the center of a field can be herded towards a waiting hunter by a good herding dog.
Can't find an online reference to it, but at one time the use of 'herding dogs' was prohibited for deer hunting in Ontario - the idea being that a dog that could herd up sheep and bring them in could also herd up deer and bring them back to a hunter. I only wish...
They are certainly one of the smartest breeds, however, you will be attempting to fit a square plug in a round hole.