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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.
Just keep the camp door open and it'll bring them in!!!
I don't think that there is any dogs that can't be use for hunting.
Great thanks all the information! I actually had her run off to try and fight some kind of German Shepard/Doberman mix and got her butt handed to her despite my commands lol. I think she may need some more basic training before I try to see what she can do on a hunt. I hate when people train their dogs poorly... one downside of getting older dogs from the SPCA :S
I'll let you know how it goes when I take my pug out in the field....Quote:
Originally Posted by seabast
There is a story in Burton Spiller's grouse feathers, of him hunting with a dog that would find a grouse, come and get the hunter, lead him to the bird, circle behind the grouse and flush it towards the hunter as he came in. I think the breed was some sort of collie. I wouldn't go out and buy one for that purpose of course, but since you have the dog already there is not much harm in taking him in the woods as a companion. Keep him inside shotgun range and he might even flush you a bird.
Attachment 27447
Yes they can this is a friends dog Rudy he was a machine !!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_CyU87EQgIQuote:
Originally Posted by Bluebulldog
Attachment 27449
Here's Rudy in action.
I had a pug... took him out in the woods once. Decided I didn't care for carrying a 30 lb football through rough terrain so we kept to our 15 minute walks on cool nights after that lmao. As a pet he was my favorite dog I've ever owned... he just really sucked at life hahaha.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluebulldog
Made me choke on my water at work :PQuote:
Originally Posted by Cass
That deer has figured out she doesn't have to be worried. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by seabast
My beagle at 18lbs isn't much bigger than that pug and she can put the run on even the biggest bucks.Quote:
Originally Posted by seabast
I grew up with a female Chow. She lived to hunt! If I didn't take her out she'd go off hunting pheasants/rabbits/pigeons/groundhogs on her own.
My friend had a female border collie. She was the best rabbit dog I've ever seen. The only trouble was - she was so fast she'd catch the rabbits herself before anyone could get a shot off.
That could be my problem too. Milo is crazy fast and ridiculously agile. I would be afraid of hitting her because she would be on the rabbits tail the whole time or catch it before I could squeeze off a shot!Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenLakePete
Theyre great dogs, as companions ( which is what they're bred for), I'll stick to taking my lab out hunting.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cass
Well it looks like I won't be hunting with a Collie. After owning her for 2 weeks, we had to give her back to the SPCA. On Friday she tried to kill my wife's family's little dog when it growled at her. Literally tried to break its neck not just wrestle with her. My wife's hand got cut up pretty back trying to pry her jaws open. Apparently she could be good for hunting though lol. Just not for a young couple whose entire extend family has dogs which are all alphas and too much chance for huge fights.
Side note my wife also had to put down her lab-poodle cross this weekend too because of cancer. It wasn't a good dog weekend... gave up one dog, put down another and trying to heal another from puncture wounds all over the neck and a broken leg :(
Yikes, sorry to hear this news.