Shed dog farce.??

BrowningRage · Mar 2, 2021

So, I've watched tons of guys videos where they shed hunt, with a dog. But I've never once seen the dog bring a shed to anyone without that someone pointing it out to the dog first...

I've hunted upland game my whole life, used dogs most of it. I known the dogs have hunting instincts and that they follow a fresh-laid trail and flush the birds.

So, will a dog truly wander off and pick up a shed to bring back to you.? Or is it just a cool thing to say, while really they just think its a bone and don't care/have no instinct for it and, like the Youtube vids, the owner has to find them and point them out first.?

JPblind · Mar 2, 2021

My dog at 7mo has found 2 sheds on her own out of 42 we found together this year so far. She does alot of her shed finding by sight looking for the antlers being tines up if they're tines down it will throw her off. She brings back a large amount of bones of all types which is good for training because the more "leave its" in the field will help in the longrun. Being a purebreed english lab with a very mild and wanting to please personnality helps a ton as she will only get 20 to 30 yrds max from me and wait until i catch up. Really birdy in the field. Curious of but not wanting to chase bigger game which is a huge plus.

cosmic_cowboy · Mar 2, 2021

I have had many Labs over the years and most were good at finding birds. I have tried to train them to find sheds, but when you hide them they just smell your sent on them, if you hide them with rubber gloves on most of the time they will walk right past them. I'm sure there are some "Shed Dogs" out there but I haven't had any luck training them to hunt sheds. Have occasionally had them find one but it's just another bone to them, they don't know the difference between an old deer leg or an antler.

Elkhunter05 · Mar 5, 2021

Maybe it's a case of low intellect training? Dust off the ol family dictionary and have someone read to you the definition of olfactory. Then have them dumb it down to how it applies to a dog's incredible ability to smell...

desperatehills · Mar 5, 2021

A friend of mine and his wife shed hunt here in southern Oregon every spring. It is really just long hikes and they usually find a couple here and there. They have been taking their dog on these hikes and he has found a couple but they have always been right along the path they were walking......until last weekend. They went out for the day and the dog brought them 5 sheds that they never would have found on their own. Only time will tell if this dog has really figured it out.

Sallaberry · Mar 5, 2021

Yep just a farce keep moving... No I have buddy’s who’s labs pick up an incredible about of sheds. The guys that are posting are probably not that great of shed hunter to begin with. Dogs are incredible if trained correctly. Most guys who know how to train won’t give you right way to train. Shed hunting is way to popular now that’s why I haven’t been out for three years looking for sheds.

bigsky2 · Mar 8, 2021

I've been training my dog to find sheds. I have 7 acres that I hide sheds on around the house and he's a machine and will sniff them out quickly. When I get him out in unfamiliar areas to shed hunt, he seems to get distracted by all the different smells and he misses a lot of sheds. He's only a year old, so hopefully he can still figure it out.

wapitiman · Mar 8, 2021

My lab does pretty good. You have to be careful when training them with real antlers. Don’t do it too soon because they have soft mouths and it can hurt them if they try to bring back bigger sheds. Will make them not want to in the future. There are scents you can use as well. I like to hide them in the snow or tall grass where they really have to use their nose. She has found elk that she can’t haul back to me. I can see her trying to pull it through the brush or grass. She also gets tricked just like we would. She’ll see a branch or log that look like tines... only to sprint over and be heartbroken that it’s not a shed. I also bring special treats to reward her when she finds them. Definitely possible if trained correctly. Fun when she brings one back.

upsidethehead · Mar 25, 2021

Maybe the farce is watching shed hunting videos?? My dog is crippled and in re-hab and brings me illegal horns that I have to ignore for another month or so. Try training a dog to read the calendar.

desperatehills · Mar 25, 2021

desperatehills said:
A friend of mine and his wife shed hunt here in southern Oregon every spring. It is really just long hikes and they usually find a couple here and there. They have been taking their dog on these hikes and he has found a couple but they have always been right along the path they were walking......until last weekend. They went out for the day and the dog brought them 5 sheds that they never would have found on their own. Only time will tell if this dog has really figured it out.

The next trip out the dog found 4. The thing that surprised him was none of the sheds were brown, they all had been out there for several years. One of the sheds was from a button buck, not much longer than a inch.

bern · Mar 25, 2021

my black lab Sheba was a awesome shed hunter,i trained her ,she trained her son Jericho, they both recently passed,tough to lose your buddys

desperatehills · Mar 25, 2021

good looking dogs, sorry for your loss. I love the last picture

bern · Mar 27, 2021

desperatehills said:
good looking dogs, sorry for your loss. I love the last picture

this is my favorite

BrowningRage · Mar 30, 2021

Great replies guys. I appreciate it. I have no interest in getting a 'shed dog' and training them. Just wondered what some of you thought about it and what you have experienced.

Good luck out there.!

Longun · Jun 20, 2021

The mutt that I have following me around on my adventures finds antelope horns up the yazzoo and some fresh antlers...especially when the season is closed...she drags them around for a mile or so and finally drops them...of course when the season is on she's on strike..

SS! · Jun 20, 2021

Nugget ended the spring with 15 moose antlers. His three notable finds were:

we had walked up on a brown side by side set while looking for a match to the biggest moose antler I’ve ever seen. Right when we got to the set Nugget took off through the brush. We followed him and 90 yards away he’s standing on the match to the big bull.

The next time we are in brush as thick as it gets and he puts his nose up and walks right to a dead head 71” giant bull. Like it was nothing!

My favorite for the spring was I glassed up an antler about 2000’ below me. As we are working our way towards it Nugget runs off into a snow patch about 50 yards and digs up a chewed up year old antler.

What I learned the last couple years:

1) condition of the antler matters. Nugget will find brown ones or older ones that have a little stink. Hard whites are harder for him to smell.

2) For best success have the wind in your face the direction you’re walking. This is more important than anything. If the wind is to your back your dog will be hesitant to go that direction for an antler.

3). Nose to the ground when they are on something generally means critter. Nose up in the air likely antler

4). Reward them with treats for every antler they find.

5) they will find antlers occasionally by sight. Very rare though

6) Pay attention to your dog. A lot of dogs will not retrieve the antler. They will go up to it, maybe bite it and then walk off if they see no reaction from you. I watched a buddies dog flip over a 85” brown deer shed and then walk away from it. But later on that day it brought an antler back? Elk and moose they are not moving them.

7) Don’t worry if it takes a couple years. Just cuz your dog didn’t find anything it’s first year doesn’t mean it will not find antlers. A dog wants nothing more for his owner to be happy, sometimes it takes a couple years for it to click

8). Have a word associated with sheds. We call them bones or horns. When either of those two words are said Nugget comes to attention and his tail starts wagging. As we are hiking we are constantly reminding him to find the bone.

9) wind direction was mentioned above but worth mentioning again. This is the most important.

10). You probably think at this point this list was a top 10. But you were wrong. And 1 of the tips was mentioned twice so top 8?

elkassassin · Jun 20, 2021

Did Nugget Garner Himself a Cheeseburger?

JPblind · Jun 20, 2021

Think the bottom line about shed dogs is that you don't have to alone in the field on those spring days. With a well rounded dog who will bring back an antler "sometimes" and use them for any kind of bird/waterfowl hunting. Think thats priceless to an outdoorsman. Had to wait 15 for my basset hound to pass before buying my current hunting dog and had him half my military career. Sad to see them go but the memories made will live on.

BenHuntn · Jun 20, 2021

Are you people that stupid? You can teach a dog anything. It is a conditioned response. Whether it's drugs, catching bad guy's or cadaver dogs, or explosives they are all trained to a specific task.

Homer · Jun 21, 2021

SS! · Jun 21, 2021

BenHuntn said:
Are you people that stupid? You can teach a dog anything. It is a conditioned response. Whether it's drugs, catching bad guy's or cadaver dogs, or explosives they are all trained to a specific task.

Can you teach a dog arithmetic? I think not. Did you mix your meds again Julius?

Wyo_Roadhunter · Jun 25, 2021

This mutt has done good this year matching up my 2 biggest sets for me by himself. I will say 1 day he is awesome at it then the next its like he could care less about sheds. He hasn't found a ton by himself but he has found them and brought them back on his own

Butts · Jun 25, 2021

I started my shed dog strictly on shed antlers from 8 months to 5 years old. He now enjoys a mix of sheds and upland.

He found a 79” heavy 3 point side in thick sage 200 hundred yards from any human this year. His best day was 23, 13 of which I never would have laid eyes on.has he passed some up..most certainly! Don’t we all!

Butts · Jun 25, 2021

If your looking for sire.. shoot me a PM

Butts · Jun 25, 2021

I’ll add another tid bit, you fellas who keep their canine buds in kennels even 60% of his/her life and expect them to perform shed hunts or anything else on a next level Is a pipe dream.

If it’s really important to you and how many thoughts go through your mush bowl about bone, reciprocate that to them.

Give them the the tools a smart dog WILL find bone!

antlerfondler · Jul 28, 2021

My brothers dog Rosco has found hundreds. lots of big ones to. He often out hunts all of us.

SS! · Jul 28, 2021

antlerfondler said:
My brothers dog Rosco has found hundreds. lots of big ones to. He often out hunts all of us.

View attachment 47596

But did rosco find the other side? If not bad dog!!! Wasn’t this an AZ buck???

Sallaberry · Jul 31, 2021

antlerfondler said:
My brothers dog Rosco has found hundreds. lots of big ones to. He often out hunts all of us.

View attachment 47596

We need more of this story please

3TOE · Aug 13, 2021

This is slightly off subject from shed hunting dogs
Over the years I have adopted several dogs.
1. I had a beagle that was legitimately scared of rabbits (YES, SCARED to death of rabbits) ? , but she would retrieve dove like a machine.
2. A lab that brought me more decoys than dead ducks. I would get so freakin’ mad, but now I find it pretty funny.
3. A red healer that could catch more fish than Jimmy Houston. She would stand totally still watching fish swim by her then grab them when they came close.
4. I now share my home with a 13 year old blind Manchester terrier that is more like a cat than a dog. She is only motivated for snacks. She could care less for affection & can’t find the couch for a nap unless you put her there. ?

I obviously am not a good dog trainer!!!