Shed Dog Questions

[ElkSniper]

I have a two year old lab that I want to train to find sheds. He seems to show a lot of intrest in sheds. Here are some of my questions...


1. Is it really worth it?

2. My dog is a mix breed between lab and german shepard is it still possible to train him?

3. He is 2 years old. Is it too late to train him?

4. For those of you that have shed dogs. How do you hunt sheds with your dog?

Any pics would help

Thanks

ElkSniper

 

[whiteshadow]

1. Yes, 2 looking for sheds and 1 gets to keep them... not a bad gig. plus he has scenses that help him find them that you cant.

2. Yes, very trainable breeds. one is bred for retrieving the other is bred to cover a lot of ground and has great eye sight and very driven.

3. No, its never too late to train a dog. it may not be as simple to do it as if he were a pup starting out fresh, but with patience and you working at it should be able to work.

4. Start by training him in your yard. the only toy he gets is a horn you play fetch with it. then you start hiding it and everytime you walk in the back yard you tell him to find his bone. then reward him with a treat for doing it. after a while give him a new horn so scents and looks will be different. make that dog eat breath and sleep thinking about horns. then when you go hiking for horns you hop out of the truck let him go and say find your bone.... then go for a walk.

best of luck to you hope it works out. dont get discouraged just keep at it. it will take a while to get him to be pro.

 

[fatrooster]

I think whiteshadow has given good advice. Also, you can get the video from antlerdogs.com and it will give you an idea of a start on your training.
Here is Daisy my shed dog bringing me in antler at 5 months old during training.

Here she is bringing me the pelvis bone of a cow at about 8 months old.

A deer spinal column at about 17 months old.

Elk antler in 2009.

Deer deadhead in 2010.

The most important thing about training your dog is being consistent and doing it several short sessions per day every
day. Make it fun for your dog and teach one step at a time. Do not move on to the next step until he has mastered the step you are working on. In other words, teach your dog to "sit" but don't try to teach him to "stay" until he is very good at "sit". I also used the book "Water Dog" by Richard A. Wolters and learned quite a bit from it. Hope this helps. If you need to talk to me them PM me your phone and I will call you and try to help you out further. fatrooster.