My new hunting buddy

[mattpatt]

Haven't gotten very good pics yet but here is my new hunting buddy. Meet Radar. He is a Mullins Feist. Already treeing (somewhat) squirrels... He has the instinct for sure.

This is my first squirrel dog so it should be interesting. I have a 3 year old son and my hope is that we can all enjoy some time in the woods a few years from now when he's old enough to go with me. By that time Radar should be terrorizing the squirrel population pretty good.

Any tips on training a squirrel dog?

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[lakngolf]

Great. Thanksgiving as a kid the whole clan took off to the woods with a squirrel dog. Nothing like it!
Good luck training. I have o experience

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

I would think that a dog after being hauled to the woods squirrel hunting, it's instincts would take over. I know my dog trees squirrels and I have never taken him to the squirrel woods. Should be fun working with him though congrat's and good luck. I have never used a dog to squirrel hunt before but looks like it would be fun. Our squirrels around here are pretty abundant a guy is hard pressed not to kill a limit just sitting on a stump anywhere in the woods.

 

[Native Hunter]

The best way to train one is to hunt him with a good dog that is already trained.

You can also take a long pole, fishing line and a squirrel hide and have some fun running him in circles and running the hide up the tree to get him to treeing. I've trained young pups that way.

 

[mattpatt]

Thanks guys. I'm working on getting a squirrel hide as we speak.


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[jlane35]

I don't know anything about squirell dogs but I do have beagles. I would train him on basic obedience and I would also invest in a tracking cellar, I use Garmin. It is worth it's weight in gold allowing you to have piece of mind knowing exactly where your best friend is at any moment.

 

[mattpatt]

Yes tracking collar will be a must when we start going out in the woods. We've been working on basic obedience so far. He's picked up set pretty good. Stay is going to be a hard one being that he is just a pup and has an attention span of a few micro seconds at best. LOL He's currently being pampered and loved on by my 8yo daughter and 3yo son and he's loving every minute of it. Hs previous owners kept them strictly outside but we've let him come inside and stay in the house for now since he went from being with other dogs to being the only dog at our house. Didn't want to just throw him out in a pen behind the house after being separated from his family.

 

[Wilson12051978]

I love your dog

 

[Chainsaw]

Training young dogs is so much fun. Teaching manners and obedience is crucial to enjoying the dog.The hunting part comes naturally with time in the woods and of course the hide on a stick and string. Teaching stay is about the easiest. Every time the dog is fed we make it sit and stay by the dish of food. We then count to three and then say go. When it gets that down pat we throw in 1, 1 1/4, 1 1/2 etc. so the word go is what they are waiting for.

Also when the dog is let back into the house it is made to stay, the count is done and then the go command. It works like a charm because of its repetition and surprisingly the dog seems to like the game. The dog actually spins its feet like wheels at the go command. It isn't going anywhere really but it is so excited to start.

Radar is going to be a special dog for sure as he and your son grow up together.

 

[Drycreek]

I only ever had one squirrell dog, and he was a natural. I did train him to bark though. He would tree, but you had to keep up with him to know it. I trained him to bark accidently I guess. He treed a squirrell in a tree off by itself with no nearby tree for the squirrell to escape to. I kept on trying to shoot him, but he stayed behind the tree. This went on, the dog started whining, then barking because I wouldn't shoot. For several squirrells after that, I waited and waited. He finally started barking as soon as he treed, but you still had to keep up with him or he would be 200 yards away when he treed. Good times for a kid !

 

[mattpatt]

I'm looking forward to start working with him. He happened upon a squirrel in the back yard the other day. He chased it but didn't know what to do when when it ran up a tree. Here's a couple pics of his mother that climbs trees going after a squirrel.

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[TreeDaddy]

Great photo!

bill