Thread: young dog hunts the sh#t out of deer but then is scared at close range 😁

how's it
I've got a young 9month old bitch heading pup I'm training for indercating game. she's soft as hell wee girl but loves to work with ya. she's ground tracking amazingly well (in my opinion ) took me straight to a fallow at more than 500m the first time I really let her take over. only air scents it seems well within 100m at this point...... here's where it gets funny.... once she spots the deer red or fallow she will growl quietly at first but it will esculate if you let it . we were sitting quietly in bush just before dark after finding and spooking three earlier in day and I can here one moving close I can see the dog is keen as hell where the noise is give her the odd calm pat quite good girl deers getting closer I'm thinking sweet another one for freezer . next minute dog just let's rip with a woof woof woof woof style bark . sharp correction on lead from me and not much else as I didn't think throwing my toys out of the cot was going to help after the fact. i had to laugh... but yea freezer is going to be empty if this carrys on .
what's ya thoughts ? I think she's gonna work it out / get more confident after all she is a pup..
Cheers Kane

I'd just give her more time and experience. 9 mths is still pretty young.

Thats normal act/react - she is only young and time will cure that
Try and discourage "ground scenting" good Deer dogs need to wind/air scent. This way you wont have to be so close when she reacts with an indication.
Do not discipline her for growling - just hold her in and lightly muzzle your hand over mouth and say 1 word like "quite/no or sshhhh"

Good luck - give updates in future

My young heading dog cross will track a shot deer up to with in a meter or so but not that keen on it after that even when iam gutting them. will lick the blood on me want lick any blood on the deer but am not worried as she is young. (unfortunately due to on going injury will retired from hunting )

appreciate feedback thanks .. bloody good point re air scenting . kept some skin from our most recent red. might hang it in a tree and try reading her from down wind. to this point have done bugger all scent work more just keeping the little beast under control obedience training

Originally Posted by 300blk

appreciate feedback thanks .. bloody good point re air scenting . kept some skin from our most recent red. might hang it in a tree and try reading her from down wind. to this point have done bugger all scent work more just keeping the little beast under control obedience training

Not sure about using the old "skin" method ??

I had a GSP bitch that I used full time on Deer (whilst doing Possums) mid - late 80's.
She became a bit of a legend in King Country area.
If I was walking back to camp and my partner had shot and hung an animal at one of hanging spots - she showed ZERO interest.
Would walk past like it was not even there.

No - best training is out there in the Bush - tighter the better.
I just got back with my 4 month pup - both soaking wet from bush and pup covered in hook grass seed.
He scented a Deer - he is showing no interest in ground scent once he air scents - this is a good sign and in such a young dog is a 1st for me.
Hope he carries on surprising me.

I will watch this one with interest as my bitch will sometimes whine if deer is close and has let out a yip when deer broke further on...she knows what they are and has got me a few in the bush so far....might just be too keen....might be time to go spend some more time around/in deer paddocks so the WTF is that factor is gone again.

what breed ?no whining from my pup but she's never been aloud to chase after the shot either . when she intercates at close range lowers her head in the eye dog stance and if real close or a direct wind her hackles come up I never noticed this as I've always one of those stoney creek blaze coats on her . but now I've seen it three or four times if the hackles are up there's deer very close

Megs a mongrel parents are gsp/lab and beardie/lab...she thrown to the beardie...the whinge is pure gsp frustration,been there with all previous gsp crosses and still havent found bullet proof answer. hackles up indication....you in the money now you learning to read her better,time on the hill together should fix it,visit deer paddocks could be interesting,even walking past roadside deer with her on lead should have some effect by making it a "known thing" if that makes sense?.

yep been thinking about that done it with stock just playing having fun slowly getting closer until we are at their feet and she's basically ignoring them. don't really know anyone with deer but something might pop up . we went for walk today wind was all over the shop but she was air scenting more than the last time so that's allgood sure we were close ish to deer but wind was terrible .

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

Megs a mongrel parents are gsp/lab and beardie/lab...she thrown to the beardie...the whinge is pure gsp frustration,been there with all previous gsp crosses and still havent found bullet proof answer. hackles up indication....you in the money now you learning to read her better,time on the hill together should fix it,visit deer paddocks could be interesting,even walking past roadside deer with her on lead should have some effect by making it a "known thing" if that makes sense?.

damn those labs get around dont they
sounds like she confused between hunting for you and protecting you from it??

she did ok today out in the open country,tried to bolt into deer I had just shot but stopped and came back then led me in in controlled manner. walking home she was a gps not gsp...plurry awesome following her down stream we had walked up earlier as she led me back over same pathway including crossing points for 2kms only stopping for my choice of path 3 times.
yes the protecting thing had crossed my mind....she a nervous git at times which sure doesnt help.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

she did ok today out in the open country,tried to bolt into deer I had just shot but stopped and came back then led me in in controlled manner. walking home she was a gps not gsp...plurry awesome following her down stream we had walked up earlier as she led me back over same pathway including crossing points for 2kms only stopping for my choice of path 3 times.
yes the protecting thing had crossed my mind....she a nervous git at times which sure doesnt help.

a mate had one that was crushingly timid with animals other dogs but fine with people.
theres so many bloody gsps running around the place with no breeding history or any bloody idea where they came from what theyre fit for.
but so many of them will adapt to something useful you couldnt say that about a lot of breeds.

this is my heading dog (borris) he was also very unsure at first but found reassuring him and being calm worked very well. I would think being one of the smartest breeds out there any negative or correction with force would make him shy away and would take longer for him to come round. Now though he’s keen as to be up and around dead deer or goats

this is my heading dog (borris) he was also very unsure at first but found reassuring him and being calm worked very well. I would think being one of the smartest breeds out there any negative or correction with force would make him shy away and would take longer for him to come round. Now though he’s keen as to be up and around dead deer or goats[/QUOTE]

deapite the horrendous name poor mutt
the most important part of that post is

but found reassuring him and being calm worked very well.