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What is the best trail dog
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Booshway
posted
Okay the puppy post got me to thinking. What dog breed makes the best trail dog? Have to be one that won't eat all other animals on the farm including the cats. I have often wondered what others thought were the best. I had blue heeler that was pretty good and I also had a dane with an eye for travel. What do think?

BC


"Better fare hard with good men than feast it with bad."
Thomas Paine
 
Posts: 649 | Location: Oregon | Registered: 27 June 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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ok BCR what do ya mean by trail dog? one to walk with ya while out n about or one that will follow a trail?Either way there are a ton of variables but I would say something in the 35 to 40 pound range, a little smaller would be ok but not a whole lot IMHO. If ya have the time n inclanation ya can actually pack train them so they can sort of carry their own food which lightens yer load a bit. Personally I wouldn't want a runner but rather a dog that stayed within 30 or 40 yards or so most of the time. Don't need to go trapesen off looken for a lost dog. Also I'd make sure it was pretty well trained to come when called n drop anything from its mouth on command. Being friendly with folks is a plus but better if they are real friendly after ya introduce them to somebody new, a small growl from a dog seems to back folks off quicker then most anything else from what I've seen. I sort of like a longer haired terrior cross they are energetic, protective, learn n listen well if trained right n the terrior part makes for a fairly decent hunter n trailer the other way. just some thoughts YMHS Birdman
 
Posts: 964 | Location: south eastern Pa | Registered: 31 October 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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I have a bearded collie cross and he is one of the smartest and most well behaved dogs most [people say. he carries a pack with food and a few pieces of his gear, almost a year old now, so i dont really load him down yet. i had thought he was a mutt because i got him at a flea market and thats what the old lady said. i live outside so my dog has spent nearly his whole 11 months of life pretty much outside. I can walk him through the streets without a lease useing only, stern, voice commands. he guards all my camps and is quite the tracker.his fur thickens in the winter so i am getting him cut for the road and warm weather, his breed isnt specified but its a rare mix, i cant find much even on the net even. i have people all the time that that say they have a similar dog they paid hundreds of worthless dollars for when i got my best friend and brother for ten bucks at a mexican flea market in texas.


Wild as the wind
 
Posts: 404 | Location: Hittin the road | Registered: 10 October 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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My 7 year old American Pitbull. Hes the best trail dog! He trails behind me all day long due to all his extra love handles he carries around his waist LOL.
 
Posts: 22 | Location: Boncarbo,CO | Registered: 27 February 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Birdman that is the right of it. A dog that doesn't go a wandering off but circles back to check on me. One that guards my back but backs off ifin I say so.

BC


"Better fare hard with good men than feast it with bad."
Thomas Paine
 
Posts: 649 | Location: Oregon | Registered: 27 June 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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I've had many canine companions through over 50 years of hunting and roaming the back country. They have included pure bred hunting dogs and mixed breed mongrels.
I like a dog of around 40 to 50 pounds. Big enough to travel rough mountain trails all day, but not so big as to eat me out of house and home. Also, since I used to do a lot of waterfowl hunting and traveling by canoe I wanted a dog big enough to retrieve ducks but not so big that it would capsize my canoe when it jumped out.
One of my best was "Rosie", a purebred English Springer Spaniel. She was a good hunter, stayed within 40 yards of me, and once protected me and my camp from a marauding black bear in the wilderness of northern Ontario. (There are two types of ESS; bench show type, and field bred type. They are NOT the same. My Rosie was of the field bred type.)
My current canine companion is "Dixie", a half breed of undetermined linage. At 60 pounds, she is somewhat larger than I would like, but she is a good guard dog, plus she trees squirrels.
Over the years I have found that I prefer a female dog because it seems to me that the girls, in general, are better hunters and guards than the males. However, that may be just a matter of personal perspective.
You'll just have to determine what dog best suits your own personal needs and preferences.


Know what you believe in. Fight for your beliefs. Never compromise away your rights.
 
Posts: 1296 | Location: Cherokee Land, Tenasi | Registered: 06 January 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of Deercop
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I've had 2 Golden Retrievers in a row now. I'm sold on them as trail companions.
Both would/will carry a pack, and would stay close to me on the trail. Never had a problem with them chasing wildlife or barking at everything. They've been with me for up to 9 day backpacking/horsepacking trips.
My current one, Maya, has developed into an excellent bird/squirrel dog. Can't help but smile seeing how excited she gets when the hunting gear comes out.

I run the muzzleloading range at the NM State YHEC (Youth Hunter Education Challenge) competition each year. Maya's been going since she was a pup. Gunshots don't bother her at all. Her "job" is to chase wildlife that roams onto the range (muledeer, pronghorns, elk, turkey). She usually sees them before we do. I'll close the range, then give her permission to go, and she will chase them away to the cheers of all the kids! Then she will trot on back and take up her spot, watching for the next intruders...she's a pretty special dog. Think I'll keep her.
 
Posts: 649 | Location: Clovis, New Mexico | Registered: 21 March 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Free Trapper
Picture of Talltree
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The best dog, is the one that you have invested alot of time with. They are always what YOU have put into them.

Talltree

Keep your tail high and dry!
 
Posts: 173 | Location: Oregon Territory | Registered: 11 June 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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thats exactly the truth man


Wild as the wind
 
Posts: 404 | Location: Hittin the road | Registered: 10 October 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
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Mountain Feist. It's allegedly where we get the word "feisty". Tree them squirrels!

LD


It's not what you know, it's what you can prove
 
Posts: 3843 | Location: People's Republic of Maryland | Registered: 10 November 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Don't know how historically correct it is,but you always see longhunters in paintings surrounded by hounds.I guess I should suppose that the painters do thier research as the paintings are terrific. I am digging a hole. Anyhw I think if I were looking for a trail dog I would go with an airdale.They have some size,loyal,protective and have some nose. Years ago I had a half shepard,half airdale. Smart as a whip. Knew what belonged to him and would hunt squirrels.He also learned property lines.


I never have been much for drinking the kool-aid.It's not in my nature.
 
Posts: 336 | Location: Central Pennsyltucky | Registered: 12 January 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Graybeard
Picture of Seepwater
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I have an English Mastiff mixed with a Great Dane. Not much of a trail dog since going lame in his right rear knee but in his day he was great!


shoot first ask questions later
 
Posts: 220 | Location: Lyman, WY....just 6 miles from Ft. Bridger! | Registered: 09 November 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of Will Ghormley
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BCR, you might as wall ask, "What's the best way to start a ruckus?" Folks get mighty particular and attached to their dogs. I've had a few, but the one that impressed me the most was a blue healer mutt from a ditch. That dog would go out walkin' with me and veer off the trail to start diggin'. In a few seconds she'd catch back up with me with a mole, or a worm, or some other earth critter. The dog had heard it diggin' while we were walkin', and would go get it to munch on along the trail. The dog could run down full grown rabbits and snatch quail out of the air. I gave up buyin' dog food because only the coons ate it.

Then, one spring when I was livin' up on Florida Mesa, a neighbor came over to tell me he'd seen my dog out downin' lambs in a neighbor's pasture. There's nuthin' else to be done when a dog goes to killin' stock. So, I took the dog out for a walk on one of our favorite trails. She knew what was coming, and every time I looked at her, she looked back. I would look away, and so would she, but as soon as she felt my eyes on her, she would turn around and look me right in the eyes. That's a tough spot. So, I sat in the crotch of a gnarled Pinon tree, and trained my Winchester on her. I turned my head and looked off in the distance so I could see her out of the corner of my eye. She watched me for a long time before something caught her attention. I left her there to return to the nature we both enjoyed.

When it's my time to go, I want to be left out in the woods myself to be coyote bait. If I pass-over while out huntin' sometime, I hope someone I know finds my rifle and kit, but other than that, I can't think of a better way to go.

They say in his old age, Daniel Boone trekked west into the Rocky Mountains. In my mind I figure he went out there to die in the wilderness he loved. Only he didn't die. He was just too good at livin'. So he ended up back in Missouri. Oh well...

Will


"When Liberty is illegal, only outlaws will be free." Will Ghormley

In 1913, the gold and silver backed dollar was worth a dollar. Today, that same greenback is worth 3 cents. In just under 100 years, the Federal Reserve Bank has made the dollar virtually worthless. Will Ghormley

"Exploit your strengths. Compensate for your weaknesses." Will Ghormley
 
Posts: 657 | Location: Ankeny, Iowa | Registered: 28 January 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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We had a coon dog when I was a kid – MAN what a coon dog that’n was. We used to stretch out the hides on boards, just set ‘em out on the porch to dry. Well, that dog got so good that whatever board you put out there, he’d go find a coon to fit it.

Then one day, my Ma was doing some spring cleanin’. She set the ironin’ board out on the back porch, an’ I ain’t seen that dog since…
 
Posts: 849 | Location: NW Arkansas | Registered: 11 June 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Graybeard
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quote:
Originally posted by Spot:
We had a coon dog when I was a kid – MAN what a coon dog that’n was. We used to stretch out the hides on boards, just set ‘em out on the porch to dry. Well, that dog got so good that whatever board you put out there, he’d go find a coon to fit it.

Then one day, my Ma was doing some spring cleanin’. She set the ironin’ board out on the back porch, an’ I ain’t seen that dog since…


And we're supposed to believe that?

Bill
 
Posts: 246 | Location: In the far West | Registered: 31 August 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Aw c'mon Bill,

Would I lie to you? Wink
 
Posts: 849 | Location: NW Arkansas | Registered: 11 June 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Graybeard
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quote:
Originally posted by Spot:
Aw c'mon Bill,

Would I lie to you? Wink


No, I wouldn't think any red blooded mountain man and black powder shooter, would intentionally do that. However, some of what they say can be down right suspicious...!

Bill
 
Posts: 246 | Location: In the far West | Registered: 31 August 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
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The Lewis and Clark Corps brought a Newfoundland Hound. Newfoundlands are like giant golden retrievers...of which I am most fond. One advantage of a Newfoundland is that they were bred to retrieve fisherman who went overboard while fishing the Grand Banks. Once on the Western trek Lewis (or Clark...I can never remember whose dog Seaman was) shot a deer that went into the Missouri somewhere around the Great Falls of the Missouri. The wounded deer leaped into the river and began swimming away. Seaman the Newfoundland swam out to the deer, killed it and did a water retrieve.

Who knows...maybe the deer was delivered to hand?

I bet its owner would lobby hard for it being the best trail dog...

Sparks


"I thought when you said you chased tornadoes, it was just a metaphor."
--soon to be ex-fiance in Twister
 
Posts: 247 | Location: Boise | Registered: 12 November 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Factor
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Spot, I'd heard tales of that dog. Didn't realize it'uz your'n!

Sometime I'll have to tell about the squirrel dog whut had no legs . . .

Some folks might not believe it, though.

Thinkin'itover'sticks


As long as there's Limb Bacon a man'll eat! (But mebbe not his wife...)
 
Posts: 4816 | Location: Buffalo River Country | Registered: 23 October 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of andy*
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Sparks,
Lewis had the dog.
We have two dogs. One old girl (13) who is a German shepherd/husky mix and a 6 year old male malamute/ something else that is big and furry...
Both are very goofy. Both also get lots of looks when out and about as they look like something from a Remington painting.
Andy


Follow me I am the Infantry
 
Posts: 668 | Location: Everson, Washington | Registered: 27 June 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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