Where the feck's the dog?

[Ideation 8,216]

This might sound like an odd question, and is aimed more (or entirely) to those who work their dogs a lot in the daytime, hunting up, mooching and bushing, but how often are you unsighted from your dog? And how long does the dog have to be out of sight before you start to get a bit twitchy?

 

I was thinking about this today because i was walking with the mutts in a very large forest, with a mixture of huge close packed firs in blocks, old growth and new growth deciduous (sp?), and massive clear fell, brush areas, and at two points i found myself standing about waiting for one of the three dogs (mine), for about 20 mins maybe each time. Two different situations, the first being him putting something up and running it into the trees and away, where i heard the dog and quarry moving away until they were just swallowed up, and the second, with him on the scent of something, nose to the ground, silent and just vanished, altough he could have been 10 meters away, and was probably never that far. Both times, when i started getting twitchy, i stood around where i'd last seen him, on a high point and whistled and yelled for a bit, and he re-appeared, the first time panting like a fecker and the second just looking annoyed i'd called him off his search. During both periods of waiting i didn't have a clue where he was, but knew what he was doing.

 

Obviously the answers to the questions will depend upon the kind of terrain / land you hunt and it's size and also the kind of dog / s you keep and quarry you hunt.

[Moll. 1,770]

I've learned to avoid such places now

Occasionally though, game will jump up on our normal walk and take the dogs over the fields into the woods, and believe me its worse when you have terriers mixed in with it screaming their head off in full pursuit, past some farmhouse

If they are not back in about 5 mins i get twitchy, have seen them gone for up to 30 mins without any sign before, game running all ways out of the woods Just try to stand at some vantage point near to where i last saw them where i can see in most directions. Scarey here though because firstly it is heavily keepered, and secondly there are roads to cross to get back to the cottage. The running dogs are the best behaved have to say, come back much quicker than the terrors!

[Simoman 110]

I hate it when a dog has been taken out of sight, i soon get that sick feeling in my stomach until they return, its even worse with terriers, as it can be hours..........

[Moll. 1,770]

I hate it when a dog has been taken out of sight, i soon get that sick feeling in my stomach until they return, its even worse with terriers, as it can be hours..........

And the sick feeling gets worse when you realise they could be to ground somewhere deep in the woods....horrible feeling.

[Simoman 110]

I hate it when a dog has been taken out of sight, i soon get that sick feeling in my stomach until they return, its even worse with terriers, as it can be hours..........

And the sick feeling gets worse when you realise they could be to ground somewhere deep in the woods....horrible feeling.

 

Nah mine are alright Von, they are claustrophobic and scared of the dark

[Ideation 8,216]

You see, the kind of land i hunt and the kind of little obsessive, stubborn wee b*****d that i find as my canine hunting partner he acts like a terrier) mean that often i spend a large part of any walk not being able to see the dog and just following on, or standing somewhere and letting him work the surrounding land. He tends to work out and back, and if you stay still he will (so far) always come back to check in with you, if you keep moving, he will keep moving. It's amazing how much game he finds, and how often i either miss the action and he returns with it or i catch up to him with it, any how often he finds stuff in the ground in places i didn't even know there were holes, so it's a useful habit mostly. However, of course, he doesnt understand 'just a walk' and thinks all land can be treated like the land we hunt most days, and so like you said, areas of keepered land, roads etc are a worry, and i do get that horrible feeling often, usually after about 10 mins, and at the 20 min / half hour mark im starting to really worry. When he first did it i thought he was just f*****g off and would get mad at him, call him in, give him shit, and try t keep him close, but so many times, just as im about to shout him back, he finds what he was after and we are suddenly good to go, so i've started just letting him do his thing.

[Simoman 110]

Ws always easier on the fens Local i hunted huge fields bordered by forest of several thousand acres so if a dog did go it was stressfull, but its the same if your dog is taken away in the beam, its just a case of waiting and 99 times out of a hundred they will be back soon enough, now i work smaller fields and the dogs can be out of sight quickly. I joked about terriers but nowadays im very carefull on the type of land i let them off the lead, i can;t be doing with the palpitations.....had terriers find their own entertainment and find them 3 days later........

[tilfertilfer 706]

i would agree with moll terriers are a hart stopper when in wooded area but if not near roads and on land i no the runners would not bother me as much for if the quarry break cover i would see them from most angles but terriers yesthey are a bloody night mare try not too let them run too far with out collar on jmo atb mel

[Ideation 8,216]

Aye, it's not so bad on the open moors or mountain tops / sides either, as usually your line of sight is great, but much of the land i / we hunt is woodland / forestry or really rough ground full of ravines and ditches and wee hills and valleys, or a combination of all of the above. I spend a lot of my time listening rather than watching. It's quite cool though when a dog suddenly reappears lugging what it has caught Or you follow the sounds to the prize.

[B.P.R 2,798]

Don't really have much of a problem with this apart from when the whippet fecks off after something. Not a problem round here but when I go my old mans, some stupid cnut puts up snares and leaves them and I've had to untangle the labs foot a few times. They're my only worry.

 

The lab does her own thing, sometimes 150-200mtrs away but always has an eye on you.

 

The whippet never moves more than 10-20feet away unless after something.

 

And the pups at home(waiting for 2nd jab)

[Moll. 1,770]

I completely understand and it is hard to decide what is the best to do with them.

The positive are...they find game, they learn, they are fulfilled and it is great fun when it all works out right. But i usually find the negative outweigh the positives. Injuries from hurtling through heavy woodland. Game being chased and caught somewhere you really dont want it caught, like past your employers house

 

Rudie went off after game the other evening, took him straight into the woods. Stood for 10 mins calling him, not a sign or noise! Whilst waiting a pick up drove past and away up a dirt track into the fields.

I sped the quad to my employers house asked them to phone home for me as things can get emotional when it's Rudie Driving back to the last spot i saw him the pick up came back. He stopped and asked if i had lost a dog...Yes.

"What kind of dog?"...Lurcher, thinking he had seen him.

"Well if it gets in with my sheep it's dead".... Nice man

 

Rude came back a few minutes later, could hardly walk he was so exhausted, stopper torn, covered in deep scratches and lame.....not worth it really, just takes one injury to ruin their whole life....had it happen many times and now at aged just 3 Rudie is finished, may get odd runs now and then but will never go out on big night hunting anymore.

Plus this time of year there will be young hiding out in the woods, they need leaving alone.

[Ideation 8,216]

I agree very much with your points moll, the only problem is trying to explain it all to the dog. He has had his fair share of bangs, and needs work on two leg muscles daily. But he's 'dedicated' to say the least, and where i live, unfortunatly there are very few places to go for just a walk, and those are filled with idiots and idiot dogs. Todays little excitment took me entirly by surprise, but usually i can see it coming and make a decision to keep him close, stick him on a lead or change directions.

 

The worst was some time ago, walked out the front door and over the road, and bang up gets charlie and away into a huge field of maize with the dog in pursuit. Round and round the maize, up into the woods, up and over the hill and half way a long an underground drainage tunnel that passes under the road, before he had to give up. I found him 2 hours later, waiting where he had started from, as i'd spent the time working out where he had been and shouting in the woods.

 

Dogs can be stressful at times

[tilfertilfer 706]

you right moll i have stopped hunting and think most true hunting lads x lasses have now ,give your game a chance too breed yes you may loose some birds if you have put enough down they wont be missed, but if they get out of hand you have too do what has 2 be done, thats the way it is,iv watched cubs and young deer for weeks nice too see what you have for next season but as we all no in the game thers no worse felling than seeing dead young killed out of season jmo atb mel ps been on the drink so if it dont make sens sorry all

[NaTiiVe 29]

ive got my whippet pup trained to the whistle i dont run her at the minute as shes too young but when im out walking if anything does get up which sometimes does happen she will pursue it but if its getting to far for comfort ive got her trained to one toot and shes straight back atb

[keepitcovert 842]

I get concerned after 5 minutes, in my area a lot of travellers appear overnight and when you see their caravans and know your dog is in the vicinity it sets the old pulse racing.