Bigfooting With Your Pup

[Guest Coonbo]

Wow great stuff coonbo and great story! Do you think the one you bumped into was under your truck at first ?

 

I don't know if it was under my truck or not, but one of them was definitely VERY close to it.  So close that Bo felt threatened anywhere but IN the cab of the truck. 

[Redbone]

I am a dog person! I've had a large pack and also fostered rescue dogs (before my divorce)

I want to touch on or reiterate some of the things Coonbo listed in Booger Dog Requirements above. 

 

First and foremost, what is being described is a deep connection between you and your dog.

My recommended reading is "Bones Would Rain From The Sky" by Suzanne Clothier.

 

Every interaction between yourself and your dog should be positive. Your dog should WANT to be at your side.

Reward it EVERY time it comes to you and never punish a dog. You can correct it or disrupt it when you catch it doing something undesirable. Reward the behaviors you desire. When training rescue dogs I would always keep treats on hand and every time the dog would come, called or not they get a treat. I used goldfish crackers. Cheap and very small so they don't get loaded up on people food but tasty enough to keep them happy.

 

I have given a lot of thought about breeds for a squatchin' dog. I've had bird dogs, coondogs, and beagles but I think they all would have their faults. I had an English Setter (recently passed) who had a great nose and would hunt silently, but when her nose was on something I could not get her attention. The Beagles and Coonhounds tend to get noisy when they get on a scent.

 

I don't think any pure hunting dog would be right, although a lab or retriever could probably be trained to do it. My conclusion is that the best breed would be a herding dog or a mutt.

Herding requires obedience, intelligence, and silence when needed.

 

I have a 1/2 redbone coonhound 1/2 English shepherd mix that would be perfect (If she had been trained better as a puppy) The coonhound gives her the nose, size, and athleticism, and the intelligence comes from both breeds. The Bonus is that she is a very good looking dog, with a very gentle disposition. (She is also our pack leader - behind the humans of course)

 

Of the rescue dogs, only 3 (out of 50) come to mind as having what it takes.
ALL 3 seemed to be some mix of German Shepherd.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Redbone

[Guest Coonbo]

Redbone, I agree that German Shepherds usually make awesome booger dogs.  I have two good booger dogs now and the female is a GSD mix and the male is purebred GSD.   Both are rescues.  The female GSD that washed out of my training was a real airhead - the result of too much line breeding.  She was a rescue.  The male that washed out was her son, and had been abused horribly for years and could never be trusted around women or children.

[Redbone]

Here something to think about. I'm not sure it would be much problem with GSD's but it can be a huge problem with Bird Dogs. Tick-borne illnesses can cause the 'airhead' behavior. I'm pretty sure my English Setter had something. She ended up on long term antibiotics for a chronic respiratory issue and she got calmer and better behaved in her final years. The cheaper (and they are still not cheap) tick panel screens I guess are not really effective. The medicine is cheap though. It might be worth trying to get the airhead on a long term treatment and see if the behavior gets better. Getting the vet to go along with this idea is the problem. They'll want to do the screen and most vets will choose the cheaper test.

 

A lot of dogs end up in rescues because of the behavior problems.

 

Here is an Illinois rescue that checks all of their dogs, and almost all have a tick-borne illness. http://illinoisbirddogrescue.org/Ticked_off.html

 

(2009-2010)  "Out of 159 dogs and puppies tested, 136 came up positive for one or more of the following diseases: Anaplasma, Babesia, Ehrlichia, Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF)."

[Guest zenmonkey]

My experience with dogs brings them down to three types:

 

1.  Runs 15 miles....while you walk 5.  (25, while you walk 10.)  You see him occasionally.  Almost can't make it back to the trailhead.  Wassup, master?  Why do you keep going?  I'M DONE...

2.  Stays right with you ...UNTIL PEOPLEPEOPLEPEOPLE! show up; some of them enjoy the canine attention; some of them (raises hand) wonder why they didn't bring the Ruger this time.  "Oh, don't worry; that multiplicity of razor teeth you just felt on your wrist don't mean he bites!"

3.  Behaves.  Is an actual hiking partner.

 

In my opinion:  bigfooting (thank you for not saying 'squatchin') can only be hindered by 1 and 2; and only enhanced by 3.

 

(Beagle and 3:  extra bonus points.)

Yes sir and i agree.  and no I will never use the term "squatchin" or "squatchy" we have a hard enough time as it is being takin seriously at least we could leave the goofy terms out . I do salute Scott Herriot for the term though lol.

[NCBFr]

Zen -

 

#1 is my second husky and first real hiking companion only that she never ever tired.  I know I took her through light booger country, not sure if she ever caught the trail of one.  She killed her fair share of rabbits, woodchucks, and even a small deer.

 

#2 is my current 16 month white GS.  She has seen a booger and raised the alarm for my daughter to retreat in the house.  However, she barks like crazy at every little thing and treats everything including neighbors that she has seen 100 times as an enemy despite all of our training.  

 

Coonbo - AT what age do you start your dog booger training.  I am afraid my GS is beyond hope at 16 months.

 

#4 is not on your list but is I think is number one on Coonbos problem list.  The dog that you cannot let off a leash or will run wild and drags you around every tree, shrub, and briar lurching from scent to scent.  That is my current Husky trail companion.  Sweetest dog in the world but absolute pain in the ass in the brush.  1 mile and you have an absolute full body work out.  

 

Coonbo - Question number 2.  In an open field, can a booger catch an agile mid-large dog that does not want to be caught and trying to escape?  I think I know the answer but would love a confirmation from someone that knows.

 

Thanks all.

[ShadowBorn]

I had a great pit bull I called Jacob ,who I took with me out to the woods all the time. He was a great dog and I truly believe that he had his own personal encounter with the big guy while he was locked in is crate in my tent.  During that week he was never the same and was spooked but it truly changed him. It changed him in such a way that it made him fearless and in some strange way made him wanting for another encounter. When we were together we were one and I could truly count on him. He would never let me get lost and understood my fear of darkness. I am not sure what had happen to him the night of his encounter, but it had changed him and made him a different dog. He has now pass away and I have truly miss him since we have had a trust that no one can understand.

 

Now I have brought me a German Shepard who I have named Luke , he is a year in a half. I have been now training him for the work of searching for this creature. It is hard to understand him or read him since I have yet to encounter a creature with this dog. He is different then my pit bull and I understand that he will not be the same. But this is ok since I plan on using him for tracking and he seems to do very well since his nose is always on the ground. My worry about him is that he is very aggressive but he does listen well when we are together in the forest. I hope he works out well for what I plan on using him for. I hope that we can work together well as a team and this does seem like we do.  

[Guest]

Found this on a hike after a prescribed burn this past summer.

[Guest zenmonkey]

Good news!! So a friend of mine has a black and yellow lab they just had their first litter! He went ahead and saved a yellow male for me!

 

So in a few months I will have a new big footing buddy!