What are the best hunting dogs?
Generally speaking a hunting dog is any dog that assists a hunter while they are hunting. This includes coon Hunting dogs, bird hunting dogs and gun dogs. There are a wide variety of breeds that are used as hunting dogs including Terriers, Spaniels, Setters and Coonhounds. In this article, you'll learn more about the types of hunting dogs, why they are needed and how they are trained.

What are some of the advantages to using hunting dogs while hunting?

Hunting dogs provide their owner's with a range of benefits while hunting. First the best hunting dogs are able to locate and track animals in very tight spaces. Hunting dogs also allow the hunter to set for a good shot while they also eat the same no matter whatever animal they are hunting. The hunters usually look for birds, rabbits and coons. A hunter can hunt more number of animals or birds if they use a well trained hunting dog. Furthermore hunting dogs provide hunters with a faithful companion.

What are some of the major aspects involved when training a hunting dog?

There are several important aspects that need to be addressed when deciding how to train hunting dogs. These concepts have to be given equal importance as having a dog that is weak in one area, will affect the others as well. Below are a few of the key considerations one must take into account when training a hunting dog.

Point/ Retrieve

When training hunting dogs, it is important to remember that a hunting dog must be able to communicate with its owner in the field. Many times the dogs will need to point the direction where the animal they're hunting has fled to. The trained hunting dog have to retrieve the animal's body.

Conditioning

Conditioning being early in the hunting dog's life and continues throughout. It begins with the early interactions of the hunting dog among its mother and siblings. With positive experiences, the hunting dog will foster learning. It is important to note that early conditioning is aimed at preventing independence and possessiveness in hunting dogs.

Endurance

In many cases, the hunting dog will be working long days on various occasions like heat, cold, rain, snow, and sleet. It is imperative that the hunting dog is able to perform in these types conditions. They will also be responsible for tracking quick moving animals which will outrun a hunting dog that is not trained and maintained well.

Tracking

A majority of the hunting dogs will need to be adept at tracking. This requires the dog's full attention and determination. A hunting dog will need to disregard any scents that do not belong to the animal being tracked and will also have continue when a trail runs cold. The hunting dogs will need to maneuver through obstacles without losing the trail or becoming distracted. Some obstacles a hunting dog may face include streams, rivers, brooks, thick underbrush and scents of other people and animals.

What special equipment are used during the tr aining of hunting dogs?

The training equipment includes special electronic collars, whistles, harnesses, training dummies and dummy scents. Most of these are used to train for all breeds. When it comes to coon hunting dogs almost all these are used.

Electronic Collars

o Electronic training collars are very popular among those who train hunting dogs. Using the electronic collar allows the trainer to immediately correct in case of defaults. If the dog is not following the trainer's command it, is quickly given a small amount of undesirable electronic stimulation. The hunting dog quickly realizes that their behavior is linked to the undesirable stimulus. The hunting dogs will then adapt the desired behaviors to avoid receiving the electronic stimulation. These electronic collars are available in a variety of pet shops and hunting suppliers, as well as on the internet and price range from $55 to over $410.

Retriever Dummies

Retriever dummies are intended to replicate actual ones. Re t riever dummies are designed to teach your hunting dog the proper retrieval technique with minimal injury. The retriever dummies are available at a variety of hunting supply stores and on the internet and retail stores for few dollars as low as $60.

Dog Whistles

Dog whistle have always been a popular dog training supply for both hunting and non hunting dogs. Whistle trained dogs are much easier to control in hunting situations, especially when distance, heavy brush and wind come into play. Training a dog to respond to a whistle takes time but it is highly advantageous. There are a variety of whistles available which can be used to train bird hunting dogs as well as other types of dogs. They are priced around $20 to $30 and are available at a variety of stores nationwide.

Training hunting dogs, including coon hunting dogs, takes time, persistence and patience. You can find additional information related to hunting dogs by performing a quick key word search using your favorite searc h engine.