Advantages and disadvantages of hunting with a dog
Hunting with a dog is quite a controversial sport these days and there are some dogs that are better than others, some dogs are better “at” a specific type of hunting than others, that’s why hunting with a dog is a popular sport among hunting enthusiasts. There is no specific group registered with the American Kennel Club (AKC) to hunt alone other than bloodhounds which are known to have an ancestral history in their lineage in the domain of hunting.
These traits vary from one dog to another: some have a highly developed sense of smell, while others have very good resistance, etc. Some of the most famous hounds would be: Beagle, Norwegian Elkhound, American Foxhound, Black And Tan Coonhound and others as well. The widely known AKC Sporting Group is a fairly large group of hunting dogs for those hunters who enjoy hunting together with a dog in a wooded or aquatic setting. Some of the dogs that belong to this group would be: American Water Spaniel, Golden Retriever, English Cocker Spaniel, German Shorthair Spaniel and others as well.
Moving on to the interesting part, the exciting aspect of the dogs mentioned above (and the rest of them, of course) is that each breed has its own natural behavior. Hunting together with one of these dogs will surely improve your hunting efficiency, but choosing the most appropriate type of dog is crucial, as some dogs excel at hunting foxes, for example, while others are better at hunting squirrels. . Terriers were originally developed to hunt small animals and kill vermin, and if you plan on hunting squirrels, for example, a working terrier is the best way to go. Hunting dogs are the most recommended for any type of hunting as they will prove their effectiveness if they are properly trained.
The main disadvantage regarding hunting dogs is that the training procedure is quite complex and may not show the expected results when first hunting with the dog. Regarding the aspect of training a hunting dog, it is also a matter of time, since properly training a dog for hunting can take up to a year and in some cases you will only have one opportunity to do it because some mistakes are irreversible. An example of an irreversible error would be the lack of early socialization. We recommend that you do some research before choosing your hunting dog (taking into account the type of game you will be using the dog for), start training from a young age and things should go smoothly.
All things considered, hunting together with a dog has its advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage of using a dog is that if the dog was properly trained from a young age, the chances of catching more animals are greater than this dog will do some of the work for you. The main disadvantage would be that the whole training process takes some time and every dog is different in its own way, so there is no standard training procedure applicable for all breeds.
Razvan Marian Jr. is the owner of www.huntingdogsreviews.com where you can find useful but also interesting facts about hunting dogs.