Hunting with two dogs.

Bob Peters said:
I know I post a lot. One thing I've been thinking of lately. The dogs I hunt with are goldens named Skye and Roxy. I don't really live in pheasant country so I'm always driving a bit to go hunting. I've got no gripe with that because I honestly just feel lucky to drive an hour and hunt marginal territory, or go two plus hours to get into really prime spots. I hunt MN mostly as that's home. Iowa I get to a bunch and am glad I do, it's a fun state to hunt. South Dakota I hunted three times in my life(4 if you count turkeys), what a great state. This year I saved all my vacation time to burn up on fall bird hunting, I plan on getting out more than I ever have🤞.

Without going behind the scenes of the dogs schedules, there's times when they both want to hunt, and others when only one can make it. They are sisters(albeit distant relations) but Skye is 8 and Roxy turns 3 around pheasant opener. As it goes with a new pup, Skye was the veteran who did all the work and Roxy just followed along figuring things out, just shy of a year old. Roxy learned the ropes, flushes and finds her share of birds, and is great to have along on a hunt. I love them both, but Skye is a bully once the bird is found. If Roxy sniffs a downed bird, Skye immediately comes over and steals it. I realize a good dog trainer wouldn't have this issue. I however am not that skilled. Any training I've done was just taking them out on public land during hunting season. I'm not looking for any solution, Skye will always assert her dominance, but Roxy is never one to be deterred, which I'm forever grateful for.

My plan this year, especially when hunting multiple days in a row, is to hunt one dog and then the other. As Skye gets older I think a rotation will help her. I don't have money spots like Remy where an easy limit is more likely than not. I'm not A5, back home smoking his pipe in front of the hearth with three wild roosters hanging in his garage before the golden hour even starts. I usually hoof it all day to get a chance at a limit. Maybe I'll take a weekend or two and just bring Roxy. Last year by Marshall my buddy downed a rooster in a cattail marsh, and two guys and 3 dogs looked for half an hour and gave up hope. Walking back to the truck we were whistling up the dogs and Roxy didn't show. You guessed it, she came back late, but had a rooster gently hanging in her chops. It's really tough trying to choose a dog to go hunting. Skye only has so much time in the hourglass, so I almost can't turn her down. Roxy is a trooper and has been a great hunter in her own right. I know the dogs would have been better off hunting with a guy with a better grasp on dog training. But maybe they're better off going with an average Joe like me than being couch potato dogs and never hunting at all. Either way, they mean the world to me. Good luck everyone in the upcoming season. I can't promise much other than truthful reporting on my success in the field, and the times when the roosters got the better of me. For I'm sure there'll be days when the wise old roosters flush out of range, my shooting eye is off, or I just plain fail to bag a bird. Either way, I plan on getting the dogs out in the field as much as life will allow. I've got my priorities straight.

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I have the exact same thing going on.My puppy wants to take the bird from my 11 year old,who has always been a great retriever. I just can't leave one in the car,it would really crush the dog.They both go, but I have to limit the miles on my older dog.Jones hits the thick cover,River hunts the easier stuff,that works until a bird is shot.
 
I hunt two GSP's together and have for the last 20 years; wouldn't do it any other way. One is an outstanding hunter and the other has turned into a rockstar retriever. Lots of water and protein while they hunt. They will lose 10% of their body weight in a three-four week season in Texas.
 
I have two setters who hunt like they're two different breeds.. Marty is about 4 years old and he runs 110% every second he hunts. He'll burn the pads off his feet by day 3 or 4 in the Dakota's and if I let him he'd be 500 yards away, but man does he retrieve like a champ. Larry on the other hand, is younger, and hunts at a snails pace in comparison. He never gets more than about 75 yards away, and he turns to stone when he goes on point, rarely bumping a bird. His signature move last season was to find the birds I shot and then roll on them rather than bring them back to me... though duck hunting a few days ago I got him to retrieve some birds, so hopefully that move is a thing of the past..

It's nice to have some variation of styles because I'd rather take Marty in big open fields and Larry on smaller spots..

I typically rotate them back and forth depending on the spot, but every once in a while when I want to spice up the day I'll put them both out there and watch the fire and gasoline mix.. I would stress that if you have a dog that struggles to retrieve, don't hunt that dog with a dog that'll steal the majority of retrieves..
 
I like hunting with my 2 Drahts. My current 2 dogs, 11 1/2 and 4 years old, work as an awesome team. Both are natural backers and I really enjoy watching them working as a team on a running bird. The second dog helps when one decides to take on a raccoon too.
 
Just returned from Montana and I regularly ran two dogs , the country is big there and I feel like there were times I could have used a few more . Dogs worked good together and handled mainly with hand signals and a page / vibration from my Dogtra collar .
 
I normally always run two at a time but left an injured one home yesterday. I noticed better more controlled retrieves on two different poorly shot roosters. I thought maybe because less competition and a slower more controlled track.
 
I've been having trouble with my young dog not retrieving because of my 11 year old.He picks up bird, but runs around because my older lab will try to take it.Damm
 
Goosemaster said:
I've been having trouble with my young dog not retrieving because of my 11 year old.He picks up bird, but runs around because my older lab will try to take it.Damm
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Well I guess training your dogs would help stop that but you know they’re from montane, only one of the parents hunt and thwy were basically free so there is no need.
 
Golddog said:
Well I guess training your dogs would help stop that but you know they’re from montane, only one of the parents hunt and thwy were basically free so there is no need.
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They are both good hunters.They were not free.They are never in a lowbagger crate.
 
Goosemaster said:
They are never in a lowbagger crate.
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I keep a covered crate in the back of my truck. It has warm blankets inside and a remote temp monitor, so I can check internal temp when I'm out in the field. Last year my Vizsla scraped his feet up on ice, couldn't run and I had to leave him in the truck while hunting. The crate was the warmest place in the truck in freezing temps. Saw two skunks yesterday. If a dog gets skunked, it's going into the crate.....not inside my truck, until I can get them cleaned up. Lots of reasons to crate train a dog. I wouldn't go on a hunting trip without one.
 
Goose, what's a crate got to do with dogs fighting over birds? I had my youngest pup at a game farm last year for the sole purpose of training not hunting and you gave us two thumbs down. Ok that’s nice but that training help establish rules and guess what my dogs don’t fight over birds or play keep away. Your hypocrisy is staggering. Everything you say is contradicting to what you have posted earlier. “Being born within the state of Montana and only one parent of a pup needs to hunt, I remember you said $300 tops for a pup and then spent $500, you don’t train dogs you just take them hunting, etc etc….” You denigrate the very farmers who do still grant free access to hunting opportunities. You are simply the biggest bafoon or a PETA activist.

By the way I hope you never get in a car accident with your dogs in your truck. Their chances of survival are minimal in a roll over accident. If they do survive many times the dogs take off running and can be difficult to locate afterwards.

You are welcome to raise your dogs however you see fit but to complain about issues that are resolved with some easy training is your fault
“Mr I’m Too Gucci To Train My Dogs the IV”
 
With a push from an Alberta clipper, Huns are most challenging. The girls enjoy the work and safe in their crates. Their feathers are highly prized by fly tyers. I have met some outstanding farmers in my pursuit of them.
 
Golddog said:
Goose, what's a crate got to do with dogs fighting over birds? I had my youngest pup at a game farm last year for the sole purpose of training not hunting and you gave us two thumbs down. Ok that’s nice but that training help establish rules and guess what my dogs don’t fight over birds or play keep away. Your hypocrisy is staggering. Everything you say is contradicting to what you have posted earlier. “Being born within the state of Montana and only one parent of a pup needs to hunt, I remember you said $300 tops for a pup and then spent $500, you don’t train dogs you just take them hunting, etc etc….” You denigrate the very farmers who do still grant free access to hunting opportunities. You are simply the biggest bafoon or a PETA activist.

By the way I hope you never get in a car accident with your dogs in your truck. Their chances of survival are minimal in a roll over accident. If they do survive many times the dogs take off running and can be difficult to locate afterwards.

You are welcome to raise your dogs however you see fit but to complain about issues that are resolved with some easy training is your fault
“Mr I’m Too Gucci To Train My Dogs the IV”
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I did pay 500 for Mr. Jones.Thats mrj outdoors. We are going to give Lucas medlock and jcw outdoors a contest.
 
Powderhorn Jim said:
Best to hunt young dogs by themselves most of the time. Then the young dog builds confidence and doesn't have his/her birds stolen, either on flush or retrieve. Pheasant hunting gets a bit hectic at times and a young dog can too easily submit to the older dog's drive. Once the young dog is confident you can hunt them together, though still, it is good to separate them periodically.
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Updating my comments above, we have been hunting our 9 month old lab pup with our 11 year old lab this fall. I started by hunting the pup by herself on pen-raised birds to allow her to find, flush and retrieve without being out played by the older dog. That worked fine, other than the first time I did it I made the mistake of leaving the older dog in the cab of the pickup. She proceeded to cover pretty much every surface with slobber as she howled about being mis-treated (not allowed to hunt).

Later this season I've been hunting them together. They have distinctly different hunting styles and the older dog has actually started watching the young dog as she has a good nose and finds birds. Retrieving is another story. Being Labradors, they have a very strong retrieving drive and the competition is hot and heavy. Luckily I had the time to teach the pup to honor another dog's retrieves so she is much more controllable. The older dog actually appears to respect the young dog's retrieves, so it is working out.

This is likely the 11 year old's last hard year, so the pup will often be on her own next year. It will be interesting desert quail hunting this winter, for sure! Old dog still goes hard.
 
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