About Hunting Dogs

There are five main categories of hunting dogs. While some hunting dogs, like catch dogs, have been breed to do one task, others can play several roles during the hunt. Most breeds of tracking and baying dogs can do both jobs. It is not uncommon for a pointer to retrieve or a retriever to alert the hunter to a birds location. Many hunters choose to cross breed their dogs to bring out the best qualities of two breeds.

Tracking Dogs

Tracking dogs use their noses to smell and follow a game animal's trail. A tracking dog will find the prey for the hunter. A few breeds of tracking dogs commonly used are blue tick coon hounds, bloodhounds and beagles.

Baying Dogs

A baying dog is sometimes referred to as a treeing dog. After the tracking dogs find the game, the baying dogs come in and "tree" it. They stay on the game until it stops running or goes up a tree. They will then alert the hunter by "baying." The hunter follows the sound of the dogs to the game. Most tracking dogs are baying dogs as well.

Catch Dogs

Catch dogs run in after the game has been bayed. Most often used in wild hog hunting, they live up to their name by catching the game. They hold onto the game until the hunter arrives to dispatch it.

Pointers

Most people who hunt game birds like quail and pheasant use pointers. A pointer uses its nose to find game birds but unlike a tracking dog, it alerts the hunter to the direction of the game by pointing. When a dog points, he usually holds up one leg and straightens his tail. Dogs can be trained to point in different ways.

Retriever

Labradors and golden retrievers are examples of retrieving dogs. Like the name suggests, a retriever's job is to retrieve the game once it has been shot. Duck and goose hunters use retrievers to fetch birds that have fallen into the water.

References

• Hunting Dogs

Resources

• Hunting Dog Training