Update on squirrel dog

[fw707]

I posted some pictures a while back of a feist I'm getting from Georgia. I'll be picking him up Friday.
He sure looks a lot different now.
Here's a picture of him at just a little less than 4 weeks:

And here's a couple more taken a few days ago:

 

[Roy]

Cute pup :thumbsup:

 

[jeepwj992002]

Lil fella is getting big!

 

[whitetrash078]

Looks like an ornrey little $#!+, which should be perfect for squirrels

 

[Titus]

Cute liddle feller. Growin up some. :thumbsup:

 

[d.thomson]

I like his markings. F.K.

 

[Vaino]

Is a "Squirrel Dog" a recognized breed and was he born w/ a short tail? :wink: A real good looker! Have hunted squirrels w/ and w/o a dog and have mixed feelings as to which method is more fun. No doubt using a good dog is more productive but "sneaking" around the woods w/o one has great appeal also. For many years I used a 100 lb German Shepherd on squirrels and he was "foolproof".....the squirrels that his big ears didn't pick up fell prey to his excellent nose and many times my hunt was cut short because of his efficiency and my refusal to walk away and give him bad habits. By the way, he also was excellent on ruffed grouse and his odd wagging tail was the "sign" of an impending flush. The problem w/ this dog was that he was an opportunist and all wild game, feral cats and assorted varmints all fell to his crushing jaws. Happy hunting w/ this fella or gal?.......Fred

 

[fw707]

Is a "Squirrel Dog" a recognized breed and was he born w/ a short tail? :wink:
Happy hunting w/ this fella or gal?.......Fred

Fred, the breed is known as a "Mountain Feist", and he's a male. A lot of these dogs are born with natural bobtails, but he wasn't.

 

[fw707]

Thanks everybody for the kind words and compliments on Speck!!
Now I'm gonna tell y'all something I just found out a few days ago and see what y'all think.
After the rest of Speck's litter were gone to their new homes the owner spent a lot of time with Speck by himself and he noticed that Speck has a hearing problem. He's not deaf, but he seems to have a considerable hearing loss. He offered me a refund of my deposit and a first pick of his next litter, but my wife and I decided we would take him anyway.
We've been getting pictures and emails about once a week with his progress, and the little feller has become one of the family already and we ain't even seen him yet.
Would y'all take a "handicapped" dog if you had the opportunity to wait for a "normal" pup??
Take a real close look at this picture before you answer my question:

 

[Roy]

Those dogs mainly hunt with their eyes first, or atleast thats what I have noticed about mine. Teach him how to always find you and always check back with ya and he will make a great hunting companion. No way I could turn down a face like that lol.

 

[wildeagle]

With humans , when one sense is diminished the other ones develope more. Dogs have good noses also. Personally That pup is a real looker, I would Have him as my companion in a heartbeat!!!! I've seen stories of dogs overcoming great obstacles, it gives them character. You have a great addition to your family there!!!

 

[Vaino]

How do you know for certain that his hearing is defective and perhaps he's just distracted and doesn't "pay attention"? As was said before, the sight and smell become more acute when the hearing is defective if he truly is lacking full hearing. An advantage to his poor hearing is that he wouldn't become "gun shy" if the training is done wrong. Personally, I wouldn't contend w/ a dog w/ defective hearing....there's a chance it could worsen to a complete hearing loss and then how do you control him? Having had as many as 3 dogs at one time and one or two on and off for most of my life, I've noticed that quite a few dogs today are sickly, defective or have temperment problems and are these defects due to "inbreeding" or to a lesser extent to "line breeding"? To fixate certain characteristics in a hurry, some breeders "inbreed" which exagerates the good and bad and don't cull the poor specimens for the sake of money. This not only happens w/ purebreds but also w/ mixed breeds and because of this, the vets are very busy. Good luck on whatever your choice might be.......Fred

 

[tx50cal]

Not to hijack this tread, but what common small breads are good squirrel dogs? Also are there any books or videos to help in the training of a squirell dog? I am thinking of a beagle, I have heard they are great rabbit dogs, but don't know about squirells. Thanks for the help.
Rob

 

[fw707]

Rob,
feists, curs, rat terriers, and Jack Russels are the first breeds that come to mind for squirrel dogs. I have heard of beagles making squirrel dogs, but some of the other breeds would probably be a better choice.

Fred,
I hope you're right and he's just hardheaded and doesn't pay attention! :grin:
The breeder of my dog only raises a couple of litters a year, and he adds new bloodlines to prevent the inbreeding that's common nowadays.

 

[Roy]

Well whats the update now??

 

[fw707]

Well, we've had the little feller for 2 weeks now, and I gotta say he's a real handfull! :shake:
It's tough to communicate with a dog that can't hear your commands.
If he'll calm down a little bit after the puppy stage is over he'll make a good pet, but I've got another dog reserved from a litter that was born yesterday for a squirrel dog.

 

[HillbillyGadget]

Here's a good website called squirrel dog central[url] http://sqdog.com/[/url]

And there's a good magazine called Full Cry.

 

[fw707]

Yep, that's where I found the guy I bought the pup from. :thumbsup: