Free Range Bird Dog

[Havy_GSP]

I was wondering if anyboby had a bird dog that gets free range of the yard all day, and if so dose it effect there hunting?
Also I have never had a bird dog that stays inside but would like to on my new gsp pup (if it will not effect hunting ability) Any info, tips, or comments would be greatly appreciated


Thanks, Havy

[tommyboy72]

All my dogs always have free range of the yard. Never had one climb the chain link fence but have had some dig out until I put in a hotwire fence in that was around 5000 volts. Tried a thousand volt fence at first but that didn't phase them so I upgraded. All of mine are house trained as well and come inside when it gets below 20 degrees. They sleep in pup up kennels and my female sleeps in the bed with me and my wife. They all do very well inside. At least mine do. They are hyper for about 10 minutes or so and then find a place to lay down and just laze around the house.

[asc]

My two are inside at night and have free range of the yard(fenced acre) during the day. They hunt just fine.

[Havy_GSP]

Yeah im gonna house break this new pup just a little worried bout letting him run free because i live on a ranch no fenced in yard...so i may just kennel her while im working and let out when im done and can be around to keep a eye on her.

[AzDoggin]

Yeah im gonna house break this new pup just a little worried bout letting him run free because i live on a ranch no fenced in yard...so i may just kennel her while im working and let out when im done and can be around to keep a eye on her.

Other possible options might be an electronic fence + collar, or a long zip line (50 feet plus). Someone on here posted their setup a year or so ago and it looked pretty cool - a stout cable stretched very tight from one big tree to another -- and the dog could run along the line on a dropper line that slid on a contraption with bearings on the main line. The main disadvantage with both of these is unwanted visitors - stray dogs or coyotes. Your dog would be lunchmeat for a pack of either.

Third option is the 5x10 kennels sold at lots of the home construction stores (Home Depot, Lowes) around here. The sides are at least 6 feet high and you can put a top on them. Seems like they run around $300.

[gonehuntin']

Yeah im gonna house break this new pup just a little worried bout letting him run free because i live on a ranch no fenced in yard...so i may just kennel her while im working and let out when im done and can be around to keep a eye on her.

I would NEVER, EVER, LET A DOG RUN FREE, ranch or not. If you want to lose the dog, that's the way to do it. There is NOTHING positive about it.

[Ruffshooter]

Do you really mean running at large?
No way I would do that. It is a good way for a dog to get shot or run over. Chasing deer or other stuff.
In a fenced yard that is fine.
E fences seem to work for most. I would be Leary about those personally.

[Buckeye_V]

You can do it. I have 3 very independant vizslas who I hunt, field trial and are house dogs. We let them run free on 50 acres and have not had an issue. A good recall is what you need. Trained and reinforced all of the time.

Just sayin'

[Wildweeds]

like my neighbor told me once......." If you have a hunting dog that stays in the yard(an unfenced one)..........it ain't much of a dog".

[Neil]

In the old days all pups were allowed to run free - to learn, and many of the top breeders do it today, either putting out JH birds or letting them find wild birds, if they have them. There is danger involved, some are lost or killed. At about 9 months to a year, they are kenneled.

I would never use an underground fence, it may keep the dog in, but does not keep other things out. And even a dog that has been conditioned to the fence will run through it in hot pursuit.

I have a couple of acres fenced, the pups run free in it, the adult dogs are kenneled, but let out at least twice a day.

Neil

[joachimt]

Keeping a hunting dog inside the house does not have a negative impact on its hunting capabilities. I have had 3 GSPs all great house dogs and all 3 were great hunters. I think the whole thing of keeping your hunting dogs outside is old school thoughts.

[Sharon]

Yeah im gonna house break this new pup just a little worried bout letting him run free because i live on a ranch no fenced in yard...so i may just kennel her while im working and let out when im done and can be around to keep a eye on her.

I would NEVER, EVER, LET A DOG RUN FREE, ranch or not. If you want to lose the dog, that's the way to do it. There is NOTHING positive about it.

I had a dog stolen from the back yard when i was inside. Didn't have to be at work . It happened when I was home.

[Havy_GSP]

I would NEVER, EVER, LET A DOG RUN FREE, ranch or not. If you want to lose the dog, that's the way to do it. There is NOTHING positive about it.[/quote]
i have a blue healer that runs free has for 5 years never ran off always stayed on the property. My boss has a lab (non hunter) Same story runs around the ranch never runs off....so i know its possible just didnt know if that would effect its hunting

[birddogger]

Yeah im gonna house break this new pup just a little worried bout letting him run free because i live on a ranch no fenced in yard...so i may just kennel her while im working and let out when im done and can be around to keep a eye on her.

I would NEVER, EVER, LET A DOG RUN FREE, ranch or not. If you want to lose the dog, that's the way to do it. There is NOTHING positive about it.

Amen!!

Charlie

[Ruffshooter]

You can do it. A good recall is what you need. Trained and reinforced all of the time.
Just sayin'

A good recall does no good when you are not present.
Dogs chase deer, birds, squirrels, coyotes, cats, raccoons, turkeys, they are led to the road and run over. How do you stop that when you are not home. Then of course there are thieves.
Deer hunters or others seeing dogs chase deer or moose many times will shoot the dog.
It only takes one time. Then you are out a great companion, it only takes one time for something to happen when you are not around. IMO

Sorry: edited out some rudness. Not meant, just one of those days I should have waited. Sorry.

[birddogger]

Keeping a hunting dog inside the house does not have a negative impact on its hunting capabilities. I have had 3 GSPs all great house dogs and all 3 were great hunters. I think the whole thing of keeping your hunting dogs outside is old school thoughts.

Mine are outside dogs but I agree whith this.

Charlie

[LaTexCLB]

We have a brittany that is an inside dog, but in the field he is very focused on finding birds. The nice thing about keeping a pup in the house is that you have so many opportunities to interact with it in a positive way - you get free training time. For the Brittany - he displayed a significant desire to learn. What I mean by this, is that we normally had some little doggie treats, but had run out. Instead, my wife put some of his dog kibble in a sandwich bag. He would go and get the sandwich bag with dog food in it - and bring it to one of us - so that he could "do his tricks" and get rewarded with dog food. The funny thing about this, was that he had dog food in his dog bowl in the other room. He would get bored and literally beg to have you give him commands. In just a few months the Brittany learned all the basic commands of sit, here, fetch, shake, "give me 5", "high 5", "10", jump, roll-over, turn, put in the trash, ring a bell to go potty, and the ultimate sign of dog trainability - - - to potty in "one spot" in the back yard.

Now I have a new GSP pup that my wife wanted to make an "inside dog" as well. In 2.5 weeks, this new pup knows her name, comes to "here" pretty well, will "fetch" in the house, responds well to "no", "kennel", and has started using her nose to track down vienna sausage trails I lay in the yard when I say "trail". By keeping a pup in the house, you have to make many, many trips outside for them to relieve themselves as part of potty training. When we come back into the house from a potty break, I take several opportunities a day to start teaching "whoa". "Whoa" for now simply means to stand still - even though the door is open to the house and you want to run in - - - but learn to control your enthusiasm and simply stand there for a few seconds until I release you. She is not really trained on these commands as a 10.5 week old puppy. But because I consistently use the same words like "here", "kennel", "potty", "whoa", "trail", "fetch", "no", etc. - and she gets to hear most of these words several times / day. "Puppy training" is just a part of her every day experience. I also have an outside 10x10 kennel that she gets stay in on a periodic basis - now up to 5 or 6 hours at a time - up from 1 - 2 hours initially. It's almost hard to believe that we've covered so much in 2.5 weeks.

[Havy_GSP]

Thanks for the info and comments everyone!...all is very helpful

Havy

[Neil]

All of our dogs spend the first 6 months of their life in the house at night, then rotate with the other adult dog, no more than two are allowed in at a time.

I thought we were beyond a hunting dog cannot be a house dog nonsense,

Neil

[Buckeye_V]

I don't advocate leaving the dog outside 24-7. What I mean is you can let the dog free run while you are "around". It does work. But I guess I am a blooming moron according to some.

Who knew?!

[Chukar12]

This is a pile of pretty good chukar dogs at 4:30 this morning waiting for me to get out of the shower so they could go "roading." I have kennels built and we use them when company is coming, or we are all going to be gone from home; otherwise, my dogs free roam our 5 acres. I have a 5' tall fence of 2x4 welded wire around the place and I put an invisible fence system under it to keep them from messing around the fence and digging out...after a week they don't need the electric fence or collars. Our property is steep and their free roaming helps keep them in shape. All that being said, a dog running loose with no boundaries is trouble...roads, poisons, traps et al that are around ranches are bad news...

...and the house dog thing? Well I think that all boils down to who is in the house...

[nikegundog]

Around me 80% of the farm dogs are free roaming, if that is the term used for having the run of the farm. Its worked for the last 100 years here, it still works today.

[prairiefirepointers]

3 of my birddogs have the entire fenced backyard accessible to them 24/7. They have a dog door in the mudroom that leads out to the backyard. My hounds run and hunt just fine.... If only I did at the moment.... I just had knee surgery last Wednesday.

[Sharon]

Sorry to hear of your surgery. Trust you are back on your feet soon, Jess.