Hi, I trap coyotes on a 30,000 acre ranch in SW Oklahoma & want to get a new dog to help out on the line. Growing up on the farm & living in the country my entire life, I've had many many different dogs: mutts, greyhounds, pointers, Brittanys, English setter, small terriers, cow dogs, etc. My favorite dogs were a female Rottweiler & a small male rat terrier. My Rottweiler was the smartest dog of all & the most well mannered and the rat terrrier was the most intense w/ a very high prey drive. I'm considering another Rottie or maybe a larger Decker rat terrier. If anyone has had experience w/ either breed on the trapline, I'd appreciate any advice. I'd love to hear about your experiences. This coming season I'm gonna step it up & try to run over 100 traps Dec-March. About 1/2 of the ranch is rocky limestone hills w/ very shallow soil or no soil & I'll be using a lot of drags. In the past, I haven't trapped these habitats as much but it's really good cat habitat & them as well as coyotes are plentiful. I should mention I'm a research biologist & am conducting a project on coyotes; I hope to be radio or GPS collaring coyotes next summer to track them back to dens and a dog could help out a lot.

Thanks,
Brandon

I think a jagdterrier or a mountain cur would serve your purposes well. Dead Coyote on here has a litter of jags on the way and curs should be easy to track down in Oklahoma. Both breeds would have more to offer as far as nose and hunting than a Rottweiler, and a little more size than the decker rats which are on the small side for coyote work in my opinion. Whatever you pick, having a dog on the line sure makes things more entertaining, good luck.

I've spent some time looking into Jagds & I'm impressed w/ the breed. There's actually a jagd breeder in my hometown that also breeds drahthaars. Thanks for the advice,

1/2 cur--1/2 aust.sheppard----all lets go trappin.

If you look up the word. Intense, in the dictionary this is what you should find ! Lol no I’m not kidding.

Sammy was a year old about the Fourth of July, I think he may be of Dead Coyotes stock, maybe . I’ve only had him a few months and he is an amazing ball of energy. I was convinced early on that he was stone deaf but since getting my e- collar back from my son his hearing has improved dramatically. I would say the more time I spend with him the more I like him. I would like to be able to spend every day all day with him as it would probably be a dramatic difference. Obedience training is more about my patience than his ability to learn. I’ve just started using deer liver to try and train him for deer recovery, he has found every piece so far. Next to the rat terrier/ German shorthair I had when I was a kid this is the “ gamiest “ dog I’ve ever owned and I’ve raised coon hounds for nearly 40 years !

I have considered a jagd. I've never had one and I assume like any other breed w/ any prey drive, they have to be socialized w/ people & other pets to avoid problems.

Sammy was 11 months old when I got him from Jeff and was not well received by his female. Without a doubt getting him as a puppy may have helped with his training but like I said he is very intense. You talked about a rott and I’ve not seen one I didn’t like, imagine a rott and jag cross. I’ve often thought a jagd and Airedale cross would be a cool dog but like Lee told me they are both terriers, lol .

Yea, the Rottie I had was well trained & very obedient. I didn't try to train her to work w/ cattle but she picked it up just by riding w/ me to feed, pen cattle, etc. They don't get enough credit for how smart they really are. They can be trained for anything. Having an obedient Rottie in your yard or back of your pickup probably goes a long way in deterring people w/ bad intentions. I haven't had a dog in 5 years so I might end up getting 2 pups, maybe a Rottie & a jagdterrier. It would be interesting to see a mix of the two.

Can’t help but think that would be an awesome cross !

Curs are really good at this. To the point that trapping should be considered light work. Had a black mouth cur that would do the hokey-pokey if I asked her to and was one of the gamiest dogs I had ever seen. Get a good cur and you will have the gaminess of the decker and intelligence like your rott. While having a better nose than both.

In OK & TX, Black mouthed curs are fairly common. A lot of hog hunters use them & I know they're used for cattle to. How long have you used them on the trapline? I appreciate your feedback

I will have a litter of pups in about 2 weeks out on the tan dog in this pic. She is a blackmouth cur and I bred her to a mountain/kimber cur male that is from two dogs that were used by a government trapper from around here. She has an excellent nose and I can put her on anything from varmints to cattle, she is really great to catch and hold cattle. On the trap line she doesn't miss a pile of scat or scent post. She's not the most aggressive dog, but that's what the red dog is for. She is a blackmouth cur, rhodesian ridgeback cross. Her nose is not as good, but she is and execellent site hunter. These pups are going to make some really good trap dogs and will mostly likely be able to be used on cattle if needed. Let me know if you are interested.

What are ya ask for the pups? Where in NM are you? I've spent some time trapping kangaroo rats for research purposes all across NM.

200 a piece. I'm just east of Corona about 15 miles.

That mix should be about as good as any for your purposes if it’s close at all, make a fine decoy dog as well for next summer, which in my opinion is the absolute most fun a guy can have hunting period.

Furgey how are those pups doing that you raised ?

They are all doing good from the update pictures and videos from their new owners, had pups go to CO, ID, NE, SD, IA, MO, IL, and TN. Found some good homes for them, wish I would have kept one for myself they should be some keepers.

I will say, most dogs I have seen or heard of, used as hog dogs are half feral. Might know their name and that's about it. Put a handle on them and become buddies. You will get so much more out of them and your dog will be happier, too.

To answer your question, I haven't used a dog on the trapline for very long. To be honest, I was afraid of getting one to run drags and find sign, then it be dumber than a box of rocks. Or Not care about anything I wanted to do. Not the case at all with my cur or any of the others I've seen that were really buddies with their owner. I was thoroughly impressed with about every aspect of them.

Btw, $200 is cheap coming from not just proven out, but currently working parents. I would definitely like to hear some updates on progress if you get a pup from bmccoyote. Pictures wouldnt hurt, either.
Anyway, I wish you luck with any route you go. And happy trappin'.

They definitely buddy up good. Mine are (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) on wheels when it comes to the varmints, and the blackmouth is equally as good on cattle, not so much with the red dog though. But on any given day they can be with my 4 boys and be absolute puppy dogs, and my youngest is 15 months. In the winter I kennel mine in the house at night, and they are well mannered enough to spend evenings on the couch or stretched out in front of the fire place.

Had mine on cattle, too. Run any track I pointed at, or direction I pointed to. Nosey and baying little dog for sure. I think she would've pulled hair on a grizzly bear, but wouldn't kill a 2 pound kit coon. Didnt really make sense, but it sounds like our curs are a lot alike if yours prefers to hunt,bay and hold, rather than kill.

I took her everywhere and she lived in the house with me, so she was exposed to all kinds of people and loved everyone... except one guy. She really didn't like one guy. Think he was methed out of his mind. So I was more than good with that. Then she would let little kids smother her and poke her in the eye. Loved it.

You notice much difference in temperament between your ridgeback cross and your straight cur? Good looking dogs, by the way. Sounds like you are proud of them.