Trapline dogs?

Is there an advantage to using them? Which kinds seem to be the best for you and why? Then have you had them in a canoe and how did they do?

Locating animals on drags, poorly hit coyotes etc.. Mine will locate badgers in a den if one is around. My female will drag them out too. For me the main benefit is companionship. They’re never too busy to go. Always excited about it

Badgerman im pretty sure my jagd was bred for that kind of thing and I forgot to let him try last winter. Shame on me ! I worry about the little cuss but if the badger wins do you just put up a marker ?

I take my lab with me when I check my snares around the house. Mainly just for the companionship and the exercise. It’s about a 5 km round trip walk

I plan on taking our new mountain feist with us this year. A rescue dog but seems to have a great nose and loves to use it.
I'd like to see how he does finding coyote markings and sign, mostly. Plus if he marks a spot that should be a good set location too.
Jim

i love my Staffordshire terrier she is really little and find a ton of sign for me all I gotta do is open the truck door and shes out with her nose to the ground its crazy to me how much I have walked right past and didn't notice then took her and in one field she found 3 piles of scat. and left her own by one of them so I set a flat set and had a female yote 3 days later. cant beat them for finding sign. I now don't leave the house without her unless im just running a quick line check and not scouting but even most times shes with.

He finds animals that I probably couldn't.

I'd like to take my dog along, an English Shepard, but I'm afraid he would get the trapped animals all wound up or try to fight them. Anyone have issues with that ?

After having a dog on the line I don't believe I would go without one now! They find so many micro locations! If you allow them to they will almost point out travel ways. My dog even though its a gyp will mark scent posts! And clean out any free range grinners. My advise on fur damage is your dog needs to listen well. They need to learn drop or no! My Airedale gyp can almost run down a healthy yote! One dragging a trap wont stand a chance.Downfall she hates cats! But loves to hear them crunch! Think that's just a Airedale trait.So far on yotes shes happy baying im ok with that. Beavers are what she keeps sizing up but I keep her back!Trapline dogs are a lot of enjoyment

This sounds really good for the plan I have

If you are a dog man you will find you cannot get by without one. They will show you a lot if you are observant. A dog that will follow drags is worth its weight in gold. A dog is a great companion. A dog will never complain about how tired it is, how cold it is, how it is hungry. Pretty darn hard to beat a good dog on the trapline.
Mac

Okay, well he's pretty obedient , to me anyways. He just recently lost an eye (pure white and "dead"), has a few chipped teeth tips, and has had stitches twice. He is only 4 years old and knows no limits, can run from sun up to sun down. So where they pee is where to make a post set ?

That dogs name should be lucky the way you described it. Yes were they mark a spot is were the trap goes pay close attention to there foot placement! That gets me every time my dogs a female so naturally I catch more females at scent posts

This is my trap line dog...

Showing where the remake goes.

I have a blue healer and German shorthair cross. Do you think she would make a good trapping dog. Will she mark territory like a Male. She's got plenty of grit.

I'd sure give her a try. She might make a great dog.

Yep probably be a good one. Train her to trail, animals hide drug around the ground then hidden in a bush or up a small tree make it fun,trap her with a trap that is not anchored let her watch you make a set while telling her nooo then let her get caught in it repeat until she just sits and watches but won’t investigate use a small trap like #1ls. Hope this helps, dogs will help you get on location as in exact location and if trained to trail will save you a lot of time when using drags.

Do many of you that have trapline dogs use many body grippers on dry ground? I would think that could be disastrous! The reason I ask, I hope to have a trapline dog by next year and assumed I would need to stop using body grippers.

I've ran a couple curs with me on the trapline. Both started going down beaver bank dens when they were still little pups. The nose is phenomenal and can really wind your animals or run a cold track. They can also let you know when they smell something going down the road, so you can just let them out. Usually catch or bay whatever it is right there on the ground. I imagine a cat will usually make it up a tree, though.

The little thing I have now, actually pulled a badger out of a hole, 2 days before she turned 4 months old. Then held him there for me to knock in the head with my stake driver. The little girl I had before that, ran a track, pulled a huge boar coon out of an irrigation pipe and held him for me to knock in the head with a stake driver, aswell. Curs are great dogs.

lol but your pretty bias to blue healers both breeds of dog are pretty gritty id say it would make a trap line dog

What do y'all think of Pudelpointers? I've been wanting one for a while... mostly for hunting, but I think trapping would occur more frequently

In Maine we are not allowed a bigger body grip than a 5x5. Even if the law allowed I seriously doubt I would use a larger body grip than that on the ground. I would not only be concerned about my dogs I would be concerned about other dogs. Other folks use the woods and I really don't want to be an enemy of any of them.


I would be greatly be concerned about the image of trapping.
Do you want your picture on the news as the guy that helped get trapping banned or more tightly restricted in an area? I darn sure don't need that kind of attention.

And Airedales, and Jagds, and Jackrats, and.......
anything smart and gritty.

Sir, I have been trapping since 1974 and have been around, used, bred and raised game dogs longer than that. I understand full well the implications of mixing dogs and body grip traps. Even though legal in our state, I DO NOT use 160's or 220's on dry ground or in buckets for the dog reason. I can assure you that even a 155 (5x5) in a coon/mink box could be rough on a JacRat, a cross between a a Jack Russell and a Rat Terrier, or a Patterdale terrier, both of which would make excellent trapline dogs.

My question was meant to be more about how well the dogs were trained. What if a guy is trapping Beaver with submerged 330's, do any still take the dog along or are they afraid the dog will take a swim. While I will admit that I may not have articulated my question well, I do not need my trapping ethics questioned by someone that has never met me. Some of you need to stop jumping to conclusions and assuming the worst of your fellow trappers. Thank you for your arrogant and condescending concern none the less.

Just purchased a Mountain Cur pup. Hope to train it as a trapline dog. Right now he is a real handful.

My cur turned 9 this past spring and he has been a handful since day one. Great dog, but a handful.

#11 my dogs goes with me on all my lines. Be it coni or foot holds. Shes either highly intelligent or lucky she acts like she knows were my sets are even rats sets completely under a few foot of water. The only line I run that I worry is otters! I set every point that protrudes into the water. Its a natural pullout for otts and a convinent spot to wade for dogs. Slowly im training her to heal my 4 wheeler. E collars are a gods send for training dogs. I prefer the style with tone over shock! Very seldom do I need to touch the bite button! Hope that helps

^^^^^ Thank you Tony F. Very informative.

They are awesome bird dogs and just as good at waterfowl
I don't think they are great fur dogs but I might be wrong. I would look at a drathaar if you want a similar breed that has excellent fur drive as well. Jmo.

I'm so happy to hear that. What a blast. I've heard the PPs are a little bit more relaxed than the Draht... yay or nay?

I would say the p pointers that I have known are not relaxed.. they have enormous drive to retrieve from water and work the field. I will say that they have a better temperment as a family dog than the drathaars that I have known. Both will gear down in your home. Some of the male drathaars that I had were rough on other male dogs. They were nice with people though. Both are great breeds. I am sure you could teach a p pointer to hunt fur just fine.

Just bought two rat terriers and they will be companion/ location dogs. LLL

That's some good news
Thanks 1

Thanks for the info guys. I now have a few breeds to look at. Wife would like to have a American bulldog. I on the other hand am not set on one initial breed. Looking for something that rides well and is suited for water. I run out of canoe when mother nature allows, so it will have to be comfortable with water and not to easily excited. Figured if I started looking now I would find out what works best. Again thank you for the help.

Great info everyone, thanks!

I would never have a dog in a canoe

Don't forget to check with your local animal shelters. They may not be pups but one never knows when you find a diamond in the rough.

Ive been around dogs and raised dogs most all my life. I've had hounds, curs, terriers, and some mixed up mutts. I've had a few dogs on the trap line. Some things I have learnt along the way....

1)For me the hounds just didn't cut it. They ranged too far and wanted to run a track more than anything.

2)Terriers...I really enjoyed my terriers. Killing machines! There's no backing up once they get started. They're rough on the fur. They're also hard headed and tend to end up in a trap at some point during the day.

3)Curs are probably the best all around dog and can do just about anything you want them to. Most are level headed and have a good handle. They tend to bay more than bite and have really good noses.

It also depends on what style of trapping your doing. If you're in the predator control side of things and you're really combing through a piece of property then a dog will serve you well. If you're road trapping and running around like your hair's on fire trying to get hundreds of sets out, I've found a dog is detrimental and slows you down.

Here's Finn with a couple beaver we caught on a short snare line. Even at a young age he was exceptional in the water. He would dive in and bring the beaver to me...alive. The man who has him now takes him along on his float trips down the river in his CANOE and boat quiet often with no problems.

I've got a little cur I'm playing with now. She's still young but hates a coyote. Not the best Pic but you get the drift.

Ditto!

We have AWS's that were bred specifically to be comfortable and safe in canoes and skiffs here.

I am sure I'll regret at one time or another for taking one in a canoe, but I truly love trapping out of one, so I guess when it comes time I'll either sink or swim.

AWS?

American Water Spaniel

The 2 most important commands you can teach a hunting dog of any type (bird, rabbit, fur, deer, bear etc.) are COME and NO. If you can Master that with fido, you can have a valuable partner for its life. Aside from that, most dogs will still hunt to a degree so its up to you to steer their desires. my take................................... the mike

Thanks

I agree