Would you lease/rent a hunting dog for a day?

[perception007]

I was just having a random thought after another unsuccessful day or jack rabbit hunting. Usually we hunt in a group so it's a little easier to cover an area.

We could definitely use the advantage of a dog. The two guys in my group who had dogs , one had to put the dog down and the other guy is too old and health complications now prevent him from coming out.

I would even rent one on my own so I could get out more by myself. I work a irregular schedule so I can get out more than my group.

What do you guys think? Good or bad idea if it existed here?

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/mans-best-friend/2011/08/would-you-consider-leasing-gun-dog

 

[69firebird]

I would imagine the older fellow with health problems would appreciate someone hunting his dog for him rather than it sitting at home. Ask him.

Edit - probably only cost you some dog food

 

[perception007]

I would imagine the older fellow with health problems would appreciate someone hunting his dog for him rather than it sitting at home. Ask him.

Edit - probably only cost you some dog food

We did try once but he is having a hard time accepting what he is going through. All what he could talk about was getting better and that he will be back in no time. We didn't want to keep bringing up a dog when the bigger picture is more important.

I am not trying to paint a picture that he passing. He can't walk because his legs have got really swollen and he can't put weight on his knees. Has to walk with a cane but he can't get very far. He is very strong headed. You can't say much to him because the way he deals with his stress is with anger. Hopefully things don't lead to further complications. I hope he gets better but it doesn't look like it will be soon.

So we won't bother bringing up his dogs anymore.

Our group consists of our fathers who are in the 60-74ish range and their kids (men) with a few buddies who are late 30's to mid to late 40's. So it's hard to watch the older guys get older and see where we are all hopefully going to be able to get to one day. When they do come out we make it as easy as we can for them. lol but they are so stubborn they still put us to shame sometimes. Glimpses of glory. Al bundy stories to remember and hear about.

 

[the spank]

Never heard of spirting dog rentals except at places like a pheasant hunting farm. And then it's usually a combination of dog/handler. I have a hard time picturing anyone renting a dog to be loaded into a vehicle and driven away with to be used and hopefully returned later?

 

[justinb1981]

And just hope the person comes back with the dog, doesn't accidentally shoot the dog, and that the dog listens well to a person it met 5 minutes ago

 

[the spank]

And just hope the person comes back with the dog, doesn't accidentally shoot the dog, and that the dog listens well to a person it met 5 minutes ago

I was headed out one afternoon for an evening duck hunt with a buddy who brought his aging uncle along. On route to the marsh I spotted two pheasants in a field I had permission to hunt along a drainage ditch edge. We got out and I suggested to my buddy we let his uncle take the birds which really pleased him. We headed across the field to where the pheasants had slipped into the ditch and I put my dog (a black lab) in to flush them out. Immediately he was birdy and I see both birds trying to slip through some grass about 15 feet ahead of the dog. I let the old fellow know to get ready as the birds are just ahead of the dog and he'll have them airborn any second. At that I hear him click off his safety. A second later whoosh and cackle, cackle as two rooster pheasants flush. The old boy goes into action and starts to throw his gun up to get on them. My dog is standing 10 yards broadside to us. Before the old fellows gun ever got anywhere near his shoulder just as he started his move he hits the trigger and kaboom the ground erupts right directly underneath my dogs belly between the front and back legs!! Fortunately nothing hit the dog but dirt and the old fellow was shocked at what he had done while I was speechless at having just watched my dog just about get his guts blown out. Had that muzzle been one or two inches higher my dog would have been killed in that field that day.

 

[hunter5425]

I can't imagine anyone renting out a trained field dog to a stranger as the risks to a valuable dog are just too high. When my buddy was on vacation I took care of his dog but didn't take it hunting with mine even though I have hunted with it many times. Regardless of how unlikely it would be to tell an owner his dog is dead or missing is something I have no desire to risk. If you hunt a lot get your own dog, the rewards of hunting a dog you've raised and trained are well worth the time and cost.

 

[69firebird]

I can't imagine anyone renting out a trained field dog to a stranger as the risks to a valuable dog are just too high. When my buddy was on vacation I took care of his dog but didn't take it hunting with mine even though I have hunted with it many times. Regardless of how unlikely it would be to tell an owner his dog is dead or missing is something I have no desire to risk. If you hunt a lot get your own dog, the rewards of hunting a dog you've raised and trained are well worth the time and cost.

Perception007

Don't get discouraged with these other guys. Dog boworrowing happens everyday weather it's coon or big game hounds, retrievers or beagles. The best thing to do is find a 'dog man' not these guys with 'pets' that hunt. The guys with 'pets' that hunt won't give you a dog cause they have all those concerns listed above. You find someone that really hunts and raises dogs. Chances are he will have young ones needing hunted or old ones that are slowing down or maybe one he doesn't like so much but is decent, that he would let you hunt (or for a small fee or food)

If you do find someone, from experience don't just pick the dog up, hunt it for the weekend, and drop it off again. Without trimming its nails, cleaning it up, charging the tracking collar, etc.

IF your not having any luck I know 2 guys with hair style beagles, competition beagles and another with cottontail competition beagles.

 

[brybenn]

When I ran hounds only a select few were ever invited to hunt over them. It sucked telling some good friends that they can't come because they just weren't ready to hunt over hounds. Being a dog owner I'd never let anyone take my dog out if I wasn't there.
I no longer have any hounds. I have an English mastiff that needed a home so I adopted her instead of getting another hound.
If you like to bunny hunt I'd suggest getting a beagle or basset hound and raise and train them. There's no greater satisfaction than hearing your own dogs sing

As mentioned I've only heard of game farms renting dogs with handlers

 

[perception007]

That would definitely suck. The guys in my group do talk about how they have lost dogs. They said that they have lost a couple dogs because the shooter didn't lead enough on the jack and the dog ran right into it. I would have hated to be there when that happened. Sad.

 

[hoytcanon]

I didn’t read the thread... only the title...

But...

What responsible, sportsman/dog owner would rent their dog to some schmuck for a daily fee... considering that you spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of training hours to develope a well trained hunting dog... and then risk all of that for a few bucks? Even if you got the dog back in good shape, the odds are pretty good it would take a hundred hours to deprogram the bad habits fostered by some noob... if the dog wasn't ruined completely. Sorry OP... this is the worst idea ever... JMO.

 

[redruns]

It's my experience that you need to understand how the dog was trained and it needs to know what to expect from you. Great idea, but likely difficult in execution.

 

[perception007]

I didn’t read the thread... only the title...

But...

What responsible, sportsman/dog owner would rent their dog to some schmuck for a daily fee... considering that you spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of training hours to develope a well trained hunting dog... and then risk all of that for a few bucks? Even if you got the dog back in good shape, the odds are pretty good it would take a hundred hours to deprogram the bad habits fostered by some noob... if the dog wasn't ruined completely. Sorry OP... this is the worst idea ever... JMO.

Hey guys this thread was never me asking for someones dog. I attached the link to the article I read and thought it's a pretty good idea. I wasn't asking if anyone would rent me their dog.

I own two dogs that are "pets" and I would never let anybody take them. But they wouldn't know what to do except follow you around and want to play.

Now I see this thread growing into what I read in the article. I would be thrilled to be able to actually rent someones dog. I'd even go out with them prior if they would take me hunting to learn the basic commands to handling their hunting dogs.

 

[perception007]

Perception007

Don't get discouraged with these other guys. Dog boworrowing happens everyday weather it's coon or big game hounds, retrievers or beagles. The best thing to do is find a 'dog man' not these guys with 'pets' that hunt. The guys with 'pets' that hunt won't give you a dog cause they have all those concerns listed above. You find someone that really hunts and raises dogs. Chances are he will have young ones needing hunted or old ones that are slowing down or maybe one he doesn't like so much but is decent, that he would let you hunt (or for a small fee or food)

If you do find someone, from experience don't just pick the dog up, hunt it for the weekend, and drop it off again. Without trimming its nails, cleaning it up, charging the tracking collar, etc.

IF your not having any luck I know 2 guys with hair style beagles, competition beagles and another with cottontail competition beagles.

This would be really good. Could you pm me contact info?

 

[Sqr]

As a dog owner and have hunted deer with dogs I find the responsibility far to great to use a rental or another owners dog unless they attended the hunt. I have seen far to many stray dogs running around and following us once they became lost. I have also seen dogs get hurt after chasing full bore after animals by twigs and thorns. I loved being with them but damn the cost and potential loss is not worth the risk.

I am becoming far to sensitive in my old age to witness the bad things that can go wrong with them.

 

[the spank]

This would be really good. Could you pm me contact info?

Give this some real serious thought. Back in the mid to late 80's I used to help a friend who owned the Cochrane Hunt & Game Farm, a tower release pheasant hunting operation. I used to keep my dog in one of his kennels and in return ran my dog on hunts and helped out on the farm with hunts, feeding birds etc. There was a hunt booked one day, it was an annual affair for a handful of prominent businessman in the highway construction sector. One of the gentleman who was the owner of Miller Paving fired a sound shot through some long grass at what he believed was a pheasant running through the grass. The pheasant turned out to be my friends best lab . He blew her almost in half, the only thing holding her together was her spine. This was a dog from a pheasant hunting operation and if you think one dog is any less important to it's owner, handler and family members than any of the other 10 or 11 dogs that were part of the operation you'd be mistaken. Not only did he have to live with a huge hunting faux-pas but also one extremely upset owner/handler, the owners wife and two young kids crying thrir eyes out upon return to the main yard but it also took him over a year to source and replace a fully trained female lab and it cost him $5000 for that dog in 1985 dollars!!!

 

[69firebird]

This would be really good. Could you pm me contact info?

Ill Pm you the info.

I have a good friend right now that has an $8500 lab he's hunting for a reputable dog trainer/breeder in the area. He didn't pay a dime. He hunts it hard and the "Loaner" knows that, the "Loaner" retains the papers and breeding rights but its my friends dog. And a damn good dog.

Anybody that thinks people don't lend dogs need to pick up a hound magazine or retriever trials mag. Ever heard of "dog handlers" they don't own the dogs, someone else does, these guys run the dogs for them. Ever heard of sending your dog somewhere to be hunted in the offseason? Happens everyday. You just need to realize and understand the risks.

Every time I turn a dog out I know it might never come back alive. Thats the name of the game. Could get hit by a car, go through some ice, die of a heart attack, fall out of a tree etc. If you can't handle that you don't hunt with dogs.

 

[sheep100]

Knowing the amount of idiots out there that dog would come back injured if he comes back at all. Now if you "rent" the dog and handler as a pair you may have more success. I know I wouldn't let anyone hunt with dog.

 

[Sqr]

Ill Pm you the info.

I have a good friend right now that has an $8500 lab he's hunting for a reputable dog trainer/breeder in the area. He didn't pay a dime. He hunts it hard and the "Loaner" knows that, the "Loaner" retains the papers and breeding rights but its my friends dog. And a damn good dog.

Anybody that thinks people don't lend dogs need to pick up a hound magazine or retriever trials mag. Ever heard of "dog handlers" they don't own the dogs, someone else does, these guys run the dogs for them. Ever heard of sending your dog somewhere to be hunted in the offseason? Happens everyday. You just need to realize and understand the risks.

Every time I turn a dog out I know it might never come back alive. Thats the name of the game. Could get hit by a car, go through some ice, die of a heart attack, fall out of a tree etc. If you can't handle that you don't hunt with dogs.

This line really hits home.....well hunting and using any working dog as it is intended is a joy to behold, but I have personally witnessed guys abuse and starve them during hunts. If a Dog gets injured or god for bid killed during the act of its hunt that is one thing, sad as it may be. However there is no place to shoot them following the hunts or leaving them behind. Hopefully that is not what you are referring to because......well that will never happen around me ever again because abusing dogs is not manly.

 

[hoytcanon]

Anybody that thinks people don't lend dogs need to pick up a hound magazine or retriever trials mag. Ever heard of "dog handlers" they don't own the dogs, someone else does, these guys run the dogs for them.

Are you serious???

I have run labrador retrievers and springer spaniels for 30 years, of course there are dog handlers... they are professional, semi-professional and serious enthusiasts that have worked hunting dogs for years... in other words they are experienced and "trusted." That is entirely different from renting or loaning an animal to an untrained noob.

You seem to be thinking of highly trained hunting dogs as though they were a piece if equipment, like a shotgun or treestand... nothing could be further from the truth.