Hunting with your Doberman?

13510 Views 21 Replies 17 Participants Last post by jm5478, Nov 26, 2008

DreamDoby

Discussion Starter · Sep 29, 2006

I was having a conversation about hunting dogs and training. Now I am not a hunter and don't really like hunting dogs. Somehow the conversation turned to dobermans. Hmmm. The question was if you could train a doberman to hunt? I know it sounds ridiculous. I know Harmony loves to stalk the rabbits and birds in the yard, but would she actually learn to hunt? I know they aren't bred for it and they would probably never be what a hunting dog with the lines bred for would amount for. But, hypothetically speaking, if you took the time, do you think that they would hunt? Would it be the same as tracking? What are your thoughts?

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TracyJo

· #2 · Sep 29, 2006

Sure, I honestly think the sky is the limit on what you could teach these guys... But I guess it really depends on what kind of hunting... Would you want a pointer or retriever, maybe to flush out the birds? I don't think Chi would have a problem learning the retrieving part - she tracks birds and bats in the sky naturally (made frisbee easy to teach

but think she might have issues in the water - but Mensa could pick up there and get the birds that Chi found out of the water for her - tag team hunting!!! I think I just created a new sport - woohoo!!!

DreamDoby

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 29, 2006

We were talking specifically about pheasant hunting, so I guess it would be about the flushing the birds out. But I was curious about the hunting aspect in general.

elly

· #4 · Sep 29, 2006

To tell you the truth I am not a hunting person, I hate it when Zabar want to chase a rabbit, but I like to see the training by the labradors here, but I know in scandinavie they do real hunting with dobermanns.

Here is a link

http://www.thetroutbum.com/hundeside3spor.htm

Hero's Mom

· #5 · Sep 29, 2006

Oh yes I beleive that. I don't think it would hard either.

Hero is a hunter she hunts chipmunk's.HEHEHE

JavasMom

· #6 · Sep 29, 2006

I don't think that the prey instinct is too far below the surface and since Dobes are used as scent dogs to find humans, I don't think it's a stretch to get them to track anything else. A month ago I saw Java, nose to the ground, following the track of 'something' from the mud room into the family room. I had heard a cricket chirp, figured it was just outside of the french doors. She tracked it down, and was pacing, barking and pawing the ground trying to reach whatever she had cornered like crazy. I was sure it was a mouse (thought it might have snuck in during the new construction) and wasn't too keen to investigate. Sure enough it was a large cricket. The way Java was carrying on you'd think it was a much bigger animal!

When I was growing up, we had a cottage two hrs N of Toronto. The chipmunks were always tormenting our Dobe - one would hide on top of one woodpile, the other on a pile of lumber on the other side of the lot, chirping and teasing the poor dog as she would race from one pile to the other. By four pm she was flaked out by the fireplace from hours of non-stop running. She always managed to find any frogs or water snakes that were hiding along the shoreline as well. Nothing much got past her. Thankfully she was well trained and would not venture out into the bush (we were ten miles from the nearest town) or chase after a bear. Truth be told, I've seen more deer since we've moved to NJ than I ever saw in the close to 20 years of vacationing in Northern Ontario!

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Dobesanddragons

· #7 · Sep 29, 2006

Yes. I think Dobes can be trained to hunt.
MaryandDobes found this article:
http://www.shootingsportsman.com/index.php/page/gallery/file_action/view/id/230/p/16/cid/0
and she has a hunting magazine with an article about another hunting/retrieving Dobe in it.

Lexus

· #8 · Sep 29, 2006

Great picture of Maggie the dobe, I just love seeing the versitility of the breed.

DreamDoby

Discussion Starter · #9 · Sep 29, 2006

Thanks for your thoughts on it. I didn't think that it would be too far. They can learn so much. It just sounds funny since you never hear it. That is a neat picture of Maggie.

eph94

· #10 · Sep 30, 2006 (Edited)

Hero's Mom said:
Hero is a hunter she hunts chipmunk's.

Our Harley caught and killed a chipmunk on our second day together. I even caught on film the last moments of the chipmunk's life:

He actually killed it with his PAW. Rolled the poor thing over, no doubt breaking its spine in the process. He is SO heavy-handed.

He also caught Mike Wazowski from Monster's Inc...

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dobebug

· #11 · Oct 11, 2006

I know of at least one Doberman who was trained as a pheasant dog (in South Dakota--some of the very best pheasant hunting in the world there). He was capable of hunting with the best of the retrievers--they used a lot of setters (all sorts--pheasant as I understand it, fall into the category of upland game).

He actually belonged to someone my mother knew--she said he never intended to train the dog but he was taking him along while he was training some young bird dogs and realized that the dog was holding points and flushing birds on other dogs commands. Kind of weird--he evidently mostly trained himself.

MaryAndDobes

· #12 · Oct 11, 2006

The article that I have here was in Outdoor Life in February 2006. It's about an Illinois hunter and his Doberman, Ilse, who scents pheasants and retrieves them (as well as rabbits.)

A fellow in my all-breed club brought me that magazine because he thought I'd enjoy the article.

dbarking

· #13 · Nov 5, 2006

Funny, my husband was just telling me that he read where Dobermans make great bird hunters. They are so intellegent and love to please. I think it would be easy to train them. Yes, we do hunt.

Codysmom

· #14 · Nov 6, 2006

MOlly stalks just like a cat. head and tail flat like her back. and .......she.......moves.........very.........slowly.........then pounces. to play.

ususally she stalks Apollo, but sometimes will stalk things outdoors or a bone, or even one of the kids. I have never seen any dog stalk like that. one of these days, I'll try to get some pics or a video of it.

cc

beckabean11404

· #15 · Nov 6, 2006

wasn't it the movie "Bear" where they had a Doberman? Lady loves to stalk bunnies in our yard, she can flush them out of their burrows....she'll stick her nose in and give a big huff and out the other end they run lol.

LindaH

· #16 · Nov 7, 2006

beckabean11404 said:
wasn't it the movie "Bear" where they had a Doberman? Lady loves to stalk bunnies in our yard, she can flush them out of their burrows....she'll stick her nose in and give a big huff and out the other end they run lol.

No that is another breed and I can't think of the name of it. I hate to do that, now I'll go crazy till I remember it!!! :thinking:
Pretty sure Cheryl or Micdobe knows.

LindaH

· #17 · Nov 7, 2006

Aaaahhhhaaaa!!!!
Beauceron, a french dog used for several purposes, guarding being one.
http://www.cyberpet.com/dogs/lesombreslinks.html

jm5478

· #18 · Nov 17, 2008

Sorry to post something on such an old post but I just found it. Yes Dobermans do hunt as a decendant of the Weimaraner (check out the backround of the Doberman from the DPCA web site). I hunt with my dog all the time, we hunt Pheasant, Chukkar, Quail and Grouse. John

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Amber

· #19 · Nov 26, 2008

I agree - I have hunted with hunting breeds my whole life. To my great suprise, my new dobie puppy Vegas points beautifully! So far, she points my cat and neighbor's pomeranian.

elly

· #20 · Nov 26, 2008

I hunt with my dog all the time, we hunt Pheasant, Chukkar, Quail and Grouse. John

More pictures??

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