How to Train Hunting Dogs to Stop Running Deer

Hunting dogs are used to sniff out trails of animals that are being hunted. The dogs learn to follow a trail and find the animal, then chase, flush out or tree the wild animal so that the hunters can follow and kill the animal. When a hunting dog starts to sniff out a trail and then gets sidetracked by a deer scent, it is called "crittering" or following a "trash" trail. A hunting dog needs to be taught to stay off the wrong trail and if they start chasing deer, the bad behavior should be dealt with quickly.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog collar
  • 25-foot leash
  • Electronic collar
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Instructions

    • 1

      Train your dog to follow clear obedience commands to halt a dog in its tracks. Start when your dog is a puppy; use a long leash to let the dog go wherever he wants. When the dog is running, tell him to "stop" and gently but firmly prevent the leash from going any further. When the dog stops tell him to "come" and tug the leash to urge the dog to start towards you. Persist with obedience training until the dog follows the commands immediately.

    • 2

      Find a deer trail by going into the woods where deer are known to inhabit. Place an electronic training collar on the dog and when you let the dog off the leash to hunt, if he starts to follow a deer path zap him with a jolt from the collar. Stop the zapping when the dog goes away from the deer path. Do not use verbal commands while training with the collar as you want him to find out on his own that following the deer path is not good.

    • 3

      Repeat the zapping until the dog understands what it's supposed to do. Zap the dog with the electronic collar when he takes off on a deer chase. He gets an uncomfortable sensation every time he gives chase to a deer. When he stops chasing the deer, stop the collar from zapping the dog.