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Have any of you had dogs that will get hung up on a kill and start eating? I had a female start her first solo track...pretty fresh. She went in and shut up, so I turned another dog in to see if they could move it and they left out of there without her. I went down into the creek bottom to see what was happening and found her sitting under a tree right next to a fresh lion kill. She wasn't eating when I arrived, but she was acting a little sheepish. I had just broken my tri-tronics antenna or I probably would have lit her up! Might be a good thing it wasn't working, but it got me thinking, what do y'all do in a situation like this? She finally got hooked back into the race and treed really well, but it kinda pissed me off.

I brought mine around roadkill and made sure they would let it be and look for a track.

We'll see if this becomes a trend, I guess if it happens again I won't have any choice but to shock her but I don't want her to get spooked if the track happens to lead to a kill. Maybe, I posted this in the wrong section or I just have some of those remedial dogs that do stuff nobody else's do . Would really appreciate any input you more experienced hunters have to offer.

I don't find it to be too big deal but I am usualy not to far behind the dogs and when I get there I just give the command "leave IT!" (a good command to teach dogs early on, helpfull with lots of stuff you don't want them to eat or pick up).

I have had them blow past a kill if the lion is close or had just left but just as often they hang up and eat a little. Once I get them off the kill they can usualy pick up the trail again and the lion is usualy not too far away even if the scent is older because the lion has not been at the kill for hours.

Yeah, the last two dogs didn't get hung up on the kill, but she did. Don't know what to make of it. It's possible one of the kittens was on the kill when she got there and it was up the tree she was under, but she wasn't treeing. It's tough not to make excuses for your dogs idiocy . Once I got her away from the kill she went right to the race and did good.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm sure that mine have hung out at a kill site before and I didn't even know it because I wasn't there. Yesterday I found a red fox that a female and kittens had just killed and the dogs just sniffed it and went on about their business, next time they might try to eat the whole thing. You just never know. If I caught them at it I would put them back on the track and go on.

Just out of curiosity, was your dog familiar with the other dogs or were they strange dogs that she didn't know to honor? I would have guessed that she would have fallen in with the others on their way by.

Don't pet the sweaty stuff or sweat the petty stuff, it will make an old man out of you.

Scott

i've had a pup tote a dear leg over a mile before i could catch up and dissuade it. it was pretty fresh so im not sure how it happened to become unattached? i guess if he chewed it loose first he was faster then the other dogs and dragging it around didn't hinder him much. i get on them about it pretty good for a few reasons 1 i dont want it to become a competition to who gets to claim the kill 2 lions here eat about any and everything. i don't need them developing interest in trash as edible 3 it can be embarrassing if your hunting with a land owner and they hang out at a kill. on the other hand they do sometimes have to spend some time working around a kill to line a track out i am not good enough to guess which way he left last so don't expect them to get it a hundred % either for some reason we take longer getting right if its in big rocks and the going is awkward

I'll give you a little advice, i wouldn't shock her, you don't want her to shy off the cats. I would take her out and find a deer or elk and let her out and see if she trashs and then shock her. Like the others guys said don't sweat it, just be on top of her and knock the tar out her with a stick or you hat, let her know thats bad.

Scott,
She knew both the dogs she was running with, or she should cause they sleep in the same yard together .
Pegleg,
that's pretty funny about the pup toting the leg down the track...I can picture it now. Your second reason is my main concern. I don't want her thinking she needs to chase deer cause they taste good, but it just so happens that I was hunting with a landowner, but thankfully, he's a good old boy who used to run hounds all the time and knows how this stuff works.
Terry,
She knows better than to chase trash in front of me and I thought I'd done a good job of making her think it's ALWAYS bad. I've set her up a few times and she won't offer to trash around me at least. Maybe she needs another lesson. Thought about taking the skin off my son's deer into the back yard and just leaving it and watching her with the shocker ready for her to take a bite. What do you guys think? It's probably providencial that my tritronics took a dump that day or i might have caused her some damage. Thanks guys. Keep it coming.

She is young and new to the sport once she figures there is game at the end of the track she should stop doing this, it sure wouldnt hurt to swat her a couple times if she keeps it up or give her a light buzz and get her lined out. This has nothing to do with a trash issue it was just more important to her to stop and eat rather than trail. She hasnt learned its more fun to end the track than eat, that should come with exposure and age. Andy

Newby,

Like TomJr said work on her handle at home. Mine trailed off a kill this last weekend and on the way back to the truck they were milling around it wanting to take a nibble. I use the same command "leave it" and they sat back and watched as I sawed the antlers off. I had my whole pack with me including a 5 month old pup and they all honored the command without shocking. I make sure I have a good handle on my dogs before taking them on a hunt.

JMO

I believe a portion of that is genetic. I could go into a number of examples of various dogs I have noticed that do it. An easy way for me to spot these tendencies in some of my dogs is if I kennel them together and watch their feeding habits. A dog that goes to the gut piles versus hunting tends to be the dog that eats all their food, and then goes for the other dogs food, or eats all you put in front of her and then some. The best dog I own has tendencies to break for a gut pile when she should be trying to jump game. All of my dogs will do it to an extent if the day is late, and they have run a bit. However, she will do it even if it is early, and it is clearly genetic. I don't think you can help it if a dog has been hunted all day and the track is not hot. But those that go for it when the day is fresh and they should be jumping game tend to be genetically inclined.

I think I have beat around your question, as the track must have been hot. An older dog should not have the chance to take a whiff of anything other than the track, and their mind is strictly on running game. I think your issue is that it is a puppy.

That's some interesting input guys, I also believe in having a good handle on the dogs before going hunting...this dog heels without a leash wherever I go. I think the issue probably has more to do with the fact it was the first time I had her start the track all on her own and try to sort through the mess. If I catch her at it again...I'll give her a little buzz and get her back on the track. I'also think shooting some game out to her will help too...she's only had a couple coons knocked out to her so far. Thanks again.