# Squirrel dog question



## sogafishin (Jan 28, 2010)

Been thinking about getting me a squirrel dog.Should I try and train a pup or go ahead and purchase a finished dog?What breed is the smallest and easy to keep?


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## TRACY ROBINSON (Jan 28, 2010)

I would get one already treeing its own squirrel


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## MFOSTER (Jan 28, 2010)

be careful buying try it out on more than 1 hunt


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## funderburkjason (Jan 28, 2010)

Getting a pup started is not easy or quick. Buying a finished dog will cost you 1000 minimum. The best thing to do is get a pup from good stock and spend alot of time in the woods with it.


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## sogafishin (Jan 28, 2010)

I have messed with coondogs for many years.Are these dogs as aggrivating as the hounds to get started?


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## doe shooter (Jan 29, 2010)

I'm no expert on squirrel dogs, but I had a small part feist and all i did to train him was take him hunting. After I shot a couple of squirrels over  him, he figured out what was happening. The dog was about eight months old when i first took  him hunting. I realize it was part luck on my part on getting a good dog to begin with. Also, the dog never went too far off. He stayed fairly close to me the entire time we hunted. The best thing i did was get the dog use to gunshots. I started off by having someone begin shooting a .22 relatively close by while i was working/playing with the dog, then had him work up to a shotgun. The dog was never gun shy. The dog was also an excellent ratter.


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## daisy102998 (Jan 29, 2010)

My rat terrier picked it from the get go she also picked deer tracking also the first time I tried her.  Maybe I was just lucky.


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## howl (Jan 29, 2010)

Pups are a gamble. I wouldn't spend real money on a pup without a guarantee that it'll start before ten months old. The most reliable route is to find a finished dog you like and hunt with it a few times in different places before you buy.

I'd go with a fiest of some sort for small and easy to keep. Squirrel Dog Central and _Full Cry_ are good resources for finding breeders that have something to suit and will offer a guarantee on pups.


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## R G (Jan 29, 2010)

A lot depends on how much you are willing to spend.  If you buy a started or finished dog do it under the tree.


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## Brian Groce (Jan 29, 2010)

If you go with a Feist pup plan on putting in a lot of time in the woods and having a new member of the family.  These little guys will bond with you. My 9 month old dog is starting to get out about 150 yards and tracking good.  He has barked up at 2 in the woods.  I hope it won't be much longer.


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## 027181 (Jan 30, 2010)

i have puppys for sale in the gun dogs for sale section pm if your interested


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## c1blackboy (Feb 1, 2010)

The Parnell Carolina Curr is the easyest pup I've found to start. James Parnell garentes every pup he sells to tree or he will give you another dog or your money back. When they get about 3 mounths old. If you have a place they can run around that there is squirrels they will start on there own in about a week to two. Then all you have to do is go to work and put him in the woods as much as possible. James's #843-858-6713. The little black dog in my avatar is a good little carolina curr and yes that is as big as he will get.


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## crackerdave (Feb 1, 2010)

I agree 100% with you,Chris! Little Foxy is gonna be a good 'un,and she's won my heart and that of everybody she meets.Mr.Parnell knows what he's doing!


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## Melvin4730 (Feb 1, 2010)

I've had good luck with the Barger Stock Feist.

www.bargerdogs.com


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## Nga. (Feb 2, 2010)

Get up with sjones on here he has some pups from time to time. He has some very nice dogs and I hear good things from pups out of his kennel.


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## soggy bottom Buck (Oct 24, 2010)

*hi*



Melvin4730 said:


> I've had good luck with the Barger Stock Feist.
> 
> www.bargerdogs.com



hi, the Wommack breed, or George Cauley, is the best I know, Look at the atfa hunt rezults, an the people buying an breeding to these dogs, These are what I hunt,


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## DAVE INMAN (Oct 25, 2010)

c1blackboy said:


> The Parnell Carolina Curr is the easyest pup I've found to start. James Parnell garentes every pup he sells to tree or he will give you another dog or your money back. When they get about 3 mounths old. If you have a place they can run around that there is squirrels they will start on there own in about a week to two. Then all you have to do is go to work and put him in the woods as much as possible. James's #843-858-6713. The little black dog in my avatar is a good little carolina curr and yes that is as big as he will get.



Are you saying he warranties them at 3 months old or start letting them run loose at 3 months?


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## thomas williams (Oct 25, 2010)

DAVE INMAN said:


> Are you saying he warranties them at 3 months old or start letting them run loose at 3 months?



Just let them start running loose when they are 3 months old.


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## tshort4113 (Nov 6, 2010)

DAVE INMAN said:


> Are you saying he warranties them at 3 months old or start letting them run loose at 3 months?



Dave we may need to do away with our omc....


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## wclawrence (Nov 6, 2010)

Get a pup and train it.  Go with someone who has a dog that is getting it done.  Then when your pup starts, go by yourself for a while.  Get to know what the pup is out of before you buy.  Some lines start early, some later.  It will take a while before you have a real squirrel dog, but one you raise and train is worth so much more to you than one you buy.  plus  a lot of cur/feist dogs bond to the first person in their life so much that they will not work for you like they did for the last guy, for quite some time.  

To answer your second question, by and large the curs are not near as aggravating as hounds.  But that is because curs are smart and hounds are the Forrest Gumps of the dog world... they just keep running.....

The best advice I can give, is to go hunt with some curs, go hunt with some feist, go to a few competition hunts and see if you can go on a cast.  Do all this before you decide what kind of PUP to get.


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## GACOONDOG (Nov 6, 2010)

If you start out with a pup make sure the pup is out of proven tree dogs that produce tree dogs.This will be a slow process you will need to spend as much time as you can in the woods with your pup.If you are lucky you will have a finished squirrle dog by the time he is 3 years old but everyone has a different opinon on what a finished squirrle dog is.


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