I need a few small fresh sheds for dog training asap (Treasure Valley)

[ID_Elkmagnet]

Hi guys, I am currently training a shed hunting partner for my wife and I and am in need of some help. I have many older antlers that I use to work with him to teach him visual recognition and retrieving. The problem is that I am currently having some health issues and cannot hike to find him some green antlers to work on scent training with. This is his first year and I would really like to get him started after the right scent.

I was thinking of asking the guys I know about a few places where I can easily find some 2pts but figure it may be hypocritical or possibly bad form. So my next thought was when you guys are out hiking around and find some fresh antlers that you're not particularly interested in what are the chances of you giving me a few so I can train my pup?

Justin

 

[ID_Elkmagnet]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-08-13 AT 11:45AM (MST)[p]pic of Hoyt and Crystal

Justin

 

[400plus]

if you pay shipping ($10) for a flat rate box, i will mail you a couple

PM me with you email

 

[massNtrash]

Your the only other person I've herd of that has a dog named Hoyt. I do as we'll but mine is a little bigger than him. Good lookin pup though

 

[ID_Elkmagnet]

Pm sent.
Justin

 

[ID_Elkmagnet]

Anyone care to guess what brand of bow my wife shoots?

Justin

 

[massNtrash]

Hey mine too which model? Mine shoots a fully custom element.

 

[ID_Elkmagnet]

She shoots a run of the mill TurboHawk @60# and loves it. One tuff huntress.

Justin

 

[fatrooster]

ID_Elkmagnet, I've trained two dogs and just started with a new pup. I personally don't feel like fresh green antlers are important. Whats more important is using some whites, brownies and antlers of different sizes. If you use one color or one size then that is what the dog will look for. Change it up with all kinds of antlers. A lot of people put too much emphasis on the fresh smell or no human smell on the antler. Sometimes it is ok to have human smell on it to help the pup find it in the early stages of training. I've even gone so far as to let the smell of hot dog stay on the antler to help the pup out and then gradually take the food smell away by using other antlers with a tiny bit of food smell and then as the dog progresses I go to antlers with no food smell. Another tactic, take a saw and score your shed or put a small cut in it. You know how a cut antler smells (like cut bone). This will help the pup look for this smell.
Even though my veteren shed dog finds antlers and deadheads with her nose, she still finds more with her eyes. But to help your pup with using the nose during training, consider training at night or consider hiding antlers under some hay or under the snow. This is later in the pups training of course. Right now you want to make it easy for the pup.
By the way, good looking pup! fatrooster.

 

[ID_Elkmagnet]

I'm still looking for some nothing has worked out yet.

Thanks for the tips fatrooster. I have him started and he is doing great for just over 4 months old he has the idea down and will search with sight and smell I am making it more challenging every week. I just wanted him to know what the fresh ones smell like.

Thanks
Justin

 

[ID_Elkmagnet]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-16-13 AT 02:30PM (MST)[p]A few vids of me working with him in our home.

Justin

 

[fatrooster]

Looks like he's doing great! If I had some fresh sheds I'd send them to you but all of mine are at least 1 year old. You can go out and hide some in the woods for a week or two to get all of the house smells off of them but you still would not have the smell of a fresh off the pedicle antler with the possible smell of blood. fatrooster.

 

[ID_Elkmagnet]

Fatrooster thanks for the kind words. I am no expert so any tips you have please keep them coming.

Justin

 

[mountainman]

Are your dogs about ready for anot6her year ? Post some pics when you can.

 

[fatrooster]

ID_Elkmagnet. another thing I found is that I did all of my training with my past pups inside the house in the winter time. When I took them outside to train and look for sheds they didn't know what to do. It didn't take long for them to put it together but it just goes to show that they need variety.So make sure you do some outside training too. Also, I usually hide multiple antlers. After the pup brings me one antler then she gets the cue to search for another antler. This way they learn that the games not over after finding the one antler. Another thing I found is that finding multiple antlers one after another is very cool but when you get them out in the real world they don't find multiple antlers in a 10 minute period then they get bored. So space out the finding time of the antlers.
One more thing. Some people teach thier pup to find antlers only and pass up skeleton bones. Many times there will be an hour or two between antlers and I let my dog bring me any bone she finds. This keeps her excited and has resulted in her finding several deadheads. She has actually gone off into the thick stuff and brought me back a deadhead with antlers more than once.
Another thing that keeps the dog excited is playing fetch with the antler that she has found. I'll throw it out two or three times and let her retrieve it. She loves it. Just a few things I've learned. fatrooster.

 

[ID_Elkmagnet]

Will do fatrooster. Thanks.
Justin

 

[ID_Elkmagnet]

LAST EDITED ON Jan-22-13 AT 03:41PM (MST)[p]Mountianman Im not sure if you were talking to me? Justin

 

[fatrooster]

Here's a picture of Daisy with a deadhead she brought to me last year.

fatrooster.