How to train a squirrel dog book

What’s not to love about hunting squirrels with a dog? Spending time in the great outdoors with your canine companion, chasing bushytails, and making memories with your buddies, are all apart of training squirrel dogs.

But, you don’t want to hunt with just any dog. You want one that not only enthusiastically trees squirrels, but will follow your commands as well.

When it comes to great squirrel dogs, both nurture and nature come into play.

“When it comes to great squirrel dogs, both nurture and nature come into play.”

Danny Williams, president of the American Treeing Feist Association (ATFA), has been breeding, raising and training squirrel dogs since 1985. He says good genetics and good training techniques are both necessary for producing a worthy feist.

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As owner of 10 ATFA Grand Squirrel Champion dogs and two ATFA Squirrel Champion dogs, Williams knows what he’s talking about.

Williams hunts with his dogs six days a week in the Mark Twain National Forest where he lives in Donithan, Mo., and has perfected the art of training a pup. Check out his tips for raising and training squirrel dogs.

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Mallory.

Tips:

#1

Select a quality pup: “The first thing you need to do is find a reputable squirrel dog breeder,” Williams says. “Don’t buy any old cheap pup and expect it to turn into a good squirrel dog. Select a pup that has good squirrel-hunting parents. In fact, I recommend hunting with the pup’s parents to learn more about their qualities before you take it home.

#2

Socialize it: Once you’ve selected your pup, spend a lot of time with it. Handle it and play with it as much as you can. Take it riding with you and let it play with your or your neighbor’s kids. Also, make a lot of noise around it. “I’ll bang the food dishes when I go out to feed the pups, so they get used to noise. I’ll also shoot a .22 rifle everyday so they get used to that sound as well.”

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#3

Tease with a tail: Once the pup reaches four or five months old, attach a squirrel hide or tail to a one-foot long string and attach the string to an eight-foot-long stick. Hold the stick in the air and encourage the pup to bark at and chase the hide or tail. “Make sure you hold it high in the air. Everything you do needs to be up in the air when it comes to training squirrel dogs.” Do this once a week. If he barks right away, great. If not, try again the next week and the next.

#4

Tease with a live squirrel: Once the pup grows out of the phase that it wants to play all of the time, which usually occurs between six and nine months, begin teasing it with a live squirrel.

“I trap a squirrel in a live trap to use,” Williams said. “I’ll tie a rope to the cage and will throw the rope over a tree limb so I can lift the cage with the squirrel in it up into the tree. Once the pup is barking at the squirrel, I’ll turn the squirrel loose so the pup can chase it. When it goes up the tree, the pup should bark at it. Typically, the pup will be scared of the squirrel in the cage the first couple of times you present it. It may not bark or chase the squirrel when you let it go the first few times, but eventually it will. Just keep doing it about once a week until the pup gets used to chasing the squirrel.”

#5

Take it to the woods: Take the dog out in the woods and let it locate and tree a squirrel. According to Williams, this part, and training squirrel dogs in general, requires a lot of patience. “You’ll wear out several pairs of boots until you get your dog trained, but that’s okay.” The first time your dog trees a squirrel, make sure to tie up the dog before you shoot the squirrel because you don’t want to scare your dog. Repeat that process a couple of times until your dog gets used to it. It’ll soon get used to the sound of your shot after it trees and will look forward to watching the squirrel fall and retrieving it. Williams says it’s important to only take one dog out at a time. “Pups use their ears, eyes and noses when they’re learning to hunt. If you take two or more pups out, they will mess each other up.”

#6

Use a training pen if you can: “I have a three-acre training pen where I let my pups run loose and learn to tree. I have squirrel feeders in there to attract squirrels. I also trap squirrels and take them out there and turn them loose.”

#7

Cage or kennel your pup: Once the pup starts treeing, don’t leave it out loose to run around in the backyard while you’re away at work. “If your dog trees a squirrel while you are gone and no one goes to it and shoots the squirrel, the dog will begin to lose interest in treeing squirrels. It may continue to bark at squirrels, but they won’t hold its attention.”

#8

Repeat: Take your pup into the woods a lot. Williams says he hunts with his dogs every day, and that repetition is necessary for developing a good squirrel dog. “In fact, all of these training tips need to be repeated on a regular basis. Dog owners need to understand it takes a lot of time and patience for training squirrel dogs.”

While there is no guarantee that your new puppy will turn into a great squirrel dog, following these training tips will help increase your odds for success. So, get started and enjoy the coming years with your new squirrel-hunting companion.

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Training a squirrel dog begins as soon as you bring your new puppy home. The first year with your pup requires your time and patience. During this time, you need to focus on socialization, tracking, and hunting. This means building your dog’s bond with you, as well as their instinct as a predator.[1] X Research source Go to source

1. 1

   Bond with your puppy. Start this process immediately after bringing your puppy home. Pet and groom them regularly to get them used to physical contact. Play games like fetch and hide-and-seek to develop their loyalty to you. This will be helpful when giving them hunting commands. Games will also sharpen their hunting skills.[2] X Research source Go to source

   • Positive interactions will help you form a strong bond with your puppy. Offer lots of praise when learning commands, and play together often to build trust. Striking or yelling at your puppy causes damage to your relationship, even if you are trying to offer training feedback.

2. 2

   Let them interact with other dogs. This is important if you plan to go squirrel hunting with other dogs. Dogs learn new things very easily between the ages of three weeks and 12 weeks. During this time, allow as much contact with other dogs as possible. Make sure the other dogs are properly vaccinated and protected against heartworm if your pup has not received all their shots yet. Reward your pup treats to form positive connections with these experiences.[3] X Research source Go to source

3. 3

   Encourage interaction with other humans. If you hunt with friends, even occasionally, your puppy should be comfortable around other humans. Invite your hunting buddies over, or bring your puppy to their houses. Begin this process before the age of 12 weeks.

4. 4

   Work on obedience. Begin obedience training at around 8 to 12 weeks old. Start with basic commands like "Come," "Sit," and "Stay." Work up to more advanced commands like "Squirrel" and "Tree." Start by leading your leashed pup to a tree and saying, "Tree" in an assertive voice. When you see squirrels, point to them and say, "Squirrel." Reward them with treats to make this a positive experience.

   • Puppies have a very short attention span from birth to about 20 weeks. Don’t expect your commands to work for more than a minute or two during this time.[4] X Research source Go to source

1. 1

   Scatter treats. Dogs are born with incredible scent-tracking abilities, but hunting dogs need to rely on them constantly.[5] X Research source Go to source Before the age of 12 weeks, start by making a trail of dog treats in the house or in the yard. Sharpen the pup’s skills by hiding treats behind furniture or under rocks. This will help to sharpen their sense of smell.

   • Use small bits of treats when training. An entire handful of treats may make your puppy sick. Using some of your puppy’s regular food is another training option, particularly if they are highly food motivated.

2. 2

   Walk your dog in the woods. Around the age of 12 to 14 weeks old, start taking your puppy on short walks through the woods. Make each trip about 10 to 30 minutes. This allows the puppy to get "woods wise" (becoming familiar and comfortable with the different sights, sounds, and smells of the woods).

   • Keep your puppy on a leash so it doesn't get lost in an unfamiliar location. Only work off-leash when your dog is extremely reliable with the "come" command.

3. 3

   Train with raw meat. Tie a piece of meat to a string or leash, and drag it around the yard. This will create a scent path for the dog to follow. Start with easy distances of about 10 yards (9.14m) in a straight line. Gradually increase this difficulty by creating longer distances of curved paths. When your pup becomes really skilled, take the training into the woods. Reward your pup by leaving a small number of treats on the path.[6] X Research source Go to source

   • Don’t let your dog eat the meat to avoid the risk of bacterial poisoning.

1. 1

   Get the puppy used to the smell of squirrels. Around the age of three to six months old, start training with the pup with squirrel tails, hides, or dead squirrels. Use this time to train the pup to look up trees at the decoy and alert you when they find it. When your pup starts barking, reward them with treats.[7] X Research source Go to source

2. 2

   Use a caged squirrel. This step is useful if you have limited resources for getting the pup into an area with squirrels. Trap and place a live squirrel in a cage. Set the caged squirrel in an elevated location like a stump, picnic table, or brush. Casually walk your pup near the area where the caged squirrel is located. As the pup’s curiosity increases, they’ll move in closer to check it out. Once they start barking, pet and encourage them.

   • You can also do this with the caged squirrel having a rope tied to the cage. The rope will allow you to raise the squirrel up a tree so you can get the pup barking up.[8] X Research source Go to source Once the pup consistently barks at a caged squirrel, move on to the next step. Be careful to not overdo the caged squirrel. Once or twice is plenty! You will release the squirrel at this point.
   • You can skip this step if the puppy already barks up at a wild squirrel.

3. 3

   Play catch-and-release. Turn a caged squirrel loose in an area where the squirrel's choices of trees are limited. Let the pup chase and tree the squirrel. Even if they don’t tree, reward the pup with treats and praise.

   • Never release a caged squirrel more than a couple of times.

4. 4

   Train your dog for gunfire. When your pup is about 14 weeks old, begin to add sporadic gunfire into outdoor activities. Start by having a friend fire a low-volume pistol loaded with blanks from a distance. Reward your dog with treats to train them to anticipate the sound. Gradually decrease the distance, firing the gun into the air. Eventually replace the blanks with real bullets or shells.[9] X Research source Go to source

5. 5

   Take your puppy hunting. Your pup should be ready for the hunt by age five or six months. Start with several short sessions per week. Gradually build up to longer, less frequent sessions. Always reward your dog with treats and praise afterward.[10] X Research source Go to source

• My dog is 3 years old, and a natural hunting dog. How do I stop him from chasing squirrels when we're not hunting?

  

  You will have to teach your dog a come/return command in this case until he is very reliable. Practice this command over and over in an area without squirrels to start. Another alternative is to never let him off the leash when you may be in potential squirrel territory.

• Would this technique work for gophers as well?

  

  The only difference between this technique and training for gophers is that your dog should do more ground work for gophers. Since gophers don't climb trees; that is a part of the exercise that you can skip.

This article was co-authored by Melissa Nelson, DVM, PhD. Dr. Nelson is a Veterinarian who specializes in Companion and Large Animal Medicine in Minnesota, where she has over 18 years of experience as a veterinarian in a rural clinic. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Minnesota in 1998. This article has been viewed 140,419 times.

Co-authors: 24

Updated: September 15, 2021

Views: 140,419

Article Rating: 95% - 45 votes

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  "I did this with my dog, and it worked."