History With Dogs

I was brought up in a household where we went wing shooting with pointer dogs.  Later, I started hunting Jackal with hounds.  In 1988 I went to the SA Defence Force and the unit that I was in specialised in Human Tracking, Explosive Detection, Patrol / Attacking dogs.  We combined the dogs with horses, and we held the record for the best follow up time.

In the 90’s I started bow hunting and soon realised that I needed a blood tracking dog.  Some of my friends was inspired by my success and asked me if I would train their dogs part time and this grew into a business.

About 10 years ago, a friend invited me to hunt bushpigs with him and seeing the hounds work, got me hooked!

Puppies

Training tips for puppies – before they come in for training, which is not necessary but advisable:

Exposure To sounds like Gun Shots sounds etc

⦁        When feeding, use two planks for the sound and gradually go louder – To sounds like Gun Shots sounds etc

⦁        Shot animals or dead animals’ blood (smell)

⦁        Driving in a vehicle

⦁        Playing with a wet animal skin or a piece of cloth

⦁        Must associate everything with pleasure

Kennels

The bigger part of my kennels is filled with outside dogs that I train, and the second part is breeding dogs to provide clients with the best DNA possible.  I believe dogs should have space therefore each kennel has a camp around it.  I am a strong believer that each dog must eat on its own.  Even though dogs are pack animals, I will try to put two dogs who are familiar with each other in a kennel together.  After training they also get time out to run around and play.

References