Newell: Shiloh Shepherd for Rabbit Hunting?
My Dad died. I inherited some money. Not as much as I would like. I decided I wasn't going to pay mortgage/rent. I bought (outright) a house I could afford. Well, what I could afford was a 780 square foot (big as a broomcloset) house in a LOUSY part of Los Angeles (Echo Park). So my first purchases were 1) Flood Lights 2) Burglar Bars 3) Burglar Doors 4) Burglar Alarm 5) Fence 6) Big Dog from the pound.
Well, the pound saw me coming. They unloaded a worthless dog on me. I should have gotten a Pit Bull, but Allstate Homeowner's won't let you own one. I should have gotten a German Shepherd. But I didn't. A normal German Shepherd weighs 85 pounds, but it has a natural guarding instinct. I figured bigger was better, when you are in the high crime ghetto. The pound told me to get this 120 pound German Shepherd called a "Shiloh Shepherd." They only breed HUGE shepherds to HUGE Shepherds. but in the process, they breed OUT all the desirable German Shepherd traits, like guarding. This dog is a big sissy. And dumb. He wags his tail at everyone. He won't sleep out side and guard the house. He whines. He sleeps in my bedroom, and whimpers and cringes and goes to me for comfort if he hears sirens or the helicopter (which we do all the time) . Not exactly a dog for the "hood,".
Anyway, I found this area in the Angeles National Forest that has A LOT of Jack Rabbits. Which are open season ALL YEAR LONG. A ranger told me about it. The problem is, you need a dog to flush the rabbits out, so you can shoot them. I was thinking of going up there with my inherited Savage Fox BSE 20 guage double barrel. I was wondering. Should I even BOTHER taking my dog up to see if I can hunt with it? Or do you need a dog specifically bred for hunting like a Beagle or a Weimeraner?
Colin
We are not required to wear orange vests while hunting in California. I think that is a back east kind of thing.
King Les
You say people don't hunt with shotguns. And you claim to know something about guns. Interesting.
Answers and Views:
Answer by irishslyeyes
First of all, why didn't you do your research when buying a dog?! Now you have this dog that you're so very obviously rethinking your situation (SURPRISE SURPRISE!!). Either take this dog through training, or rehome him and DO NOT GET ANOTHER DOG! People like you shouldn't own dogs to begin with, anyway. Dogs are not house alarms, or bodyguards.
Know better? Give your own answer to this question!
King Les The Lofty says
No.
Yes.
(It took you a LONG rant to reach any actual questions, but eventually you did, and those 2 words are the true answers.)
Please do NOT couple the word "Shepherd" with the word "Shiloh". Those two words are as incompatible as wanting a blue orange or a jet-black palamino or getting into a refrigerator hoping to keep warm.
You obviously don't have a clue about dogs – the Shilohs are cross-breeds (mostly unworthy GSDs and poor Malamutes, but sometimes whatever the fancier thinks might "look good"…) that are not accepted by any Kennel Club and have no function. Most of them aren't even acceptable to Tina's own "Registry".
You don't even realise that a dog OUTSIDE is vulnerable to poisoned meat, hanging – and to being attracted away by a bitch-on-heat, if a burglar REALLY wants "in".
You obviously haven't a clue about guns, either. A scatter-gun isn't for hunting animals – it is for "street-sweeping" or for maiming nearby flying objects you don't have time to properly aim at (but skeet shooters DO aim). And if your shotgun DOES hit one, what do you do with the corpse? – do you have the patience to dig out the pellets so that no-one breaks a tooth on them?
As you are more likely to hit your dog – do you have the strength to carry your Shiloh to your vehicle and then from the vehicle into the vet's surgery and then back to your vehicle and then into your home?
Or are you just a troll?
The Gubernator understands that California is over-populated for its water supply and so – the previous Vice-President of America having shown how it's done! – he allows mad citizens to go hunting without anti-camouflage gear – that way, the maddest gradually remove one another from the electoral roll. Darwin published the principle.
MyMoney says
Well if you just got the dog, it he might need a little getting used to, to the new owner, home and all, he is probably just scared of his new place maybe get used to it. If he doesn't maybe you would want to get him in some kind of dog training. It might be best for you to try to train your dog and teach him how to hunt this breed is rarely found for rabbit hunting but he is still ok to use for it. I would leave him at home until he is fully trained, and knows what to do, it lowers the chances of him getting hurt or or messing something up.
PS. Some dogs get scared of the sound of a gun going off, i Guess its because it's so loud.
Colin says
don't take your dog hunting with a shotgun, if its not a trained gun dog,It won't know how to flush without chasing the rabbit right into your line of fire.
You will end up missing the rabbit and shooting your dog.
the cost of the cartridge is barely worth the meat you get on a rabbit anyway.
I wouldn't even bother with a dog for rabbit, Mines very well trained from good working gun dog stock, but i just leave him at home when looking for rabbit.
If you had your own land, infested with rabbits i could see the point of maybe training it to retrieve then.
If the dog doesn't end up dead or lame, it will most likely run away and never come back from what u have said.
.EDIT: I apologise for my ignorance about the vests.
If the rabbits need exterminated as they are a pests, then a shotgun is fine, though a pair of "fit" ferrets and/or some working terriers would be more productive.
I don't' believe in hunting rabbit for sport with a shotgun cos it's too easy.
A farmer, like the one up the road from me, almost has no field left as its just fox and rabbit holes every few feet. Its his home and livelihood that could be on the line if the problem gets worse and he ends up with no workable land.
It's not hard to hit anything with a shotgun, i could hit most types of clays when i was about 14, as far as i remember.
As the other answer mentioned, its a task picking out the shot .
better now say much more, u might be best posting another question in the hunting sec as the we'vee established u best off leaving the dog at home, as you will get people with both pet rabbits and dogs so……
With regards to your dog, fair enough, it's probably never going to be any practical use, no point giving u a hard time cos u got the wrong dog for a purpose, It sounds like a very affecionate dog, even if it's a big sissy, at least it going to you for assurance an so must trust you.
I hope you are still going to take care of it just the same and appreicate you have a still have good dog, even though its no use as a gaurd dog:)