2024 TLGDA Fun Day
The TLGDA Fun Day was a wonderful day for working/hunting dogs and their owners. They enjoyed a day of blood trails, treeing coons, herding cattle, and baying hogs. The event was available to anyone who wanted to participate, even if you did not own a dog. TLGDA board members and Lacy Game Dog Registry (LGDR) representatives showed and taught attendees about each hunting/working skill. Several attended without a dog, and many attendees’ dogs had never experienced this type of training, socialization, or hunting interaction. The atmosphere at the TLGDA Fun Day was electric with excitement as attendees and their dogs engaged in various hunting and working activities. Owners enthusiastically cheered on their dogs as they followed blood trails, treed coons, herded cattle, and bayed hogs, creating a sense of camaraderie and shared passion. The event provided a unique opportunity for both experienced and novice dogs to learn and socialize, fostering a supportive and encouraging environment for all participants.
Tracking
The first hunting dog skill of the day was tracking a blood trail. This is an essential skill for your working dog to learn and practice. If you are a hunter, sometimes the perfect shot does not happen and we end up with an injured animal that runs. In such situations, a dog trained to work a blood trail can be invaluable. Whether it’s tracking down a wounded deer in dense foliage, locating a wounded bird in thick brush, or finding a wounded boar in rugged terrain, a dog with this skill can greatly increase the chances of successful recovery and reduce the suffering of the wounded animal. Each attendee interested in trying out the trail(s) took their turn working it with an experienced volunteer and certified UBT judge. The volunteer provided feedback and tips to help the dogs and owners develop their skills. Owners were encouraged to practice the skills they acquired during the session. Everyone was very pleased with the session outcome. Here are some pictures of the dogs and their owners.
Waiting for a turn
Socializing while waiting
Ran a good trail
YAY! It's my turn!!!
Cousins & siblings
Learning for the old and young
OHHHH... I can smell it!!!
Coming back from trail
Instruction time
Coon Treeing
Cpme on, use the tree
What is that?!?!?!?!
Great jump, but use the tree
I'm gonna get ya!
The second skill of the day was treeing a cone. Did you know???? The first recorded instance of training dogs to tree raccoons can be traced back to ancient Native American tribes. These tribes utilized dogs’ natural hunting instincts and trained them to track and tree raccoons. This early form of training relied on positive reinforcement techniques such as rewarding dogs with treats when they successfully treed a raccoon. Over time, training techniques have become more sophisticated. In the 20th century, hunters began using collars and harnesses to control and guide dogs while hunting. These advancements allowed hunters to maintain better control over their dogs and increase their chances of successfully treeing a raccoon.
Training dogs to tree raccoons offers several benefits for both humans and raccoons. For humans, it serves as a non-lethal method of controlling raccoon populations. By employing trained dogs, hunters can reduce the need to harm or kill raccoons, thereby promoting a more humane approach to wildlife management. For raccoons, training dogs to tree them can be an effective deterrent. Raccoons, being nocturnal creatures, often cause damage to crops and property during the night. By training dogs to detect and tree raccoons, humans can minimize the likelihood of raccoons causing damage.
During this session, an experienced TLGDA and LGDR representative instructed on how to train your dog to tree a coon. In order to teach your dog to keep the raccon, you wanted him to use the ‘tree’ as much as possible. This was the first time many of the attendees’ dogs had even seen a raccoon. The raccoon is kept safe in a crate while the dogs are introduced and then the crate is pulled high in a tree as if it ran up the tree. While the dog jumps, the owner and instructor try to get them to climb to the tree and use it. You will see this in the pictures. After the session, the raccoon is taken to a safe place and released.
Cattle Herding
The third session of the day was cattle herding. Attendees enjoyed time watching and listening to an experienced Lacy Dog owner her uses her Lacy to manage cattle. She walked through the steps used to train her dog on how to apply its natural instincts and commands to control cattle.
After her presentation, attendees could bring their dogs out into the Bar 17 Arena and let them experience herding cattle. There were many experienced dogs that the unexperienced watched.
Allowing inexperienced dogs to participate in herding cattle provides them with valuable learning opportunities and helps them develop their natural instincts. It also allows them to gain exposure to the sights, sounds, and movements of cattle, which can enhance their training and overall skill set. Additionally, the presence of experienced dogs during these sessions provides a learning model for the inexperienced dogs, allowing them to observe and learn from their more experienced counterparts.
It is quite a treat to observe the learning curve of dogs that had never seen a cow before.
Hog Baying
Here piggie, piggie
Team Work
Not getting past me
Got ya!
Cornered ya!
The history of dogs baying hogs is a fascinating tale that highlights the symbiotic relationship between humans and canines. From their early origins as instinctual hunters to their modern role as technological companions, dogs have continuously evolved to meet hunters’ needs. Their ability to bay has helped countless individuals locate and capture hogs. Baying is a dog’s ability to vocalize and let out a distinct sound to attract or drive hogs. The roots of a dog’s ability to bay can be traced back to their ancestral lineage and their ability to use their acute sense of smell to locate prey.
Hog baying is a natural behavior exhibited by dogs when they encounter wild boars. It serves multiple purposes, including communication, territorial defense, and warning of potential threats. While it can be alarming to witness, it is important to appreciate and respect dogs’ instinctive behavior in situations like this.
Which leads to the last but not least session of the TLGDA Fun Day, Hog Baying. More experienced dogs can get into a controlled environment with a wild hog and bay it. During the Hog Baying session, younger, inexperienced dogs are given the opportunity to work with a wild hog piglet under controlled conditions. This hands-on experience allows them to develop their instincts and learn how to effectively bay and communicate with the hog. It is a valuable training process that helps these dogs build confidence and acquire the necessary skills for future encounters with wild boars.
This one day event helps develop instincts and communication skills which is crucial for dogs, especially those involved in activities like hog baying, tracking, or treeing. These skills not only enhance their ability to effectively communicate with their human handlers but also enable them to navigate and respond appropriately in various environments. By honing their instincts and communication skills, dogs become more reliable and efficient in their tasks, ensuring a successful and safe outcome for both themselves and their human counterparts.
The Fun Day also provides hands-on learning for inexperienced dogs giving them valuable real-world experiences and opportunities to develop their natural instincts. By participating in activities such as treeing raccoons or herding cattle, these dogs can gain exposure to new environments, sights, sounds, and movements, which ultimately enhances their training and overall skill set. Furthermore, the presence of experienced dogs during these sessions serves as a valuable learning model, allowing the inexperienced dogs to observe and learn from their more seasoned counterparts.
Hope to see everyone again NEXT YEAR!
