Dogs in Falconry

Jan 14, 2012 by  Admin

Birds of prey are very quick to realize what gets them the chance of a kill. Most will quickly learn to work with a dog once they realize what an asset it is. If you can present your hawk with regular slips, it can only improve. There is no better way of achieving that than with the help of a well trained dog.

Choice of Dog

I would never presume to advise anyone on something so personal as the choice of a hawking dog! I have seen spaniels and gosses working together and doing it so well that the human participants were just spectators. There are falconers flying their merlins at larks who run Brittany spaniels specially trained to point larks, something that would be a total anathema to field trialers. Falconers have been flying their falcons at a variety of game birds pointed by pointers and setters for centuries. I know American falconers who run dogs trained to flush duck from ponds on command – and to stop working in response to a signal or when the falcon has killed or is out of position. The use of trained gundogs in falconry is limited only by your imagination and your skill as a trainer.

Which BreedBroadly speaking, it is my opinion that it is generally wise to stick with the common well-known breeds of gundogs.

Many weird and wonderful breeds have been imported from all over the world in the last few decades, most declared to be the answer to the shooting man’s or falconer’s prayer. It saddens me to see so many in search of “The Holy Grail”, the dog that does it all without the owner having to be inconvenience by training the dog or to give it experience. Believe me, such dogs are the result of hard work – or the occasional freak of chance.

A dog does not need a long pedigree or even a KC registration certificate to be a success. And you can take that from a breeder