Can Golden retrievers be used as hunting dogs?

[Manuel742]

Can Golden retrievers be used to hunt? To follow tracks? Like wild pigs, raccoons Etc

 

[R2elk]

Can Golden retrievers be used to hunt? To follow tracks? Like wild pigs, raccoons Etc

If you train them properly, yes. They were developed as a retrieving breed for retrieving waterfowl.

You would do better with a scent hound than a sight dog.

 

[Goatlover223]

The Golden Retriever is a medium-large gun dog that was bred to retrieve shot waterfowl, such as ducks and upland game birds, during hunting and shooting parties. The name "retriever" refers to the breed's ability to retrieve shot game undamaged due to their soft mouth.
Hope I could help.

 

[svh]

Heck yeah ..... One of my old dogs, Chi Chi Boy, (RIP) a chihuahua Yorkie mix, had an amazing nose, and was an incredible squirrel/rabbit dog, helping me harvest and retrieve countless small game animals. He could also track the heck out of deer, and could find a downed deer in no time flat. I never really trained him, he just knew what to do.

He was a very special animal. my constant companion from 7 weeks old, and I know it sounds impossible, but we had a special connection, and virtually silent communication between us ..... He knew exactly what I was thinking, and I cold read him like a book.

I've had MANY dogs, and have never, before or after him, seen quite the level of (mental ?) communication skills he exhibited.

Here is a picture of a picture of us back in 2007.

 

[Goatlover223]

Heck yeah ..... One of my old dogs, Chi Chi Boy, (RIP) a chihuahua Yorkie mix, had an amazing nose, and was an incredible squirrel/rabbit dog, helping me harvest and retrieve countless small game animals. He could also track the heck out of deer, and could find a downed deer in no time flat. I never really trained him, he just knew what to do.

He was a very special animal. my constant companion from 7 weeks old, and I know it sounds impossible, but we had a special connection, and virtually silent communication between us ..... He knew exactly what I was thinking, and I cold read him like a book.

I've had MANY dogs, and have never, before or after him, seen quite the level of (mental ?) communication skills he exhibited.

Here is a picture of a picture of us back in 2007.

View attachment 2529462

Yeah here’s the bunch of my hunting dogs I got a really cool picture of a huge hog my dog found also in here that’s my little bro with our deer hunting dog.

 

[David61]

Heck yeah ..... One of my old dogs, Chi Chi Boy, (RIP) a chihuahua Yorkie mix, had an amazing nose, and was an incredible squirrel/rabbit dog, helping me harvest and retrieve countless small game animals. He could also track the heck out of deer, and could find a downed deer in no time flat. I never really trained him, he just knew what to do.

He was a very special animal. my constant companion from 7 weeks old, and I know it sounds impossible, but we had a special connection, and virtually silent communication between us ..... He knew exactly what I was thinking, and I cold read him like a book.

I've had MANY dogs, and have never, before or after him, seen quite the level of (mental ?) communication skills he exhibited.

Here is a picture of a picture of us back in 2007.

View attachment 2529462

I have had one and seen a few dogs that were smarter and understood more than some people.

Teaching a hunting dog to hunt contrary to its breed is taboo in the hunting world. I have seen dogs given away or dumped at the pound for tracking , going after or not preforming to breed standards.

As for what you asked. Yes, any dog can be trained to do anything if you know how to train a dog.
You should know that each breed has not only traits that make better at a task but traits that respond better in training. Training techniques of sight, sound, sent or reward vs negative would be as applied different . I have used and seen this growing up in the woods. The training and use of coon, rabbit, squirrel, bird, deer dogs are some but you have multi purpose packs of scent , sight and catch dogs working together.

 

[RiverOtter]

You can use a Golden to track a hog or raccoon, but not to catch one. They are wonderful trackers and often used for Search and Rescue, but have been bred to have a "soft mouth" - to carry a downed duck without so much as ruffling the feathers. It goes against their nature to grip prey.

If that's what you need, you'd be better off with a cur or coonhound.

 

[chickentrains]

Yeah here’s the bunch of my hunting dogs I got a really cool picture of a huge hog my dog found also in here that’s my little bro with our deer hunting dog.View attachment 2529502

OMG is that a bavarian mountain scent hound??!

 

[Goatlover223]

OMG is that a bavarian mountain scent hound??!

Yes

 

[chickentrains]

Yes

ah, I love them <3