# a silly question from a guy who knows nothing about training



## Glimmil (Sep 9, 2008)

hey you all.
please bear with me if this is a ridiculous question.

I'm not a hunter, and have never trained a dog beyond sit/stay, lie down, kennel, etc. I figured since I need to learn something, I could start with people that know about the topic.

Word has gotten around town that my wife can find lost cats, and it's true. She's really good at getting people's cats back home.

At least every other month, we get a call from someone saying 'You don't know me, but so and so said you can find lost cats, and my Fluffy/LeRoy/Whiskers ran away and hasn't come home...'

One of our dogs is a little Chihuahua, and she's obsessed with cats. Particularly when she doesn't know them, and they're outside. Like, if there's a stray cat in our yard, she knows it, and roots him out, wagging her tail, and expecting him to play with her. It's pretty funny to watch, really.

Anyway, I was wondering if there was some way we could train her to find cats in other places - like when people call my wife, she could load up the dog, and take her out and use her to 'hunt' the lost cat.

(This is where my ignorance is going to become blatant)
It seems like it would be _similar_ to training a dog to find birds or raccoons or something else that doesn't really want to be found - like you all do.
I know you can train dogs to all sorts of things, so it doesn't seem that outlandish to me.

Do any of you all have any advice on where I could start figuring out how to train this little dog (who really does seem to have a 'hunting' instinct regarding cats) to track them down and help out my wife and the people who've lost their pets?

Any tips or thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.

Thanks.

-Glimmil


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## Glimmil (Sep 9, 2008)

wow. 79 views, and no one knows how to train a dog to hunt? _yikes_.

I'll come back and tell you all how it's done, once I learn.


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

All dogs need a scent trail, they don't just wander aimlessly like people do. Without a scent trail I think it would be pretty tough for the pooch to be very helpful.


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## HuntingGeek (Oct 12, 2007)

> wow. 79 views, and no one knows how to train a dog to hunt?


I think it's more of a factor that nobody has quite trained a dog to do what you hope to. It's a pretty unique situation. It sounds like your dog already has the drive to find cats you just need to nurture it. You could try hiding different cats and give your dog a "search" command or whatever. Then when she finds the cat make a big deal out of it and give her a treat. It shouldn't take too long before you are able to tell the dog to "search" and she will expect to find a cat and go looking for it. You'll need to know the general area where the cat is probably located because you will just be wandering around and hope to catch scent of the cat.


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## gonehuntin' (Jul 27, 2006)

This is a hunting dog board. We use cats for training. No interest.


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## houndsman (Jan 30, 2006)

It's unfortunate that your disappointed in the lack of responses to your question. Please take this one in the genuinely respectful way that I mean it... 
The reality is that if there is a stray cat in my yard, my 6 year old son will find it and 'root' it out. He's not gifted with an uncanny ability to locate cats - he's just overflowing with zeal for life and exploring new places and things. I honestly think your little dog is doing the same thing. Training your dog to locate lost cats in a city is an exercise in futility. Cats throw off very, very little scent. Most cat trackers use hounds and snow - the snow melts between the pads on their paws and draws off some scent and that traditionally makes for good tracking conditions. Any dog other than an extremely cold nosed one will have difficulty following even a 2 hr old cat track across sun baked asphalt. 'tracking' the cats just isn't likely to work very well. 
Alternatively, I would think that a vigorous small dog busting thru thick bushes in back yards, etc. will get a lot of cats moving, and that may be a way you can look for them...just athought.
In closing, if someone calls looking for a lost cat, let them know that felines don't often get 'lost'. They have an uncanny ability to navigate back to where they came from. Most 'roaming' cats are toms that have come of age and are naturally inclined to roam wide. I have a tom cat that will disappear for 2-3 weeks sometimes...and then as sure as the sun comes up each morning he finds his way back and pops up on the porch or the shop.
Good luck to you - and if you do find some runaway cats post the story - it would be good reading.


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## jmillercustoms (Dec 11, 2007)

gonehuntin' said:


> This is a hunting dog board. We use cats for training. No interest.


 :beer:


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## houndsman (Jan 30, 2006)

Hey Glimmil - nothing wrong with your question and the greater majority of people on here won't poke fun at it. Wish I could help you out - but I just don't have any savvy on how you could constructively teach your dog to seek out lost cats and remain well behaved around cats that aren't lost. You sound determined to figure out a way - and I harbor a lot of respect for that. If you do figure out a way, I'll be interested in reading it.

I wish you well.


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