A dog or 2, worth the trouble, in North Country

[WaitsLong]

This is a broader question than hunting, but hunting problems
and hunting regulations may influence your decisions and views.

Is it worth you trouble to have a dog along, in the bush?

They could alert you to dangerous animals; bears can be sneaky.
They could distract an attacking animal, to allow you to regroup.
They could pull a small sled or just be a good companion.

OTOH, dogs can bark at everything from dear to squirrels.
They can run off and get eaten by a pack of wolves.
They can eat camp food, yours and your neighbor's.

Your thoughts and stories, please.

[Dand]

Depends on the person and the dog.  I've known of dogs that deflected a bear charge and have heard of some that brought bruno back to camp for lunch.  They can warn you of visitors or drive you nuts yapping at every mouse our shrew that scampers through camp. They can be great pals or drag mud and bugs into camp.

I had a roommate who had a large dog, nice companion but he couldn't stay out of porkys. He'd get one in the morning, get dequilled and find another in the afternoon. When my roomy gave that dog to an old trapper the trapper shot it the second day. Too much trouble.

They can be life savers or a pain. You choose. A well mannered dog, especially if it will point and or retrieve game is great.  Barkers drive me nuts.

PS I have no dog and the kids are wanting one.  I'm no trainer and I'm going through the same + and - discussion with myself.

[WaitsLong]

When I said "bush", I was thinking more of camping
than permanent residence, but I forgot many of you
live in the bush. And many of the issues are the same,
for permanent residence and camp life.

I lived in the country and found that vast majority of
dogs will wonder over to their neighbors land. A 4ft to
5 foot fence will contain most dogs, if there is not a
dog-in-heat issue. Almost any dog, even old ones, can
get over a 4ft fence, if they want to. Medium and large
sized dogs, that are healthy, can get over a 6ft fence,
if they really want to.

10 acres of land is a small patch, to a dog. He may spend
5 minutes, roaming around the 10 acres, and then decide
to go to the neighbors.( More interesting things are always
happenning at the neighbors!) Or, he may go directly off
your property within 30 seconds.

If your dog has a strong herding or hunting instinct, you
probably will need a fenced area. Even 40 acres is not
enough to contain a dog that wants to chase things.
He could occasionally chase cattle, horses, deer etc.
A dog can bite any of these animals, but he can damage
them without biting, by running them too much, or running
them into obstructions like fences.

Realize that a dog can act very differently when the master
is outside with him. The dog tends to stay closer to the
master and the master can call him back, if he gets near trouble.
The Master can forget how many times the dog would have gotten
into trouble. Next, the Master will let the dog out of the house,
unattended, and the dog can cause trouble.

Any of the above can happen with a single (normal) dog; a pack of
neighborhood dogs can be quite dangerous.

It sounds like I do not like dogs, but I do.

I am a fan of Obedience Training, but IMO, OT will not stop the problems
as described above, because OT mostly affects a dog when he is under
command or when his master is near.
Obedience Training Schools should train the dog and train the master;
and OTS is only the starting point, the master must keep it up.
The key: many short (5 minute) training sessions.
Expect every member of your family to undermine the OT, because they know
a better way or prefer a different word for the same command.
My dog was smart enough to overcome this, by adjusting to each person when
needed. Most dogs cannot do this very well. Again, short OT sessions help.

If any of you have a dog that does not wonder or chase, please tell me what
breed and/or what training you used.

Dand,
Having a good firearm, is not always enough, because a bear can surprise a
hunter or hiker. That was why I was considering a dog around the camp.
Your image of a dog bringing a bear back to camp is both funny and
scary. I had not thought of that ironic twist.

[Sourdough]

I have two beagles, they do no, repeat DO NOT go hunting with me.  Yes, I sometimes take them for a long walk out into the woods.   But if I am on a hunting trip they stay home.  I took the calmer one of the two with me once about five years ago.  I was going to be staying at the cabin for a couple of weeks by myself, I thought the company would be nice.  Going in we spent two nights in a tent.  First night he brought an Irrate cow moose into camp.  Second night he torn a hole in the side of the tent to get out when a bear was nosing around outside.  Then he did not want to stay at the cabin by himself, would not ride on the 4-wheeler, too lazy to follow.  I finally built a log dog house, so I could lock him inside and leave him there for the day.  Took the other one once, he rode the 4-wheeler good but at the first rest stop he went into the bushes to do his businesses, and brought a Black Bear back. 

[WaitsLong]

Sourdough,
Great story about your beagle. Jack London wrote about
heroic dogs like Buck. But, a dog like Buck might have
been chased back to camp just like your beagle was.

As much as dogs chew an dig, it did not occur to me that
a dog would chew or tear a hole in a tent.

I guess there is a good reason that sled dogs got chained
up outside the tent and only rarely would one be brought
inside the tent.

[williamlayton]

I can. as a flatlander dog owner, see both sides of this little thread.
I think, if I lived up there where you folks do---but I aint cause I am not man enough too take all that cold (if it gets below 70 degrees I look for warmer climes)-- I would have an appropritly trained dog as a companion.
I said--correctly trained.
Blessings