I have an extremely smart springer spaniel who does all I could ask for with birds but when I saw that lab with a horn in it's mouth it made me want to teach my dog how to get sheds. I took him outside and within 5 minutes i could say "Horn" and he would run through the bushes and come out with the horn I hid. Even if I put it under brush or a tarp. I have had my friend test me. He hid a horn out in our field and my dog found it on the first pass without either of us knowing where it was. What else can I be doing to make him a great shed dog? Thanks. I will post pictures of us when we get a bunch of sheds.

There was a 2-part article in North American Whitetail (last issue & current issue) about using dogs to find sheds.

Interesting timing, as my dad & I were at my property last week. While he did some tractor work, I said I was going hunting for sheds. He said "Take the dogs!" I had my black Lab and his yellow Lab pup.

An hour later, nothing but an old cow bone...

I'm going to have to try & train my girl to find them this spring....

My border collie finds them .when he was a pup I gave him one and since then he has brought in several.w/regards

itaught my red heeler to hunt sheds,started young and made finding them a game,w/ a good roughhousing as the reward.dog has found way more bone than i in 7yrs.can carry a 10lb elk shed back to you.i tested him when i would spot a shed first and walk him in at 90 degrees of the scent trail and he never missed.on fresh bone they learn to recoginize the smell,my dog will pickup old dry sheds if he sees them but doesn't key on any scent trails.another thing is to teach them to go back for the 2nd shed. same way pre spot a set and walk in at 90,after retrieving the 1st send or walk him to the 2nd and everytime he finds one before you send him after the 2nd.true test is with horns you havn't touched,the heeler was finding them on his own at 2 yrs.good luck!

Max M
Now you have spoiled your dog by teaching him that an "antler" is a "horn". Pretty soon he will be telling all the other dogs and they will all be confused and getting into debates as to wbich it is a "horn" or an "antler".

I have a shepard/lab that has only two missions in life (he is fixed) barking all night at coyotes and finding sheds for me. His second talent keeps him from getting shot for his first.

Robin down under