Dogs are amazing animals that are invaluable in any job requiring scent detection, courage and resourcefulness. These videos will help show what can be achieved with intelligent breeding and effective training especially when dogs are required to perform high intensity work off leash and, often, a long way from the handler. Good training increases effectiveness, reduces stress and dramatically reduces risk. Have a look at good performance looks like in the field.
In this video, thermal drone tech captures the work put in by an experienced hunting dog to locate a boar by scent. The video demonstrates the capacity of Trent Mogg's Digit, a 2.5 year old bullarab bred by Brendan Minns of Minnamurrah Bull Arabs in Tenterfield, NSW, to use its nose to locate its quarry by testing the width of scent trail to narrow down the direction of the boar's escape. Filmed on a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced. That model has the flir thermal camera. Great work Digit.
This video is a Facebook find. The only attribution we could find was "@levi_cason has ole Blue trained up real nice!". We assume Levi is the handler who deserves the credit for the video and the training of Blue the dog. An outstanding display of competence by handler and dog.
In this video from Joe McDonald, two dogs pursue a boar. They catch him and another pig runs past. One of the dog's lets go and grabs the second boar. A lot of this is instinctive behaviour by the second dog but you can increase your chances of seeing that behaviour in your dogs if you encourage letting go and discourage hanging on too long. All of that starts in the yard when you are teaching behavioural boundaries.
(The hunters are some distance away in a vehicle trying to close the gap.)
This is one of our own videos, shot on a phone, to illustrate how dogs can exhibit 'professional' behaviour if it is required of them. Here Alan, Baz and Geoffrey (restrained) watch pigs trapped during a control program for a landholder. The pigs are under control and cannot escape but continue to react to our presence, a significant trigger for the dogs. However, a function of the breeding, the training and the regular exposure to the trigger helps them stay calm despite the excitement.
Another of ours... This time Geoffrey and Alan are off leash and have been called off a boar in a dam. The water is icy and the dogs appeared to be struggling out in the middle. With the dogs called off, the boar made its way to the far bank. The dogs wait for the command and I accidently gave it when I was talking to the camera. I said 'get him' in a sentence explaining what they were waiting for, they took it as the release. Just shows how alert they are to us, if we have the basics right.