What breed would you recommend and how much should one expect to spend on a squirrel dog? How do you train them and how old until they start treeing? I'm thinking about getting one because I feel like it'd be easier to get my young sons involved in hunting at an earlier age with something more active and not so still/boring like deer hunting may be to a young child.

I bought a squirrel dog for the very reason you spoke of. I have a 5 year old son and he's way too active for deer hunting right now.

My mt cur turned 11 months old yesterday.. He started treeing squirrels in the park a couple of months ago but those are easy. He spots them on the ground and chases them up a tree. Those squirrels aren't really game, so they just get up the tree and bark at him (which really fires him up)

I've worked him on some small acres and he's sniffing around, checking trees but he's yet to get "treed" like he does in the park. He's young and still has a lot to learn but I'm excited with his progress. I'm going to take him to the national forest this weekend.. His first real hunt and hoping to get that first kill

Fiest and mt cur seem to be the most popular dogs for squirrel. I bought my pup from a member here and I really couldn't be happier.. He's just a good dog with a head full of sense. He's great with my son and definitely has the interest to chase when we're in the woods

Good deal. My oldest son will be five in november. Guess I need to keep an eye on the classifieds for a pup. Thank you

Seems like I remember a started dog in the classifieds not long ago

Go to Squirrel Dog Central and check out their classifieds.

Lots of dogs for sale there from pups to started dogs to finished out dogs.

Go ahead and open your wallet wide!

http://www.sqdog.com/forums/index.php?showforum=6

Thank you. I think I need to get a young one so it doesn't eat my chickens. I found a OMCBA Cur pup for sale on another website. . Thinking about going to get it.

I got into it four years ago, after a decade or more working with really good bird dogs. My kids were the reason, much like you suggested. I got a Mtn. Fiest and trapped some skwerls and carried him to the park. He was treeing his first year in the woods a little, turned it on the second year, and last year, he was really doing well.

I got a cur pup the year after the feist, she is a little slow in starting compared to the feist, and last year treed a few by herself... but I hope that this year, she will get going pretty good.

Both of my dogs I found in AL from the Sqdogcentral Class pages. Good bloodlines, and so far I've been impressed at how easy they have been to get going (even though the cur started slower). I love messing with and training dogs, so it was fun watching them develop and being a part of the process. My two boys love the dogs, and they are great pets, that know that they have a job to do in the fall and winter.

Go ahead and budget a tracking collar. My little 22 pound feist has some wheel under him, and in just a minute he can be 300 - 400 yards out if the game is scarce. I can call him back (esp. with the collar on him), but he'll flat out go if you let him! His second year, he treed better than 400 yards from me... and I was lucky just to hear him. GPS makes life way easier when it's getting dark and you are a half-mile from the truck in the National Forest praying that your dog to tree one more time so you can know where he's at. Ask me how I know... LOL

I have a 5 month old female curr pup and a 3 year old male I want to move the pup has been in the woods some she is not registered you can have her. The male I bought off a friend who recently had back surgery and cant hunt much anymore. The dog will tree a hot squirrel but is not what I would call a started squirrel dog I would like to get my money back off him $250.00.

Had 2 fiest few years ago. Both were good treeing dogs. One ranged far the other tended to stay close. Don't give up on them tree barking. The close ranging dog was almost 1 1/2 years old before she tree barked one day after running one up a tree. After that it was on.

JCarter that is on this board let my dad have a cur female a couple of years ago.. She is a dandy...handles good trees good..extremely smart ..I have a nine year old nephew..she is great with him.. If dad leaves her out at night she sleeps under their bedroom window. Might check with him, he is on here all along.

Tim Cosby has some great stock. He is down around Montgomery. I bought 2 pups from him. They are both treeing on their own. Self starters.
PM me if you want his phone number

Another Jcarter fan here. He's the one I got Spark from. She's a great dog. Has tons of drive and extremely smart.

had a feist from him few years ago. Was a great dog.

Bought a mnt cur pup from Rex Ledbetter in opelika 5 years ago. Probably the best purchase i ever made. Some of the best times my sons and i have had in the woods following that dog and shooting squirrels. Get a good bloodline pup and just start going to the woods. The dog will figure it out if you spend enough time in the woods with them. PM me and I will get you rex's #. Most people i know use cur or feist. both seem to be good breeds. But we did hunt with a Blue tick one time and man that dog had a nose.

Another Tim Cosby client here. Got my fiest from him as a puppy and we have killed literally truckloads of squirrels over the past 12 years with Blazer.

yours come off of Monkey? I think that was the mothers name not sure

Nope. Mine is Dexter x Ellie Mae. I had a Monkey puppy that was doing great and he got out of the pen one afternoon and got run over. Dadgumit.

Monkey was a male dog.

If you haven't found a dog yet PM me. I know of a young dog that is available.

Get u a feist or feist/cut mix if you want one that hunts a little closer. To me it always seem the Cur's hunted a little further out. Unless you have a lot of time to train it right go ahead and spend the money to get a well started or finished dog, they should come when you call and load up in the truck everytime you drop the tailgate. You can thank me later.