By Greg Bartlett

Working dogs generally fall into two categories, hunters and herders. Dogs are utilized to hunt birds, raccoons, hogs and bear. Herding dogs are used to care for and contain cattle, sheep and goats. All too often the dogs are out of visual contact with their handler. A GPS tracker for your working dog will permit the handler to know exactly where the dog is and what he is doing.

The Great Pyrenees breed of dog has been utilized for centuries to herd goats and sheep. These large white dogs are often a common sight when around animals. In the southern states, the kudzu plant has become a major problem for many landowners. Kudzu is a fast growing plant that chokes out native vegetation.

Many land owners use goats to eat and control the kudzu. The Great Pyrenees dogs are left with the herd of goats to control and protect them. While the owner of the dog and goats is away from the herd, a GPS tracker can allow him to maintain contact with the dog and the herd to insure that they do not stray too far afield.

Hunting dogs are often worked in thick dense brush. These brushy areas make visual contact with the dog almost impossible. The dog handler can hear the dogs baying at their prey but cannot be completely sure of their exact location. The utilization of a GPS tracker can provide the handler the exact location of the dog, how it got to its location and whether the dog is in pursuit or has treed the prey.

During hunting season, it is not uncommon for residents of rural areas to find a strange dog at their doorstep. In most occasions the dog has a collar with the owners name and telephone number engraved on it. It is just as common for those residents to see a dog with a collar running wild on their property. These hunting dogs are lost and in all probability will never be returned to their owner.

A good hunting or herding dog is a valuable asset to the owner. The value of the dog includes the initial monetary cost of the dog included with the time taken to train the dog. For a dog that comes from champion blood lines this cost can approach five figures. The dog is a valuable asset and should be protected. The utilization of a GPS tracker will protect that asset and insure that the loss of the dog does not occur.