Hunting with Barking Bird Dogs (Trädskällare/Skällande fågelhund)

Hunting with Barking Bird Dogs (e.g. Norrbottenspets and Finnish Spitz)

General information

Hunting with barking bird dogs – often called tree-barking dog hunting, and the dogs known as “tree barkers” – is a traditional Nordic hunting method, mainly used for forest grouse, such as capercaillie, black grouse, and hazel grouse.
The most common breeds are the Norrbottenspets and the Finnish Spitz, both bred to search independently, locate birds, and hold them in trees by barking.

The dog works silently while searching, using scent, sight, and hearing to find birds.
Once it locates a bird, it follows carefully until the bird lands in a tree.
The dog then begins to bark rhythmically and consistently, allowing the hunter to locate the bird and quietly approach within shooting range.