EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

I POSTED A WHILE BACK ABOUT MY DOGS NOT BAYING. WELL I HAVE TO BAYING DOWN REAL WELL. NOW ITS THE STRIKING PART, I WILL DRAG A HOG ABOUT 100-250YDS THROUGH BRUSH, SENDEROS, ETC..... BTW I WET THE HOG DOWN PRETTY GOOD TO LEAVE THE SCENT ON GROUND. OK THE DOGS GET A HOT TRACK N FOLLOW IT FOR ABOUT 40-80 YDS AND NOTICE WERE NOT BEHIND THEM NE MORE NE THEY COME BACK RUNNIN TOWARDS US UNTIL I TELL THEM "TO HUNT IT UP". SO THEY HUNT IT UP FOR THE SAME DISTANCE AND BAM THERE RIGHT BACK TOWARDS US AGAIN. DO I NEED TO GET A FINISHED DOG TO TRAIN THEM OR WHATS GOING ON. I NEED HELP. I HAVE BEEN OUT OF THE GAME FOR AWHILE NOW AND JUST TRYING TO REFRESH MY SKILLS AGAIN. NE PROBLEM SOLVING WILL B HELPFUL THANKS GUYS

how old are these dogs?

when i bought them the guy said 10months

I would let them run with a dog that will finish the track so they know whats at the end of it! JMO

These pups are still young enough but like mentioned above another dog that will finish the track could be helpful.

Howevver, some dogs will make good me too dogs that will not trail but will trail and follow as long as a good strike dog has the track and is leading. Still others will be culls that won't even make good me too dogs.

Time and training like your doing will tell what you have. I hope they turn out.

I would shorten the track and let them find the hog and then go futher each time. JMO.

x2, Good idea. This is how I find out if I have a pup that will make a strike dog. Put the hog in the woods and then come back later with the pups and make sure they have not been running and tired. You want them chomping at the bit to go do something. Park about 150 yards from the tied hog and then turn the dogs loose and just sit there and only give the command to get ahead and then ignore the dogs. Hopefully they will get bored and range out and possibly find the hog. If they are having trouble finding the hog slowly walk to the downwind side and see if the pups will wind it and go bay. As it gets easier stage the hog further out...Right now the dogs don't want to leave you so holding back until the dogs get bored might help. One thing is to make sure the dogs know you will wait on them when they make a round and come back to check on you. After a while they will know that they can track you so their confidence level should go up and they might stay gone longer.

Rueben, how do you train your dogs to trail behind until you give them the command to get out front and hunt? I gather from your above post that you train your dogs like this. I know that ppl also train cow dogs to work like this but I have never done this.

Curdawgs,

I know a few cow dog men who have their dogs trained like your talking about.

I do not train that way, I actually do the opposite. I am always trying to figure out what pups range out naturally and stay gone and which ones are me too type dogs. I also will wait on them so that they know to explore knowing that I will be there for them. Once they get it they will move out further. I usually don't train dogs real hard. I show them a few times and I expect for the natural instinct to kick in. At least that is the type of pup I am looking for. Sometimes I just settle for the best I have and that might not be what I really want but will replace when the time is oppurtunity arises.

so rueben ur sayin not to follow the dogs n let them go on there own. my little yellow dog IMO is gonna b the best one bc he is the one that goes out and hunts 30-60yds then comes back. im gonna keep workin them and see what happens. i have drug hogs 100-150 yds with the dogs not even around i will have a friend stay at the house and i go to the pasture n zig zag through everything with hog. i havent wet the hog yet maybe i should do that huh and let them track it like that. any suggestions would help fellas. im willin to pay someone to keep them a month with there dogs n train them for a fair price.

What you might try is when u stage another hunt with your pups and they wont hunt walk hunt them. If the are young and like to stay around you walk them around and pass by the hog every once in a while until they find it. They might not know they are sapose to be hunting, from what i get from your post they only know to bay. Once they find the hog and bay him pet them good and lead them off and stage it again. What im getting at is show them what you want them to do and after that they should range out and hunt. Jmo

sounds like you have a good plan and that you are really putting some thought in.
If i were you and you had the resources i would try the following, 1.go out to the woods like you have been doing 2. take that hog you have been using then put a good set of hobbles on it and turn it loose in front of your dogs 3. keep your dogs restrained (for now) but in view of the hog and let it dissapear out of view. if your dogs have the minerals to do the job they will probably be going mental about now 4.now turn the dogs loose, by letting the hog go out of view they will automatically start to use their noses and just build from there. you are definately on the right track but just a couple of steps ahead.
ill look forward to hearing how you get on.

hey slick sounds like a hell of a idea. i need to try a hobble. and c what happens. we took them last night hunting with a friend who has damn good dogs. and the went about half of what his dog did and they came back and hunted as far as headlights. but when its me and them they hunt 20--30yds  max

Have you tried to seperate them and train or run them by their self? Just thinkin that one might be holding the other back. Just a thought.

No havent done it individually yet. That might b the answer to the problem. Bc my young yellow cur has the potential to hunti its jusy that when the other two come back with me he comes runnin as well. Im gonna try that today

You could be right. I do this to find out who can do it alone when they all roll out to the woods.