EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

Can I get some pointers on some steps I need to take when starting/training a cd before I take it to the woods. I have really been having a hard time finding a dog that will catch for me in the woods.

depends on what dog you have? do you have a apbt or a ab, or do you have more of a cur that catches?

I have two pits.

well i would say take them out with a buddy who has a experienced catch dog and let the dogs watch him work, let them get riled up and then pull the dog off and let on of yours go, when it catches let it work it for a sec and then pull it off and do it again

What exactly is the problem your having? Ive never had much trouble starting a pit, just show them a hog. Try them in a controlled setting, if they go in and catch, take them to the woods.

this may sound a little gruff but i'll tell you how I have done it and it has worked for me everytime. We usually have a good 225+ boar in a bay pen, all I have ever done is put 1 or 2 bay dogs in the pen and let the bulldog watch em to get him hyped up, I generally let the dogs work for a few minutes then I throw the bulldog in the pen and either he catches or he doesn't. I have had a couple bulldogs that have never seen a hog before and the first time I put em in the pen they sat back and bayed lol........easy to fix.........pull the bulldog outta the pen and let the bay dogs work the hog into a corner then I simply just pick up the bulldog and drop him right on top of the hog.......this has worked like a charm for me every time lol........the first time I did it to my old red bulldog "buck" the boar smoked him then took off, by the time that pig got turned around on at the other side of the pen ol buck dropped the hammer and the rest was history........it took less than 15 minutes for that ol dog to develop a pure hatred for a hog and from that day on he would lock like an 85lb vise.

Once I know that a bulldog will catch in a pen I start totin em to the woods and I will walk to em to the bay a few times until I know that they know what their job is, within two months of hunting with buck I no longer needed a lead, he would walk beside me without a care in the world until we got 50-100yds from the bay then it was game time....

hope this helps you some

also adding what justin said, make sure your pit is old enough  ;D

X2

They are old enough. I have a red and a blue pit. The red pit will not leave to go catch until you are right on top of the bay and last weekend we bayed a large herd of pigs and I turned the blue one loose and he  just went in there bouncing around and chasing instead of catching. I had a brindle female that had a little age on her that would just run in and chase and bounce around also. She did that on several bays so she had to go. Getting old trying to find something to catch all the time. Just wanted to know if I should give them more of a chance before I shuck them.

lace them up and put them in a small pen with a pissed off boar, they will either fight or die

jcarroll how far from the rains county area you? sounds to me u need a good hog and a good solid catch dog. let the good catch dog catch, send ur dog in learning to it. 1 of 2 things are gonna happen. it`s either gonna catch or it`s not. if he does`nt wanna catch hold him back and let him watch the other dog work make him want it! when it seems like he just has to have it turn him loose. some catch dogs have it some dont, there just like your main strike dog or ur set of pen dogs. there other methods then just throwen a dog on a hog or putting them in a small pen where it`s fight or get whooped. i would rather my dog done it him self not forced.

x-2 on that cris my catch dogs have never seen the inside of a pen . all were started in the woods . they either catch or they don't but i ain't had one yet that didn't .

Whats a good age 1 start a pit??

The dogs sound confused to me.  I don't recall ever seeing a pit that wouldn't catch.  Give it time.

Or..., Forget what breed they are and let them hunt loose with the other dogs.  Once they see, hear, and smell what's going on, nature will take over and I bet they catch.

Big Chris, I don't know where rains county is. I live in Garvin County. South central Oklahoma.