EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

started out with baydogs mild gritt with catch dog.....did a lot of running the pigs but very little and i mean little pork on table. we run as many as most but caught less than anybody!             changed direction finally got a pack that we catch pigs 9 out of 10 times.very ruff bay-catch dogs and a rcd   all currs  or curr cross   

they are or was all ear dogs   the last 5 out of 7 pigs they have killed before we could get to them they are catching legs and if pig goes down they are tearing its stomach out.... gutting it.   we like to catch them alive we sell them to help offset expences....  my question   am i letting or teaching my dogs bad catching habits ? 
if so what do i do
                           
WISH A PIG  HAD 4 EARS
                                                                                   thanks jim

Well, first if they're catching hogs successfully, then congratulations, you are doing something well. Now, let me say as for me, I wouldn't put up with it at all. If you know who your number 1 dog is, try running him solo, if that dont work, give him 1 assistant. Only 2ears anyway.

Once again, this is just me personally, but, I won't put up with a hog chewer.

Sounds just noah this is why he only turns one or 2 out at a time cut back a dog or 2

Sounds like your not getting to the bay fast enough and one thing to remeber about rough dogs is if its a smaller hog u probably won't save it or Maybe u have to many dogs on the ground at once there could be lots of factors why your hogs are getting tore up bad jmo lots of old dogmen would cull for leg chewing or even catching period

dont no if i this will really answer your ? but im fresh outa high school ben running my own dogs for the past 3 years now and i have come to the conclusion that if your hogs are running get you 1 or 2 dogs that arent necessarily ruff but no how to put the brakes on 1, I myself only run 2 dogs on the ground at a time each will get ruff enough to stop 1 but back off when he turns to fight. Although, wen i first started i of course figured the more dogs quicker the hog would be forced to stop ( not always true) more dogs mean more pressure, but i think if i was in your shoes id cut my numbers down and see if it works for you.

lol..."wish a pig had 4 ears" i like that.

What  ya need 2 do is figure out which 1 or 1ns is doing the chewing and muzzle em or u need 2 run less dogs on the ground   I got 1 find dog (not gritty) and2 help dogs which want put teeth on hog till bulldog catches I sell every hog we catch    

I have suggested that a person or two try a muzzle on a dog in a pen or controlled setting, but I really have a problem with running a dog in the woods with a muzzle. If the dog dont get smart and develop some self control real quick its going to get gone.

I agree with running two gritty strike dogs. (and these dogs normally wont catch anything bigger than 2-250) I like to have one good short range gritty looser help dog and two CDs (one smaller and fast with lots of bottom, and one bigger anchor). You never know what you are gona get on out there. You don't always need all the power, but it's good to have it. I deff would not put up with chewy dogs though. Gritty is one thing, but I want them to not chew, and head out after we get there and the hog is caught. It is always fun to let a good up and coming pup run with the pack too. But each piece if land may require a different kind of pack. Jmo

I would imagine you are running to many dogs on the ground at one time if they are that ruff .

What do you mean by bottom in regards to a catch dog? Same term/ definition as bottom in a cur or hound?

  my very thought ...so how many dogs are u running at once

I think he means one that will stick with the strike dogs if the hog breaks. Not always a good thing but have caught a bunch of runners thanks to my bulldog sticking in on the chase.

Oh. That's wat I figured, but just making sure.

In my opinion, most people have too many dogs on the ground at once. I really like two dogs at a time. One of which that will catch when the catch dog does. I like the idea of not leading a bulldog and using a rcd...but i dont want them to catch when im a half mile out. If you have that many rough dogs on the ground, and there aint but two ears...they are catching somewhere. Run em in pairs and rotate.

i'm running 2 strick dogs and 2 help dogs.      i started this because of split bays....i used to run 3 with a catch but it seemed like they went in 2 or 3 dirrections and they could not shut them down  maybe i need to go back to catch dog and run in pairs as suggested.     Jim

most people run to many dogs and they put to much pressure on the hogs.dont know why n e body would lead a bulldog wen there so easy to train to follow u,i never lead one to much work.

that is exactly what I mean. Jane is a navy seal!!! She will run a mile to stay behind the dogs and be there to catch! I'd love to see her and Baus put a litter out. They would be unstoppable. IMO

And we don't always take that many, that's just my ideal set up... Just like someone said, of you have split bays, you have two catch dogs. We lead ours in, but you have to have a good handle on em do they don't wear themselves out getting to the bay. We normally will wait to about 100yrds or so before we cut em loose. But that's just us... And our hogs dont get too torn up. Seems that most people hunt differently.

I really think it depends on the dog as far as following you! My bulldog has way to much drive to the point she would go hunting and be somewhat rangey if I would let her and has found her own hog several times on bays that broke. Of course this is not ideal because she is all bite and no bark and would get herself hurt or worse on the right hog.

a GOOD pack of ruff dogs should catch the pig not kill or destroy it . imo that pack is outta control . ruff dogs may kill baby pigs and a few shoats but geeeez  now i'll go back and read all the post

bunch of good advice allready givin . when i ran my ruff dogs all i would run is a pair of dogs and a pup in training if there ruff thats all you need . and this was before i started using catch dogs . of course sometimes you wish you had 20 dogs on the ground .but thats huntin  ;D

letting dogs catch wen ur not close is how dogs get killed,ideal for me is to b 15 to 20 feet from hog wen i send catch dog.i like to b rite behind the bulldog to get controll of the hog to help keep my dogs from getting cut..my dogs r not ruff but will catch if other dogs get to ruff.i like mild bay dogs,ill do the catching if they do there part.its alot easier to get a catch dog than a good find dog.using rcd is a dasaster wating to happen,thats just me.

alot of it is recent rain we hunt on foot it seems as though the pigs cross all the creeks and slews and plowed fields we are not getting to them quick enough. i think i will cut back one dog at a time ...i'm afraide if we get on a big bad one i want have enough firepower "dogs" however anything under 225 i have to much. i need to find a happy medium. thanks 4 all the advise      Jim

2 rough dogs and a catchdog big enough to handle any pig would be my ideal. If they split, I expect the cur to hold that bay until the catchdog comes. However long that takes.

  coud'nt agree more . mr garmin has made it very easy to have an idea what your dogs are doing .just because when you get to the pig your dog is having a chew dos'nt mean its a good dog

Are you refering to bulldogs or cur dogs? If my bulldog is caught and holds the hog long enough for me to get there then in my mind they did their job! I do agree that just because a cur dog is caught or chewing on a hog with the bulldog then that doesnt necessarily make them good dogs.

rough all the way.my.02

;D

I run gritty dogs, to the extreme that one dog will bay a bad one, send him one more cur and its a caught hog (or tore up dogs from tryin).  If i run more than that they will try to catch any and everything.  Id definately try cuttin back on the number of dogs on the ground.

i use five really rough dogs and produce pork with them and all my hogs are alive when i get to them i use cur x pit and bmc .

i run bmc and 3 curr-cross no catch dogs as per say           2 out of the 4 will try most under 200  the other 2 will try as soon as theh have help      Jim