EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

i have three 8-9 month old pups ..... cat , hound , and bmc !  they will bay their butt off in the pen but when we hit the woods or rice fields , they'll go out about 200 yrds and then straight back to me !  they do this all night long even with a dog that stays out and hunts !   is this normal for pups that are just getting started or do i have a bunch of short rangers ?????  how do i stop the back and forth crap ?????

They're still pups.  Saying that though, alot of people mess dogs up in pens.  Even pens as big as 40 acres, dogs get accustomed to running sign and finding hogs within a period of time or a distance and when you get them in the woods they expect the same, so theyll quit sign alot of times because they dont know any better.  In your case let the pups hunt and keep em in the woods. 

will do ! i hope they catch on

Dogo, I would agree with BA-IV.  One thing that you may try is...take one of those pigs in the pen to the woods and let those pups see it and run/bay it.  Keep the hog tied to a tree at first, and then let it go.   The pups  will see it run and see it get out of sight; they should be able to smell it and then you will see if they want to trail or not.  Let an older dog go with them so they get familiar with going to a bay.  That is what I would do.  I think there are a lot of dogs out there that just run until they find something, get the pups using the nose and go from there.

good idea ...... im new to the game so thanks !

the begining of your post explained it all   PUPS  give em time and like said . show em a hog in the pen get em baying good then leave the pen alone . once there baying good no pen time is needed .

X2  if you want huntin dogs put them in the woods if you want pen dogs keep them in the bay pen

like i said im brand new to the game , im learning as i go , its good to get some input from you vets out there that have been doin it awhile !   all i know is ..... its damn funnnn i love it !!!!

One pup on the ground at the time.

I agree if you're in the woods on a real hunt... But we run mock hunts with all the pups and no vet dogs around. Do some drags and ties, and after they start using their nose pretty good just cut the pig loose and give it a little head start. They will figure it out after a few times, and if they don't start turning on then you may have some culls on your hands.  ;D But the main thing that I have figured out being around and seeing pups turn on is that you have to wait long enough for them to mature enough to do so. JMO

 I agree. Only one pup on the ground.

I agree with yall, but it brings up another question in my mind.  How do you stop the puppy from trying to play with your proven dogs?

Most seasoned dogs are just gonna ignore the puppy.  Some may growl or snap at the puppy and put it in its place and the puppy will figure it out pretty quick. If your seasoned dog is playing with the puppy, it ain't as seasoned as you thought.

Just remember puppies are puppies, and I don't care who says what, puppies that can trail, find, and put hogs at the end of tracks at 6-7 months and even 9-10 months ain't around every tree, bush, or rock.  I've yet to even see one, so dont expect miracles outta your puppy.

I shoulda also said do it on a consistent basis and do it over seasoned dogs.

nah, the older dogs don't really engage the pup, but you can tell they are bothered by it.

This is just my opinion try hunting them in the day time. I've had dogs that would hunt thier butts off but would not hunt at night.