Hunter or Dog ???

Interesting thread. I agree with most posts, the dog has to have it inside, to make a good dog, no matter who owns it. But, a better trainer/handler can bring out the potential better than a poor trainer/handler. And trainers/handlers have ruined a train load of dogs by lack of knowledge/experience.

I once got a pup from someone who supposedly had good dogs. Silent, cold nosed, medium range dogs that would stay bayed all night. Well, I am always looking for something better than what I am hunting so I had to have one. I had a litter of my own at the same time, of which I kept two pups. I raised the outside pup with the two I bred. Same kennels, same feed, handled the same, started the same, hunted the same. I fed the new dog two YEARS and it never barked at a hog...not once. It wasn't afraid of the hogs, would follow you to a bay and stand there and wag its tail like it was happy your other dogs caught the hog. By other dogs I mean the two pups I bred that were the same age as this dog...........

So it wasn't the trainer or environment, it was the dog that was lacking in this case. It just didn't have the desire to hunt/bay. It wouldn't even run a hog that you turned out on with the dog looking at it. Needless to say that dog/blood is no longer on my yard...........

But on the other hand I would bet I could take the best hog dog on this board and in less than a month, break it off hogs entirely..........not that I would want to, but just an example of the influence a trainer/handler could have on a dog.