Noah......you asked what is special about them. Well here is my 2 cents on the subject.
First and foremost they are well bred stock dogs unique to this area of Texas. They are a true old style cur dog in my opinion, They can be used equally as well on cattle or hogs, guard the house, Tree varmints, ect. They have a stock working instinct that I find is lacking in allot of hog dogs even other cur dogs. They just have the instinct and finess to work livestock putting enough pressure at the right times and not putting too much pressure at the wrong times. As far as hog hunting traits go well Bottom comes to mind first. Most of them have more bottom than most people care for. A very high working drive that comes natural..... they just need to be exposed and the rest is instinct. Built for speed and the stamina to be worked hard all day and many days in a row with very little rest in between. Longevity..... they will live and be huntable for a long time. Hunting these dogs has made me come to expect a dog to be productive past 10 years. Smarts.....something thats hard to put into words, but they just have a way of getting hogs found, getting them bayed, and not getting cut to chit in the process, and making it look easy at the same time.
I would definately say Perry dogs are not like a hound. There may be a hound or two the mix from days gone by, but if you ask me, they did a good job of breeding it out of them. I would not call them cold nosed at all expecially when compared to hounds. They dont mess with old stuff like a hound will but work fresh sign like a cur should. Now they very well might make big loops looking for fresh sign and take fresh sent a LONG way to locate a hog, but none of the ones Ive hunted behind ever worked what i would call cold scent. The really good ones WILL make a hound look foolish though.
. I can say with certainty, and from personaly experience, that Hershel Perry Sr. did not like hounds, dogs with thick tails or bulldog heads, basically anything other than a cur. But expecially hounds. And If you brought one on a hunt he envited you on, he would let you know about it. Ofcourse he did it in his own polite yet straight forward way. A way that made you ashamed, and appreciative at the same time and also make you wonder to yourself why you would ever bring such a mongrel on a hunt.
They have a high tendancy to roll out. In my opinion that is the stock breeding shining. They know more hogs are in the area and have the instinct and desire the "gather them ALL up". Much like a cow dog will roll off a bay to bring a break away back in. My dad says Dixie could count... she knew how many hogs were in the bunch when she started it and would not quit untill they were all caught or dead. Once on a hunt a the Newton Ranch...R. P. Wagner said F*** the hogs just catch that black dog (referring to Dixie). They produce consistantly. No line of dogs turns out super stars in every littler and not every pup from a litter will even make the grade. But in my experience they will produce a higher percentage that make good using dogs. They are a pleasure to own and hunt behind. They may no suit everybody but they certainly do suit me.
Waylon
