Independence:
a dog with too much independence will hunt only for itself. he will take his own hog track and may not honor a bay. This is still a good dog but works best leading some me too dogs around. These me too dogs that look good hunting until the good independent dog gets killed, sold or whatever...but is no longer in the pack... Probably one reason folks sell good hog dogs cause that dog was good with that lead dog leading him around...and the seller hasn't figured out the real truth.
This type of dog can be a pain in the rear if he is in a pack of good strike dogs.
The other independent dog hunts well as a lead dog or as a team player, or alone...If he is good in the other departments then he should have the priviledge of stud dog...
Intelligence:
a dog can hunt hard and look busy but just can't find a hog very often and when he does he loses it in a briar patch or makes a lose thru thick brush etc. etc. This dog lacks intelligence.
a dog can hunt hard when he smells hog and finds a hog pretty quick or the same dog can make a quick round when the tail gate drops and he will come back and stick close while the other dogs hunt...he has done this many times and this dog knows there are no hogs in the vicinity...but as we get deeper in the woods this dog is starting to smell hog and this old dog leaves out and he will be bayed in a little while. He outstrikes the good dogs 9 out of ten times..
.or the dogs are drifting around where a bunch of hogs fed all night over a 20 acre plot or bigger and these dogs will take a few minutes to find the exit track but the smart dog makes a big loop and he is off to the races on the exit track...This is intelligence.
Nose:
a pack of dogs just passed over some hog tracks that were made several hours ago and that pack just keeps moving forward and that dog comes up a minute behind them and then trails thru the horses and dogs and bays up quarter a mile ahead...
I like a good nose and a dog that winds long range but do not like a real cold nosed dog...almost as bad as a dog without any inclination to use their nose...
Range:
not enough range and the dog is underfoot or only hunts 50 yards ahead. Also have dogs that hunt too and from in straight lines...
To much range is when a dog kicks rocks in my face on his way out and goes almost a mile before he settles to hunt...Some of these dogs can be awesome hog dogs but he sure passed up some good tracks before he starts to hunt. I want to hunt hogs and not hunt dogs...
For me I like a dog that circles around me...a dog that covers about a 600 yard loop or circle around me. meaning 300 yards in any direction from me...and this is if I am moving slowly.. if not moving these dogs will go further to find a hog but that is what a hunting dog is supposed to do.
Bottom or SticK:
dog can start and run the hog as long as it can see it or hear it...or a dog can run it a mile and if not stopped in that mile will quit and come back...
Then you have a dog that once he locates a good track will stick with it until he sees a hog at the other end of the tracks..and I like a dog to stay bayed 3 or 4 hours and if I can't make it to him then he needs to come back but most of these type of dogs won't come back till the next day...
We might not own this dog but it is a goal to shoot for....Got to see it in our heads before we can make it happen...
