I believe that inbreeding and line breeding will get you there faster...but only breed the very best...but I also believe that over a few generations the dogs can actually produce better and for sure a higher percentage of good to great dogs...over time you can get more grit, more range, better nose than previous generations...to me it all starts with testing the pups at a young age for nose which includes, winding and trailing...then comes testing for natural ranging out and then testing for the quality of the pup baying...also look at what ages the pups actually start hunting and then see what kind of bottom and stick each pup has and at what age the pups develop the range to go all the way...all this should be taken into consideration as to who becomes the breeders...it is all about selecting the right pups/dogs for breeding...it is like a point system to grade each pup... but we also look at conformation...got to have the right tools to perform well...and smarts to know where to look for game... and to figure out how to find the exit track quickly by cutting and slashing/drifting on the track...
the goal is to get a higher percentage of good pups per litter and to improve the quality of the dogs with each generation...
I want to see natural ability in the pups to wind, trail, find, and stop a hog...a dog that will find a hog if there is a hog in the woods to be found...I want the dog to hunt with me and me not having to hunt for the dog each time I turn it out...I want the dog to make quarter mile loops in each direction and no more than that...if I don't see the dog looping I know it is on a track or the dog is bayed... and I don't want the dog to quit the track if at all possible...all of these traits come into play when selecting a breeder...
but the bottom line is selecting pups with natural instincts/ability...one that does not require much training...simply exposing it to what we want and the dog just knows what to do instinctively with minimal training...
If I have to spend a lot of time training and having to use the e collar too often and too much...then I expect to do the same with the offspring...if it takes 3 years for the dog to turn on...then I can expect the same with the offspring...so why do it??? especially when we can use the naturals for breeding...
but I will not hesitate to breed to an average to slightly below average dog from this type of line bred hunting dogs any day... before I would consider breeding to a top notch dog from less than average breeding...
but i would only do it once just to get me out of a bind if I got into a bind...
X2
Well said
Dexter
