Message #349944

[Bryant]

I can't say much about the catch dogs of the past because I've only been hunting using a catchdog for about 8 years.  I was very lucky early on and got my hands on two that have since proven to be the best I've yet to own....one of which I've been attempting to train a replacement for going on five years.  Zeus is a male dog bred by Krystal (Uglydog) and Ruby was a female AB from Joshua Kennels (of Florida at the time) that was a nice bulldog but had a slight female aggression issue.

I've since raised a full dogo and four American Bulldogs (all well bred dogs from working, proven backgrounds) and have yet to have one meet my expectations of a sure-enough catchdog.  For one to make the cut around my place, the criteria is very strict.  Perhaps the bar was set too high, but I continue to press on believing I will eventually find what I'm after.  The dogo I had was just a straight cull...no interest whatsoever in ANY kind of game.  I had one AB that was terribly skiddish (to the point of not being able to handle her) but the majority of my issues with the AB's have been breathing problems.  I know (because I still own one) how a catchdog should be able to recover after a catch and hold.  When I break a dog off that ran 50 yards and caught for a few minutes and that dog is breathing like no tomorrow....not good in my opinion.

I've got a Stover X Hines bred bitch now that's proving to be a pretty good hand.  I see a little bit of breathing issue with her but I feel part of that is because she pulls so dang hard on a lead and I haven't taken the time quite yet to correct that problem.  Time will tell.
 
I guess all this to say that over the eight years I've been messing with bulldogs I've come to realize that either I have the worst luck of all, or a sure enough good full-package catchdog is just as hard to come by and of just as much worth as a very nice cur.  I tend to believe the latter.