One thing I have figured out is, if a dog has the "hunt" in them it really doesnt matter what you do their gonna go hunt when dropped in the woods. They either have it or they don't.
X4.......I pet my dogs when I'm feeding them.....I LIKE my dogs and I want them to like me,.....I get more out of them that way seems like. One dog of mine will let anyone catch her in the woods.....the other not so easy to catch....it's taken years for her to let some of the folks I hunt with catch her when they need to. I want mine to be easy to catch by the people I hunt with. If they're running a hog and one of my bunch kills it, I don't want to have to go all the way over there to get my dogs, I want them to let my buddies bring them back to me. As for the whip idea.....mine would come running and looking for the hog that you just shot at and be a bit chapped at you for missing it.
About that whip, when you have a trashy dog on your hands. Get you a little rat shot and when you catch them in the act bust em!(from a distance of corse) usually they will come to you for releaf like what the heck was that and they will remember that loud bang. after that when you pop your whip they will usually stop whatever they are doing and find you. If you tried baying and shooting over anything from my house you better make it count because they will scatter I'm sure!
As far as the other goes I agree with chad if a dog has the desire to hunt it don't make a difference what you do with them at home. However I was taught young that a dog is a tool no diff than a horse. It has a job and does it there are no free meals. Just as a tool I use them when I need them and put them away when I don't. You won't catch me in the pasture or in my barn just loving on a horse and you won't find me watching my dogs chase butterflys in my yard. It's just not how I'm made and I don't have the time.
