Message #495029

[Silverton Boar Dogs]

I have been running some straight Stags and Stag crosses for a couple of years now, I like them a lot. I have no personal experience with the Grey Hounds.

The Stags seem to be a bit more durable because of the rough coat but skin is still pretty thin. The thin skin helps dissipate heat. The Stags will usually have better senting ability than the grey hounds. Stags will generally be rougher than the grey hounds but not as fast.

I got a speed reading on a pair of my straight Stags this week running to two different hogs. They were on open ground with good footing and on both hogs both Stags topped out at 34 mph.

A stag seams to be better about fencing and brush, mine run pretty smart but a fence in the brush can really cause a problem.

Of course they make great open ground dogs either straight or in a cross, but I have found them to rather useful in rough brushy pastures as well. They can jump up and over things that will stop a cur dog. Fast is fast and when running a track they can really turn it up in the small open areas. I have had much less trouble with running hogs when I have a Stag or two down with my Catahoulas.

I would consider a Straight Stag to be a high speed stop dog that will get a hog shut down allowing my rough cats to get there and seal the deal.

The crosses I run are great all around hard holders, fast enough to run a fast hog down in the open but not so fast to cause any problems. They are thicker skinned and bigger boned and can handle a big pig with style. I run them down or send them at first bark.