first time around I was interested in having a line of dogs that started early and were hunting pretty good by one year of age...I kept a diary on all pups to see who was the best all around for hunting and breeding and at what age they started hunting, striking and completing the race...I turned over the dogs pretty quick, mainly the females and I also bred them on their first heat when I knew what they were capable of...quite a few started pretty good at 10 months and by 14-16 months were doing almost as good as the big dogs...early on the high turnover rate was for a reason and that was to purify the gene pool for hunting qualities such as the ability to find game quickly as well as for early starting etc...etc...I also believed that in a pinch all dogs kept could be bred if needed but as like anything else to have the best one must have the highest standards...it is a good feeling when you can go in right behind the other guys and their dogs and strike a hog with your pack...
I now have 4 pretty good dogs and 2 are a stepping stone for the next generation, one is useable once or twice and the 4th is a redbone x pitbull cross and he is not getting bred but I do need him right now as a hunting dog...I did have a nice little gyp that was in my plan to breed but her uterus burst when she was bred so I gave her away due to not needing her just for a strike dog...so in keeping a few dogs at some point all will be breed worthy at least for the next generation...and at some point one will be bred more so than the others...but moving in that direction slowly...not interested in spending the money to breed high percentages of high quality pups...I am more interested in having good dogs but always moving in the right direction...
one thing I really like about this site is all the good info we share...and hopefully the standard of the average hog dog will be higher because of this knowledge...thus less culls
The size of the breed seems to dictate more on what the age at one year a pup is in human years...strictly my opinion...a 1 year old great dane is like a 13 year old kid and a one year old 55 pound mt cur is about a 17 year old...
at 10 months I more or less know if a pup is a keeper and by 12-18 months will know if he or she is truly one that can be bred...at times one will know at 6 to 8 months if a pup is at the top of the scale for most of the qualities one may want in a hunting dog...we may not know for sure but we can have a good idea...
Justin/YBM...I agree with what you guys said...
