Message #526345

[Goose87]

Here's what works for me and it's only my opinion. Folks push pups way to hard way to early mainly bc ole so and so said his pups were doing it at that age when in all reality he was blowing smoke up your rear. Like rueben said it makes your and the dogs job much easier if you select for that natural working ability. I don't take mine to the woods until they are at least 10 months old, by then my pups know what a hog is, I'll send them to a few bays or throw them in the race on a crossing, once I've seen that they have the natural ability and want to I'll hold them at the house until about 12 or 13 months, by then I've culled through them and what's left are the ones that have showed me something, by doing this the pups are mentally and physically mature to keep up in a race and not get discouraged when they fall out or get left behind. I have found that by holding them and letting them grow into their bodies and mind sets, people forget that to be a dog it has to be a puppy first and get aggravated and push push push and the majority of the time are let down. By the time it's 18 months old if I can't reach in the box and pull that dog out and cast it to go find a hog then it's time for it to go.