Message #535214

[Reuben]

a dog is born to hunt and trail a certain way...on that I agree with you...

I will give these 2 scenarios...on getting the most out of the dog pack or just dumping the dogs out and moving out and not paying much attention to the dogs...yes there are dogs that hunt for themselves and it won't matter much on what you do with them...usually we are trying to reel them in and very careful where to turn them out...a pain in the neck...

for both scenarios I will use as an example 2 different packs of dogs of the exact same breeding and each pack hunted by 2 different dog handlers/owners...the dogs have been line bred, inbred for many generations and the breeder has been very careful in selecting the right dogs for breeding...spending hours and hours deciding which dogs to breed taking into consideration all hunting traits and the breeder is very mindful of making sure to select for natural ability...in other words pups that don't know why they are doing it but something deep inside is motivating them to answer the call...no training just exposure to see what is natural inside each pup and it is documented so it can be considered in future breeding...a plus in the dogs resume when it is time to select a dog for breeding...

of course we know that a pup still needs to be taught what game to run and hunt...and that is when the dog handler comes in...these type of pups can be very gamey and will about wear you out if handled wrong...no...I am not taking credit on training...but folks throw it around loosely that it is the dog...take a few of these pups to the woods and they will bay the heck out of cows and run the heck out of deer...and deer running will only get worse before it gets better...there are steps that can be taken to prevent and minimize this and I have covered this many times but maybe I have not been clear enough...

Scenario# 1...

I run my pack of dogs without me ever reading what the dogs are doing...I unload and take off and tell the dogs to get ahead...they range out and maybe we catch a hog...it is hot and the dogs are hunting a little closer now and I do not slow down to let them rest...the dogs are running next to the wheeler and they smell a hog track but the track is not very hot so the dogs decide quickly to run ahead of the wheeler...a little further down they act like they smell hog in the wind but the hog scent is not very strong so they opt to run ahead again...these dogs know my style is to keep moving so they will keep running with me...then a hog crossed in front about 30 minutes before and they take that one quickly because they like it no matter what I am doing...or maybe they winded a hog 100 yards in and they know he is there and they will go in and bay him up or jump him...once in the woods they will hunt and run no problem...they are good dogs in anybody's book...

Scenario# 2...same line of well bred dogs...

John Doe is very attentive to his dogs...he takes pride in bringing out the best in his dogs and everything matters on what his dogs are ding once on the hunt...and he takes great pride in doing his best for his dogs...he preplans on how to hunt the area based on past experience and weather conditions...

he turns the dogs out and waits until they come back or lets them range out further...or decides it is best to move on for whatever reason...as he is creeping along down the pipeline and the dogs smell an older track and act somewhat interested...John Doe sees this immediately and stops and encourages the dogs to work it out...maybe it is a fifty/fifty changes on finding that hog but he wants his dogs to be the best they can be...same thing as he moves on...the dogs are winding hog...John notices this as well and he quickly analyzes the wind currents and decides where the hogs are located...and he slowly moves in that direction and tells the dogs to get ahead and they will find that hog...

nowhere did I say that I trained my dogs to exceed their genetic potential...but I did say more than a few times that I tried to maximize their potential by doing the right things at the right time...maximizing their potential to reach the upper limits of their genetic makeup...

for those that don't get that can settle for average...no problem...it still catches plenty of hogs with the right dogs...

all I really want is to share what I believe are some of the ways that have worked for me...I am sure there are many other ways that are just as good or better...

I hunt a redbone x pitbull...(two)- 1/2 mt cur x 1/4 pitbull x 1/4 redbone...and have (four)-1/2 plott pups out of one of the ladder dogs mentioned...