ok, sure I'll regret this because too many people who dont understand or agree will criticize rather than inquire but, MY BEST DOG KATE WILL BAY COWS! if she gets bored and I mean really bored and there ain't a hog around she will go bay a cow. I will not lie(she was used both ways, started on cows before she ever saw hogs). But here's one thing I can guarantee you, and its exactly what my uncle said will separate me with that dog compared to someone else whose dogs genuinely "Trash" on cows. Kate will not put teeth on one, and I say one word she will pull off. So say I'm hunting with some boys I don't know. No hog sign and kate goes and bays on some cows. Them other boys dogs honor bay and get there and start grabbing and chewing on cows getting rough with them. We ride up there and all I say is "Kate, get out" and she comes to me, them other boys spend 15 minutes and cover 300 acres trying to get their mutts to quit do iting with them cows. Now sure kate started it but any dog that will honor a dog baying cows is just as bad(if you consider this a bad trait) so difference being kate had a handle and I called her right off and she didn't tear a cow up, them other boys dogs done screwed 3 calves ankles up and hung a bull by the ears, so you tell me who has the junky trashing dogs?... my uncle is a very big cattleman. Runs a registered Brahman and F1 operation and does some pre-conditioning for the biggest feedlot op in our area. Never thought I'd hear something like that from him but he said it and I believe it. Been working for him like 30 years? Now he does have dogs that are straight hogs won't look at a cow, but each and everyone we're started on cows.. you can break them off. TMATT nowhere did I say it's gonna take cows to teach any of my dogs to "work" but starting out on cows WILL TEACH THEM HANDLE AND HOW TO WORK GROUPS! Work, not bay, I see lots of bay dogs that hunt good and produce hogs but when they're actually baying. They're making 1/2 circles at best. Never leaving that hogs face. I want dogs wagon wheeling the entire time, put back what tries to come out and go back to circling... that brindle pup will already bay hogs. But the cow pasture is where she's gonna learn to work groups and hold bay and really get a handle. Them she will get out behind some hog dogs and it all should transfer over... again, most places I hunt have cows, lots of cows and some good expensive registered herds. Most all these guys cows are dogged to be worked and penned. So I'm up front with them and I ain't ever ran in to one problem with it yet. Now let a dog start getting rough the story won't be the same. But they know well enough my dog going and barking at them ain't gonna make them fall over dead so it's been a non issue for me.
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Slim, I like a dog with a handle too... I just teach my dogs the commands I want them to have before they start on anything. They learn to come and down right after they learn their name. As far as a dog having stock sense and circling, most if not all of that is hereditary. I have not had to "teach" a single dog that I have owned to to circle. If I did, I probably would not own that dog. There are a lot things that can be taught to a dog but stock sense isn't one of them. i know the people in the area that I hunt will not allow you on their place if they think your dog will bay a cow and that is why I don't want my hog dog to even look at cows. The cows in this area are dog broke as well but there have still been incidents of people's cows being ran through fences... Now, as far as whose dog is the problem in the incident you described I would say both are at fault... yours shouldn't have bayed the cows to begin with and theirs shouldn't have honored the bay when they saw it was cows regardless of you being able to call your dog off. I'm going to say this as well, no one dog or type of dog is perfect nor does it work for everyone. If you are ok with your dogs baying cattle then that is your choice. I don't feed your dogs and it's not my place to tell you what kind of dogs to keep. I just thought I would give my opinion in hopes that it would help a young guy out. Good luck with your dogs and I hope they work out for you.
