Do you raise your catch dog puppies in the house? If so, can you tell a difference in a bull dog you have raised versus one someone else raised (relating to a desire to catch)?
Never raised a catchdog pup, but Chris has made me a pretty sound offer on yours. Just kidding. I just started hunting with catch dogs a couple years ago when the thrill of bay and shoot started to diminish. I just started owning a catchdog about six months ago when two came along that I felt beyond a reasonable doubt that I could keep around and trust with my two young boys. My kennels are all back behind the house. To clarify what I said above, how I
handle my catchdog is much different than my others dogs. Each time I'm following behind the catch, I'm potentially placing my safety into the hands of a dog. For that reason, we have a little stronger bond and he gets a few extra belly scratches each afternoon.
In my opinion, what can be messed up with too much handling of a strike dog is their independance which in turn can mess up their hunt. A dog that is more dependant on petting or praise from an owner is less likely to be independant enough to venture the woods alone. As with everything, there are exceptions but this theroy seems to be consistant with about every old time type dog man I have ever talked with about it. The hunting aspect is not nearly as important with catch-dog stock so I don't see it as being that much of an issue.
Once again, my opinion and rambling about it!
Circle C,
I failed to see:
- Going to the woods to tie a hog
included on your list. Where are your priorities???
