Tips for some guys JUST getting started.

[Skrag]

I saw a cool show on tv and want to be a real hog dogger. I need to know what kind of spot light to get and how do I train my great dane to chase a hog to the woods but not go in after it?

On a real note I will tell you the boat I am in. I am trying to get moved to a place with more land ( i hope by this time next year ) so I can have enough room to keep some hog dogs real comfortable. My buddies are already at the point where they are getting puppies. They have found some people to run dogs with a few hours away. Im just looking to see if there is any input on a game plan we can try to follow and maybe a list of things that we NEED. My friends dont have screen names yet they are held up in the process but they have been glued to this site since i told them about it. Some things we really are looking for is any tips on training bay dogs and catch dogs. details on what training methods you find work best. should we run puppies on pigs isnide of a pen? What signs do you look for that a dog will be a hog dog and what age they show the signs. Should we just buy a cd and started dog to run pups with? If terrain is an issue we hunt in fairly thick woods and river bottom.( Deweyville- Orange-Newton, Texas area). I know its a pretty vague subject but any advice would be great and appreciated. Maybe if you had to start from scratch and didnt know anyone very well that hogdogged what would you do?

[dub]

I would say stop right now. If you are asking these questions you are either throwing money away or wasting everybody's time. That would include the dogs. If you get hog dogs and then get bored and stopped hunting you will be being cruel to the dogs. The dogs want to hunt and if you can't get them out and hunt you will have dogs that just destroy stuff and misbehave. If you are just looking for an adrenaline rush there are easier ways. So just stop now. Not trying to be rude but just shooting straight with you.

[DangerZone]

You need to figure out why you wanna invest alot of time and money to maybe end up with a dog that will hunt.

I've breed and trained k9 pet breeds and bird dogs,on and off for years. So hunting, working and breeding hog dogs is now just the next phase for me. It's way more about the dog and hunt than the size or amout of hogs I kill. I started 5 years ago ,,lost 1 really good dog,4 maybe dogs and culled a half dozen and paid good money or invested food and vet expenses for each of them.  So it's a real long term commitment. But it can be very rewarding and doesn't happen over nite.

[M Bennet]

I would say stop right now. If you are asking these questions you are either throwing money away or wasting everybody's time. That would include the dogs. If you get hog dogs and then get bored and stopped hunting you will be being cruel to the dogs. The dogs want to hunt and if you can't get them out and hunt you will have dogs that just destroy stuff and misbehave. If you are just looking for an adrenaline rush there are easier ways. So just stop now. Not trying to be rude but just shooting straight with you.

  go with some body when you get the erg. it hard to get places to hunt and even harder to keep them. theres alot of good guys and ladys on here that will help but it takes dedication to make good hog dogs and keep these farmers happy. even my self is willing to help you if i can

[uglydog]

well you got the right attitude, polite and asking questions and some good questions at that. There is not one right definate answer. I will tell you alot of guys get started and between 2-3 year mark into it, about the time you get lined out with some decent places to hunt and start catching hogs on your own, that alot of folks get a "cocky" attitude and thats were you start going backwards again. Then between year 3-4 into this sport, you start moving forward again, and settled in and figureing out who and how you want to be around and what style you will work for you.
If you are willing to put that time and dedication into your dogs, you will probly be lucky enough to find a mentor to kinda help you along and get you going on the right foot, help you find the right dogsfrom the right people, so you don't have to go through getting screwed over two or three times.
 
Have patience, these lessons you will have to learn, don't come fast, and they may not cost you anything but they certainly ain't free. Its kinda hard to explain, but I will try to put it out there, Most of my friends are hunters, we have a common bond, we may not hunt together but acouple times a year, but its the kind of friendships that last years, and I am always willing to help them and I know I can pick up the phone anytime to get some help, a hunt, a dog, or a question answered, the kinship and complex understanding of what we do is hard to put to words, but we all understand it. That being said, even though several of us are spread out throughout the state and some in different states, when some one does somebody wrong/right on a dog, or a peice of land, the word travels fast and does not get forgotten.
That being said if it weren't for the dogs we would not be able to do what we do. You can get lucky and find a pup/dog here and there that turns out to work, and even more time and money in those that don't work but its definately alot easier to get a dog from someone that knows the dogs and their history, backgrounds/bloodlines ect., thats when its real helpful to know somebody that knows somebody to get the animal that will work for you. Raising pups is always a crapshoot but having the experience/knowledge of the dogs blood increases your odds drastically. Most of these folks are willing to help out a newcomer as long as treated with respect, and your honest and up front. They offer advice and you  need listen, Many have been burned multiple times by the fellas that are between year 2-3 as mentioned above, and may take some time for you to earn that priveledge to be able to hunt, learn and get dogs from them. After all these people that have been in it awhile, already have plenty of hunting partners, are set with quality dogs, and have good properties to hunt that have taken years to put together, so why would they need to take along an individual that will give them a headache later on down the road? The answer is they don't, So why do they take along a rookie and show them the "ropes"?
Because when they do its because they see somebody that is were they once were and it real eager to learn, and think that somebody may have once gave them an oppertunity and find it in their hearts to pass on the favor.
Then there are others that don't have the real passion for the hunting behind the dogs, they get into it as a hobby and usaully in and out by year 5, cause they move onto something else. Everybody has the bad days and multiple dry runs in a rowe, if you don't have the passion for the hunt, then you won't last and will spend alot of time and money and feel like you never got anything but drain for your pocket book out of it. The people that are in it for the passion and not the thrill, never think about how much you get back out of it, because you would not have it any other way, its a way of life.

Next, more dogs is not always better, just more expensive to manage properly. Usually running too many puppies is more of a headache then rewarding. I have alot of dogs but rarely have more than one "pup" on the ground at a time. I find it best to have my dogs staggered in age and experience. The dogs get more from the experience. Then quality is better than quantity. It only takes one dog to find the hog, and then depends on what, where, when and how what you need from that point on.

Keeping dogs "Properly" and I stress Properly- Maintenance is alot more than just feeding acouple of dogs, You ahve to learn about how to maintain the dogs, worming has to be done with two different wormers monthly, quality feed can get very expensive and hard to find, keeping the dogs clean and in condition is time consuming. Learning how to handle emergencies, cut, pokes, Heat Stroke,skin issues, and more.
Then you need to be able to get the proper equipment to keepthe dogs safe and heal. Its not as easy as buying some Ol Roy and a bucket of water.

alot of people come on this message board and make fools of themselves, have already invested in ten dogs, but don't have a clue how to or what to worm the dogs with, or that they even need to de worm them for intestinal and heart worms in a routine. Its called putting the cart before the horse, and that gets under my skin.
So the best advice I can give you is read alot, go back and read old posts on this message forum, There are alot of experienced people here, that have already answered many of the same questions about all the above multiple times over. If you really want to do this and thats where your heart is, don't be looking for a quick fix, take the time to look into what you are getting into. Research it, and look back in the past two-three years of posts about dog health, maintenace, training & advice and if you still don't find the answers then ask, and if your dedication shows through you will get plenty of help, but if you get ahead of yourself the road will be longer and harder.

[BarrNinja]

The best tip I can give you is to not hunt with Cutter Bay Kennels unless you have a good heart! And if you do, it's still advisable to keep a defibellator in your cut kit!!! 

Seriously, I think M Bennet summed it up pretty good for you.

[catchrcall]

pretty much what everybody else said, except that i don't believe that you should stop now just because you have questions.  Everybody had to start somewhere.  When I started out, which wasn't that long ago so take this for what it's worth, the last thing I bought was dogs.  I had kennels built, tracking system and collars bought, cut kit put together, pretty much everything bought right down to the buckets and food bowls in the kennels.  The only thing I remember buying after I got dogs was cut gear because I didn't know what size dogs I'd end up with.  The only other thing i'd say to consider is to get at least one older, experienced dog to hunt with instead of buying puppies.  I would rather have one older "finished" dog and one or two started at least dogs and hunt the crap out of those than trying to hunt a gaggle of pups enough to decide which to keep.  Hunting a pack of pups can be a circus.

[zachW]

Only thing i would say is, instead of puppies, maybe you should look at getting a dog thats all ready trained, i know i have been doing this two years and im still lost half the time, and everytime i get a puppy i end up moving it to some one that can train it, i personally dont feel like i know enough to train a pup, but if you spend the money you can actually get a dog that will teach you, i know thats what i did.  and if you got a bad a dog hunting buddies are alot easier to find

[dub]

Now that I gave you time to read my post if you thought about quitting then do. But the type of dog is really a personality thing for me. You do need to be a dog person. I prefer puppies because I like training my own dogs and teaching them my manners. If someone else trains the dog they pick up the other person's manners. I ain't got it figured out but I do know be real careful buying dogs because people will be happy to take your money. To be clear it was not asking questions that made me say stop. It just sounds like you do not know dogs. I could be way off and feel free to talk all the smack you want to me. I will get over it. I do wish you only the best. I don't have any spots near you but if you want to drive a few hours let me know. I'll let you see my culls hunt.

[mdc4444]

The best way to learn is go with somone who's been doin it a long time an doesn't mid you asking alota questions about the way they do things lol jus my 2cents

[Skrag]

Thank you for all responses. I have been wanting some kind of hunting dogs for around 10 years. I have been wanting hog dogs and reading all i can about them for about 5. I dont know as much as i need to nor am i set up to begin getting any dogs right now..... This is soon to change tho within a year if all goes according to plan. I agree with all that has been said and i wont be in a smack talk battle lol mainly because i see where you come from. When my work hours are a little less random and less days a week i will be cutting my teeth as much as possible catching dogs or dragging pork or whatever i can do to tag along on hunts.

[mdc4444]

Any afternoon ur sittin round an wana talk bout hog doggin on the gimme a holler I ain no pro or buthin but I sure can talk been doin it a a while an wen I get on the subject of hog huntin my mouth jus wontshut lol 254-594-4984 Michael