hanging tree cowdogs

[T-Bob Parker]

I remember this dog group being discussed a while back, and even had a passing conversation with a dog man whom I have great respect for in which he told me the dogs were pretty legit. I have a few questions for those of you who have them, from the pics I've seen they don't have much uniformity be it color, leg, ear or head. Do they have a relatively uniform work style, ethic? Post pictures if you've gottem. I ain't looking to buy one, as I have no use for them, but wondering who does and if they're working well

[halfbreed]

 go to tammy's cow dogs .com  they got some good lookin dogs and info .

[T-Bob Parker]

I know how to find breeder websites, that's not the opinions I want. Thanks though.

[jdt]

i used them 8-10 years ago , good allaround cowdogs , would find and bay cattle then take commands like a border collie .

your right about the uniformity , they came from 4 different breeds . as with other breeds when popularity goes up so does price , and quality goes down .

  i'm sure their are still good ones out their , i just don't know where .

[T-Bob Parker]

Still waiting to hear anyone say whether or not they have any uniformity of working ability or style. I got to watch two of them work recently and they were real nice dogs. I don't know enough about cow dogs to have made a good honest assessment but I do know they didn't seem to understand ther was more cows on the top of the Mesa. One cowboy rode to the top with one dog to push those cows to the bunch. Once he was shown the cows it was a good display of dog work though.


These were litter mates heavy to the kelpie side and looked as good as they worked but I don't know how much "huntemup" they had becuase I was a guest and didn't wanna ask rude questions.

So, are they just hard collies? Or, do they have something more?

[Circle C]

Still waiting to hear anyone say whether or not they have any uniformity of working ability or style. I got to watch two of them work recently and they were real nice dogs. I don't know enough about cow dogs to have made a good honest assessment but I do know they didn't seem to understand ther was more cows on the top of the Mesa. One cowboy rode to the top with one dog to push those cows to the bunch. Once he was shown the cows it was a good display of dog work though.


These were litter mates heavy to the kelpie side and looked as good as they worked but I don't know how much "huntemup" they had becuase I was a guest and didn't wanna ask rude questions.

So, are they just hard collies? Or, do they have something more?

T-Bob,
   I can't answer the question about the Hangin Tree dogs, but in reference to the BC and not enough hunt...  I am about to make the following cross.  It may be a colossal mistake, but I know what I am looking for, and hope that I can have plenty of bite,  some legs under them. Something that will work both ends, and have enough hunt to find cattle on small woods properties, and enough handle for pen work.   I guess if they don't work, I can always put them in a baypen a couple evenings and sell them as started hog dogs.

Chip  - bred by William Hetzal, rough as a cob on cattle, no hunt to him, but has a good outrun, smart as a whip, and a good handle.


Ruby - Pancho x Brandy ( Winchester x Tweety )  More range than most want in a dog, a little slower on track, yips on track, hard on stock, but too soft on handle.  Crack a whip and she's looking for the truck.

[Purebreedcolt]

There is a guy here in hico according to him it depends on which breed they take after as far as hunting but are close range as a rule of thumb.  Talked to him a couple times and every time he says he wants to try a couple on hogs but we haven't done it yet.  He says for his dogs they are pretty rough and I think his have some bull blood somehwere they are some bull headed dang dogs but look nice as can be.  I have never seen them work personally but have probably talked to him for 2 hours or more.

[T-Bob Parker]

There is a guy here in hico according to him it depends on which breed they take after as far as hunting but are close range as a rule of thumb.  Talked to him a couple times and every time he says he wants to try a couple on hogs but we haven't done it yet.  He says for his dogs they are pretty rough and I think his have some bull blood somehwere they are some bull headed dang dogs but look nice as can be.  I have never seen them work personally but have probably talked to him for 2 hours or more.

That bull headedness is supposedly from the kelpie.

Hey Chris, that's a breeding I'd love to keep track of. I don't have the foggiest notion how they'd be either, but I would really like to hear about how they progress from time to time.

Also, love that picture every time you post it. She's a beauty.

[OWL Black Mouth Curs]

they vary in working styles and ability.
they were more uniform when the original developers bred and culled them.
i've seen them range from hard to soft, timid to brazenly hard headed, and from silent to bay.
as with most crossbreds (four breeds nonetheless) it takes a very long time and breeders with very similiar goals, breeding and culling practices to get them coming consistant. in the beginning they had that. after the popularity increase, they didn't.  most i've been around in recent years are nothing much more than border collies or kelpies except they don't breed as true.

early on they did have more bark, less eye, a little nose, and some hunt.
the people that got and used the first few generations of them after they were somewhat standardized, were border collie/ kelpie folk that liked the aspect of having that style of dog, only tougher, with more hunt and bite. in the end the selection always veered more towards the trial type dogs side of the htc's breeding and put them about on par with the harder end of border collies and kelpies, without the cosistancy.

kind of along the same lines of thinking most new folks have when the move into your neck of the woods. they move here because they like it, but the first thing they try to do after they get here, is change it to the way it was where they came from...

[J Carroll]

I've been around them off and on my almost my whole life, just because my dad trained cow dogs for years. I've never seen any hunt in any of them, as in using their nose to find. From the ones I've been around, I would say that their body structure is pretty close to the same from dog to dog but like many other breeds there are large frame to small frame, but many different colors. I would explain them as a rough Border Collie.

[jdt]

they vary in working styles and ability.
they were more uniform when the original developers bred and culled them.
i've seen them range from hard to soft, timid to brazenly hard headed, and from silent to bay.
as with most crossbreds (four breeds nonetheless) it takes a very long time and breeders with very similiar goals, breeding and culling practices to get them coming consistant. in the beginning they had that. after the popularity increase, they didn't.  most i've been around in recent years are nothing much more than border collies or kelpies except they don't breed as true.

early on they did have more bark, less eye, a little nose, and some hunt.
the people that got and used the first few generations of them after they were somewhat standardized, were border collie/ kelpie folk that liked the aspect of having that style of dog, only tougher, with more hunt and bite. in the end the selection always veered more towards the trial type dogs side of the htc's breeding and put them about on par with the harder end of border collies and kelpies, without the cosistancy.

kind of along the same lines of thinking most new folks have when the move into your neck of the woods. they move here because they like it, but the first thing they try to do after they get here, is change it to the way it was where they came from...

thats exactly what i was trying to say last october , thanks owl !

[Trey]

Here's a good one, I don't know much about them honestly only seen one in person. Out of the Kelpies I have here only one uses her nose like you are talking about the others rely on sight.

http://youtu.be/nCHpGskDtkI

[matt_aggie04]

Jod is damn impressive, I just wonder what he would do if there were solid trees and brush between him and those cows when he said "hunt em up". 

[jdt]

Jod is damn impressive, I just wonder what he would do if there were solid trees and brush between him and those cows when he said "hunt em up". 

they wont hunt like a cur , when you send them mine would go hard for maybe 100 yds , if they didn't find or wind nothing the'yd loop back . that was ten years ago , i doubt if you could find one now with any nose on them . as stated above they've been bred toward trial type dogs .