Possessive Dog

[uglydog]

"Get out" is another command,  in the chain of command, and Dogs understand pecking order and a chain of command. I am the " Big Dog" and expect to be at the top of the pecking order, so when told to "get out" I am taking "possesion" of the hog., if they come back and growl or "try" it then they are challenging my possesion, which is the wrong answer. The dogs need to get out, and get ahead or, simply move away.

They all mess up and make challenges and there for need corrections. Keep it simple for them to understand, they are not nearly as complicated as people

[Silverton Boar Dogs]

I hunt alone most of the time, I also put alot of dogs on the ground. My dogs are use to running in a large pack wheather I am hunting Hogs or Cattle. There is a natural pecking order in any pack and the top dog is the leader and most likly to be possive of the hog. This is normal pack behavior and causes me no problems, when I call the top dog off the hog the rest will follow and roll out. I do not catch and lead my dogs out I might catch my lead dog and lead him out with the catch dog and ask the rest to follow. I try to use the natural pack pecking order to help me handle my dogs, I am the ALPHA and they know it.

[Bryant]

I've been thinking a lot about this topic and decided to re-read my post and the responses.

Scott,  what I was refering to by using the term possesive is what your calling a "don't touch" type deal.  She would just nip...a quick burst and bark to run another dog off.  There was no actual fighting taking place.

Here's how the plot unfolded which led me to my original post.  My nephew and I were hunting one morning about a month and a half ago.  Dogs were out hunting as they should be and had been gone for a little while.  We were tracking behind them and easing down the creek/brush line.  From my tracking, I was pretty certain they were still moving ahead and so we weren't in a great big hurry moving behind them.  We stopped and were sitting talking and I decided to step in the woods to see how high the creek was flowing.  When I did, I suddenly could vaguely hear dogs.  I ran back to the four wheeler, told my nephew I was pretty certain we had a bay going and unloaded the catch dog.  We took off that way and when we got a little closer, they were indeed bayed solid.  I could hear squealing, and so I released the catch dog a pretty good ways out.  When we made it there as my luck usually goes they were in the water on the other side of the creek.  I decided to stay put and let my nephew continue down the bank looking for a good place to cross in case they came back across.  He was gone about 15 minutes looking before he came back and I ended up swimming.  I usually don't get to watch my dogs bay, catch and all that from that close for that period of time and so probably why I've never noticed Abby's behavior.  Every once in a while she would "burst" or growl other bay dogs off the hog.  (The catchdog was caught the entire time).  Each time, I would call her name and she would straighten up.  She did this about three different times.

Here's my thought on her.  In addition to wondering if anyone has ever seen this behavior (which several people have expressed they have), has anyone ever seen it from any dog other than the "pack leader" or "alpha" type dog.  I know beyond a doubt that this particular dog has turned her game ON since I started her last December and has found many hogs that were close and I heard her be the first to bark.  A lot of times my dogs are out of hearing range when they start a hog and so I don't know who actually struck first.  Could this perhaps be a behavior of her's when she strikes first, or do you guys think what she did would happen in all situations when she's on a bay?  It would tickle me to death if I thought she was starting a lot of these hogs she's been on.
 

[matt_aggie04]

Thanks for the clarification on that Bryant.  I have never ever seen a dog show aggresion towards another dog without the hog already cought by people.  Once legged and on the ground I have seen a few get pissy towards another dog but aggresion while the catch dog is cought dang well better be directed toward the hog in my opinion.  Even the dogs that showed a little aggresion after the hog was legged get tuned up pretty good, I would show special attention to one that showed attitude while all the dogs should be focusing their attention on controling the hog.

Matt

[Bryant]

Good points, Scott.  I've never thought of the feeding / loading thing.  I just usually run down through the kennels from beginning to end.  I've been messing with hog dogs for a pretty fair amount of years, though my hunting styles and ideas have changed and evolved along the way.  Just goes to show, there's always something new to learn.  Thats what I really like about this board.

In the past. I have always believed that the true test of an up and coming dog is to take the single dog and dump them on the ground with a group of unfamiliar dogs.  When I do this what I'm watching for is not so much who strikes the hog first, but overall how the dog hunts.  That will usually let me know if my assumption is correct or if I'm wishing too hard.   

With my dogs, I depend on the pack but I strive for independence.  I want each to be great.

I'm going to continue and watch the gyp.  Like I mentioned, the particular hunt happened in a way that I was able to stand and watch things for a while that I don't normally see.  Now I have to find out if indeed there is a problem and if so put a plan together to fix it.

Thanks for the input!

[BRUTE]

Its a bad habbit. Give the dog the boot... literally. Especially if you have young dogs, the last thing you want is a negative feedback when they do their job.