Need advice on catchdog

[Beejay]

Yeah I know, I only have hog dogs now. I don't even own a pit, sometimes I get carried away and refer to types of dogs I'm familiar with. I try to look at any form of bulldog the way I look at pits and my assumptions aren't always correct. Thats why I'm try to get ideas on this dog.

[Randy_P]

What I am not understanding is why have we been talking so much about pitbulls and gameness and such yet you turn to an AMERICAN BULLDOG to catch with?  If you are so knowledgeable on all the good bloodlines of "true" pitbulls why dont you go get one???  Just a thought

[Beejay]

Had a good one get killed last year, AB was free. Now does that make sense.

[catchrcall]

In my opinion, you're not dealing with a "gamedog"  or pit, so you can't expect it to act like one.  You're dealing with an AB, expect it to act like one.  (yeah I know, somebody has an ab that started so young it wasn't even dry yet). You say that the dog is puppy fighting before it catches.  That means it's still too puppy for the job you're expecting it to do.  I would say put it up for a month or two and then try again with a hog that will challenge her, not competely whip her butt.   She has already demonstrated a desire to catch,  she just needs to take her job seriously.  A little maturity and a couple hogs she has to work for will probably solve that.

[Beejay]

Thanks catch, that sounds like a plan.

[Randy_P]

Are these true pitbulls hard to find or expensive???  

[Circle C]

My expectations of a catch dog are the same whether they are pit/AB/Dogo, or any cross between them.  Get a handle on them and get the socializing done while they are pups and let their teeth set.  When they have a little age, start them on a small pig, then move them up. At some point you have to decide if you have a catch dog or not. Regardless of the breed.  I cannot understand why someone would expect different of a catchdog based on breed. They are supposed to catch whatever hog you put in front of them.  The day they don't, is they day they are no longer a catchdog, at that point they are just a pit/AB/Dogo, or whatever flavor you are working with.

[catchrcall]

I don't expect a working catchdog do be any different because of breed, but I do expect to have to start them differently.    Just my opinion, and I'll be the first one to tell you that I'm not the most experienced guy on the boards.

[Mike]

That's like saying all strike dogs should be burning up the woods and finding hogs at six months old?

Some dogs, regardless of breed, start slower than others. Once they start, they should never look back... or they're no longer a catch dog.

[Beejay]

Agteach, I couldn't even tell you. I haven't messed with any of that in a long time. I'm married with kids and have turned my life in another direction.  I still love the true gamedogs and in my opinion, they are the greatest breed ever. Just my opinion. You don't really want a true gamedog as a catch. You want him catching a hog and not the dog. My last pit was a big red male that was given to me, he was the best catchdog I ever had. He was great at what he did, what more can you ask for.

[Circle C]

That's like saying all strike dogs should be burning up the woods and finding hogs at six months old?

I don't think that applies in this situation. This dog is catching hogs already, she knows what she is supposed to be doing, she just hasn't had to "work for it" yet. A 40, 90, and 120# hog.  I still say it's time to step it up a notch.   Is there really a good reason to wait to put her on a larger hog?  If it's a maturity thing, then why is she catching the smaller hogs?  Maybe I am missing something obvious here?

[Mike]

She's not "catching " yet... sounds like she's playing with them, that's the puppy in her.

Try sending her in on a bigger hog behind an experienced catch dog... a lot of times that's all you need to "flip the switch".

[Beejay]

Mike, that's how I got her started. I left her loose while the baydogs were bayed, as soon as she showed some interest, I let the ridgeback go. I broke him off, and was dogging him off and she caught. Now, I don't know what your definition of "catch" is, but she will grab and hold. Its just the few seconds of puppy fighting that I don't want. You know, the growling and snarling and nipping, like a puppy fight.

[Mike]

Then I misunderstood your post... I was thinking she only caught three times.

If you like the dog, give her a little more time to mature and see what happens.

[Beejay]

I've caught the 3 different hogs with her. Now I would let her catch, break her off and do it again. Just training her, but yes  she has olnly been on 3 hogs.

[Cull Buck]

Good post guys.  I'm learning a lot. 

I finally decided to retire the rifle and bought my first catchdog a year ago so I don't have enough experience yet to formulate my own opinions on CD's other than I know what I'm looking for performance wise in a catchdog. 

 

[Bryant]

I don't know much about "gamedogs", but here's a question:

I don't like a catchdog that tries to fight the hog.  I want them locked on and holding the hog under control until I'm ready for them to come off.  The only battle that should take place is the dog doing whatever it takes to get a mouthful of ear.

Isn't that a little different than what is expected of a gamebred dog?

[Beejay]

I like to give my opinions and play around, but when it comes down to it to each his own. If it works for you, then who cares what other people think. Like they say the best dogs are the ones you are feeding at the time.lol  Just find something that will hold no matter what. (try to stay away from the puppy fighters lol)

[Beejay]

Bryant, its a lot different. Had a friend who once tried a gamedog on a hog. The dog never would hold one place, he would hold and work an ear for a while, then he would swap to a leg, that back to an ear. You get my point. In my opinion you don't want one of the old style gamedogs as a catch.

[Eric]

Just by what you said I would give the dog more time to develope.