What is a dog man?

[dgdawsonBMCs]

Matt_aggie04 - You hit on something there, these men would have to be humble, because to be good at what they do they would have to acknowledge failure and learned from it....I think that is the big problem with some of the "I have been doing this for 40 years" crowd that thinks they should be respected for their knowledge.  Some people think that they spew knowledge by speaking the loudest, even though what they say is just repeated garbage they heard from someone else...  To be honest, I would consider 4 or 5 of the people on this board real dogmen, just based on the content of their posts... Even though I haven't met them, I have read what they have posted and compared with my  little bit of experience, success, and failures.... and thus deemed them worthy for me to listen to for some advice.

With that said, everyone who has a little knowledge is a dogman to those that have less knowledge/experience...

[Wmwendler]

To add to Waylon's post I think that if you asked one of those men, "are you a dogman?"  they would say no and then ask you what that was.  Meaning they don't really give a crap about the "name"....

If a true dog man was asked "are you a dog man?"  I would expect to hear something like a big pause and then a well or ummm... and maybe "Ive got some dogs".  I think it has more to do with others seing you and considering you a dog man than it does putting that label on your self.  Oh yeah.....I think there is an age minimum for being a dog man something like 70 years old lol.

Waylon 

[matt_aggie04]

To add to Waylon's post I think that if you asked one of those men, "are you a dogman?"  they would say no and then ask you what that was.  Meaning they don't really give a crap about the "name"....

If a true dog man was asked "are you a dog man?"  I would expect to hear something like a big pause and then a well or ummm... and maybe "Ive got some dogs".  I think it has more to do with others seing you and considering you a dog man than it does putting that label on your self.  Oh yeah.....I think there is an age minimum for being a dog man something like 70 years old lol.

Waylon 

Haha yeah that seems to be a good common trait doesn't it, most have been there and done that but they don't ram it down your throat when you talk to them

[Circle C]

Waylon,

   Yet another good answer.  Thank you...  And you just confirmed something for me.  I have not had the opportunity to meet a dog man yet.  I hope someday that I can learn something from someone like you described.

[UNDERDOG]

This is a dog man....right??

[LionandBoarHunter]

yall are right about the been doin it for 20 30 40 year deal i have met men thay has been hunting dogs most of there life and still to this day dont know sheet about a dog or training a dog are having a eye for a dog most of them are to clouded up in there own little world thinking they know every thing about hunting or dogs when they really dont know anything more than the first day they started hunting are messin with dogs

[UNDERDOG]

I know a coupple....to me it is not necessarily age or time in dogs but sometime it is. Some good dog men in one venue sometime suck in another venue,say all they have ever done is "X" venue w/ dogs but close minded to any onther venues and put them in a position to work dogs in another venue they will not excell. Some can do any thing w/ a dog in any venue and are constantly open to learning no matter how minor it may seem and always evaluating the dogs in there chosen venue and never stop trying to learn more. Some time the better dog men have the least to say as they are still listening and learning.To me that is close to a dog man.

[ancuegar]

i know of one in south texas.  been around dogs his whole life.  he knows dogs.

[skoalbandett]

Some good answers Waylon in my opinion.

A long time ago I ask a old feller  about this subject at a horse sale in oklahoma after he told me I was nuts for buying  a horse I just paid lots of money for.  lol ( This man is in the AQHA hall of fame, yup, turns out he was right ..)
 He said, " it dont matter the animal, horses, dogs, chickens or whatever  when you truely are a ____  man... you'll know it and you'll know who is and who ain't when you see it. " He went on to say, " he never saw one that wasent honest with himself and didnt understand  what he was lookin at when he saw it , then made the hard  decisions if necessary."  He said," If a man stands a chance to become one,  it takes God given talent , dedication, a open mind, time, hardwork , constant effort and a lifetime of experience actually working with those animals, all the while striving to learn more each day.". He  then smiled at me and said, " it dont come from reading a book , plowing furrows by defending a bad decision, listening to the self proclaimed experts or by watching. "

Kind of off the subject but he also said this that evening. Son remember this, we are at a sale and when folks have a horse or horses for sale, the name of the game is make the story fit and it's a race for who's best at telling you what you want to hear..  

[jhy]

Floyd boudreaux, Odis Weems, Alan Scott, Larry Parker, Orval Roberts. Just a few that I would consider dog men of today. I think the names and what they have accomplished with their dogs is the definition in itself.

Joey

[txmaverick]

Since the answer has been given and i agree 110% about what one is and how one acts, all I will add is I know only one and he is not a hog hunter nor does he hunt dogs at all at least not on game animals.

[cward]

The dog whisper is a dog man so send all your dogs to the vodue womem and she will tell you that your dog is upset and is mad because you leave it at the house!!!   No really I have seen a few but they were not just dog men but horse-cows - deer -hogs it didn't matter these guy were talented with all animals!!!     Herd an old well known cow man in a feed store one day tell a deer hunter that was bragging about a buck in a high fence that they have seen a camera but not in daylight the man said I sure hope he comes to my feeder first!!! The old cow man said I can take one of my old cow dogs and a horse and a shot gun and have that deer on the skinnin rack in an hour!! The guy looked at him and said I just don't beleave that!!! The old man said there's alot of things people these days just don't beleave!!! This old man this  was iterducted into the cowboy haul of fame!!! There were some good dog men and some still out there!!!

[crackerc]

Once again Waylon gave a very good answer to a hard question.  I pride myself in my dogs and try to do right by them. I like my dogs to do a good job (which they do now and then... ) and don't like it when they screw up (which again, they do now and then...).

But I have always thought I did good with my dogs compared to others I have seen. I have hunted with many people who had no clue about dogs and probably didn't even need to own any.

My Monkey dog, that you guys have seen me post pics of on here, was a cull that they were going to shoot.  I saw something in the dog (but I can't explain what it is) that convinced me to bring him home and mess with him. I already had about 8 dogs so I didn't need another dog at the time, but there was something there....that I just couldn't put my finger on.....

Now he is my main dog at 4 years old, finds hogs for me about everytime I hunt him. Has a good handle, hunts by himself or with another dog, doesn't have a lot of holes in him except he isn't cold enough nosed to suit me. But when he gets after a hog you will normally see it bayed or caught by him, so I can't fault him too much.

I hope to be a "dog man" one day but I am about 20 years shy of that 70 year mark and I still have a lot to learn!!

[dgdawsonBMCs]

I think the age thing was mostly a joke... Not sure you can put an age requirement on it, just like our dogs, some learn early and some learn late...If you are honest with yourself and try and learn everyday, you should get pretty knowedgeable over the years.. If you are not willing to be honest with yourself and your dogs, you can be 100 and still won't have learned anything...So basically what I am saying is you need a some years with dogs to gain experience and knowledge, but not everyone will be on the same scale...

[Scott]

I think the age thing was mostly a joke

That is exactly how I took it. I know folks that I consider "dogmen" that range in age from 20s-80. There's a lot of good descriptions in this thread...best I can tell you is that to me, they are like good dogs...I know one when I see one.

[Wmwendler]

I think the age thing was mostly a joke...

MOSTLY.... . 

Waylon

[Monteria]

I think there is a lot more to the term than a strict definition. Suffice it to say that owning a dog or dogs, no matter the time frame, does not constitute a dog man. That defines a dog owner.

A special set of abilities as it applies to those dogs and their discipline, throughout its life cycle from breeding to training and manipulating a given dogs desired traits, AND producing the intended results CONSISTENTLY does. There are plenty of dog owners out there who excel at one or the other, and plenty who have gotten lucky a time or two. But I have never met anyone who has it all, who I would call a dog man. maybe one who is close and, given another 20 years learning and producing CONSISTANT results, will be some day.

Steve

[Flatbroke]

I dont know much about nothing, and I never met the man, but after reading his posts over the past couple years and what others have posted about the man it seems to me that Silverton Boar Dogs is a pretty good candidate for being called a Dog Man. 

[outlaw]

a dog man is someone that has hunted for many years behind his dogs and knows wat to expect out of each one.he is also smart enough to n that he doesnt n everythang in the book and when in doubt he goes to breeders that have been in the game for years to ask questions.he also will stand behind the sell of his dogs 110 percent.its a shame to say that a man would rather lie to u on a dog just to get money than just tell the truth.i raise my on stock but i do get in a bind where i need a young dog to put in my line and when this happens ther r only a coulple of people i trust to get a young one from.also a true dogman will do anythang in his power to breed and cull to try and produce the best dogs that he can.there will never be a perfect dog but there is always sumthin u can do to improve ur stock.

[Black Gold]

I think the "lack of ego" is a big factor.  I've been blessed to be able to hunt with a LOT of people in many different disciplines of hunting over the past few years.  There are many people who like to toot their horn about what they can do and what they've done.  There are a select few that dont say a word but just consistently perform at a level that makes you say, "WOW"......

These people are the real deal but in reality they dont get the "fame"....mainly because they don't care anything about it.

They do what they do because it's their passion....it's in their blood....it's who they are....

This is across the board for "dog-men", "marksmen", "archers", and so on.....

There's a saying that goes like so:

"Amateurs practice until they do it right, but professionals practice until they cannot do it wrong."

When looking at the statement above I understand that the level of professionalism they are talking about is EXTREME dedication.  The less than one percent of the population that fits this mold are those that are submerged in their passion for the majority of their awake time....constantly training, thinking, focusing, and working in their field.

I've never met a dog person that I felt fit this description.  Met one marksman and one preacher that I feel was at this level of dedication for their individual disciplines.....

just what came to my mind when I read "dogman"....


I'm just a rookie with a few pot-lickers who maybe one day can catch a shoat!....maybe one day I'll meet a dog man.  One thing's for sure......If you ever meet one....ask questions and soak up as much knowledge as you can....