Why The Ear

[coyote hunter]

we use 2 catch dogs  1 on each ear  we control the hogs head like that plus he cant put 1 side down an gain leverage on the dogs to flip em  his head is just stuck where the pits want it

[boarwild]

when i was working with my boxer she was catching on the ear good.  i got her on a very rough pig and she started catching on the jaw.  After watching video on her doing both, she has a lot more control of the pig when she went to the jaw.  i don't see her getting cut becuase she tucks herself against the pig.  When he pulls away she turns him and when he try's to through back at her she tucks in closer.  maybe the teeth thing will be a issue with time.  i don't care to much where she catches but i see her having more control on the jaw.  Agian i don't care really as long as she is doing her job. I think catching on the ear opens up there chest and vitals more being up over the snout, but that what i have personnaly noticed.  With time i may change my mind but for now it seems that the jaw is the safest bet and added control, but that could be on a per dog basis.  Maybe she has just really found her way and it works good for her, and maybe it would make things worse for another dog.  JMO

[hog428]

Boys in total respect were are going to haft to agree to dis agree all my dogs will always grab the head and put his head to the ground I don't use vest and have had no dogs cut for I hate to say this because your not going to agree but it's been over two years I feel the dog has much more control with all four feet on the ground they have in my thinking a better chance of that buy staying under the eye level    just my experience

[uglydog]

Think about CONTROL being the key word. If a dog is getting flipped over the hog =, the dog is not in control, a dog jerking and pulling is not controlling a hog either. A hog being pulled around in a circle is under control because it is going where the dog wants it to go. Is every dog going to be in control of every hog NO it won't, alot of varitions that factor in. Leveridge of pulling a hogs head sideways will aid in turning a hog. Each to their own. I just don't think you can judge a dog of being in control when you are talking about a few pen hogs, or a few 100 lb hogs or even when you are talking about a hog that has several other dogs on it at the same time.  

[boarwild]

The dog i am talking about only has caught on her own, and it wasn't just pen hogs, and those hogs have ranged from 100 to 200 lbs.  Like i said which is basicaly what uglydog has said to each their own.  She has figured out a way to use less energy catching on the jaw.  She walks with the hog unless he makes an attempt at a break which she will then turn him back.  i hunt with a buddy that has some great catch dogs that only catch on the ear and they are good at what they do.  My boxer is shorter only 9 months old and weighs about 35 lbs.  She has found a way that works for her.  yes she is young and may end up not liking the jaw anymore, but for now i see some added benefit with her catching there.  I have had some one-out hunters that hunt 140 lbs dogs that beleive best control is on the head, but once they saw her catch were not at all against the jaw catching.  before this dog i say ear is the best place after her i say jaw, next week i may say the tail.   i think it all depends on the dog and are the smart enough to figure out how to take control of the situation.  feet on the ground, catch control, and safe catching is what i want.  JMO

[t.wilbanks]

I like my dog to be on the ear solid, no shaking or tearing, just anchored down. I think a dog on each ear has very good control. Not saying two dogs on the jaws isnt better, i have never seen it so i wouldnt know. Just know what works for me. And for the most part i wouldnt even call it CONTROL. Just a good spot to grab and hang on till i get there. 

The way i think most of us around here hunts is with either 1 or at the most 2 catchdogs. I run 1 catch dog and have a cur that will be on the other ear every time once the bulldog catches. This has always seemed to work, so I will probably always do it like that. We sell alot of the hogs we catch, so the damage to them needs to be as minimal as possible, which is why i like my dogs on the ears and not the head or body.

I know that hog428 and BigAinabuilt run pretty much ALL find/catch dogs. Thats working for them, so thats what they do. But i would not call that control, more of a dog pile!! But i guess it works!! 

I see it like this:

If 1 person grabs you, you can still put up a good fight.
If 2 people grab you, they can hold you pretty good.
If 5 people grab you, your not going anywhere!!!

[de_moon]

Most of the consistant jaw catching dogs i've seen were missing most of their teeth and always cut inside the mouth and under the jaw... see many tongues hanging out with their mouths closed.

I like an ear catch with the dog tucked in beside the hog's body. 

x3

[firemedic]

One of my buddy's Plotts catches on the skinny part of the neck right behind the head on top and very rarely gets cut. He's bigger than the average Plott and nimble as a cat, he started catching there as a pup and always has ever since....works for him I reckon.

[ETHHunters]

I agree with Scott on this one long as they are on the head and locked down Im good with that.

[hog428]

In reply to Twill [dog pile]  ahhhhhhh just to set the record straight  BidAina I know for a fact he hunts alone with only two dogs and a pup he has been working with  that shows his families breeding program they are the only ones that own that line these dogs stand near 30 inches they are hog slayers  the lines goes back generations  as for me I hunt three finish dogs I train dogs for sale I raise and sell 2 to 3 litters a year  so most times I have 2 to 4 pups with me If I know Im going to go for a know to be mean boar I will take 3 no pups        Ho!!!    big Aina  you know your going to be saving allot of meat with that new pup she will be QUICKER and stop em fast so you can get your big Hawaiian rear end there in 1 min  hahahahaha

[dub]

I don't know much about training a catch dog but I do know not to grab a bull by the horns. I do not want my dog in front of the hog. I know stuff happens. But in my dream world the dogs are baying and the catch dog dog comes up and grabs the ear and stays right beside the hog. Not in front but beside the hog. There aint no cutters on the side of the body. But this aint Mr. Rogers Neighborhood so do what works for you. The question was, Why the ear? Not why the ear and not anywhere else? The ear seems like a great handle to hold on to for some dogs. Is it the best? I say don't grab a bull by the horns. Let him run by and grab him him by the cahonies. I bet that would stop the hog fast. But there are sows and barrs so I guess it will be the ear will have to do.

[GAhunter]

May be a stupid question. Does anyone have a pic of a dog caught on the jaw?

[t.wilbanks]

In reply to Twill [dog pile]  ahhhhhhh just to set the record straight  BidAina I know for a fact he hunts alone with only two dogs and a pup he has been working with  that shows his families breeding program they are the only ones that own that line these dogs stand near 30 inches they are hog slayers  the lines goes back generations  as for me I hunt three finish dogs I train dogs for sale I raise and sell 2 to 3 litters a year  so most times I have 2 to 4 pups with me If I know Im going to go for a know to be mean boar I will take 3 no pups        Ho!!!    big Aina  you know your going to be saving allot of meat with that new pup she will be QUICKER and stop em fast so you can get your big Hawaiian rear end there in 1 min  hahahahaha

http://www.youtube.com/user/redline428#p/a/u/1/DWGMW8I1IDc

http://www.youtube.com/user/bigainabuilt

Hog428, these are yours and Biga's videos, and to me that is a DOG PILE!!!!!!!!!

[hog428]

Thats my training I don't use a pin

[hog428]

 The vids you are looking at are training vids They all are    All but three are pups and these were made for selling those dogs  I get any were from 800 to 2000 per dog Im not there to prove any thing so when training I take as little chance as needed to train the dog this team work go's a long way allowing the dog to learn and feel the back up they have    most guys all want to see there dogs work so I give them the vids I sell most dogs at 1 yr with the vids you can fallow the dog for months

they were from 5mo to 11 mo

And my leg dog

I will put to gather some hunting footage
That is the first time Iv seen big a's vid like I said three dogs   PIN

[BigAinaBuilt]

Whoa! I'm missing the party!   TWilbanks, Thanks for swinging through my channel! I am working on getting a better camera and posted those 2 videos just to have something up (I'm an impatient kinda guy!) Like Hog428 mentioned I only run 2 "finished" dogs and 1 6 month old pup right now. The 2 videos on my channel are hunts I did with my uncle and you know how that goes, I bring 2 and he brings 2 and we end up with 4 dogs, I try to never hunt with more then 4 dogs because I like my dogs rough and know for a fact that if they have help we end up with shredded pork and my dogs get ballsy and then cut.

Also here on the Big Island our pigs in the forests feel alot of pressure and majority of them won't stick around after a dog hits and are known to drag dogs off cliffs and through the forests, Which is why I prefer the dogs that will break down a pig and not just grab and hold on. The latest blurry video I posted my dogs are on the rear and you can't see it in that video but both rear legs are disabled at which point I prefer them to move forward but my uncles 2 dogs were up front and shredding ears so they stayed back there and my camera ran out of memory but after the video stops my Shepherd starts humping the pig!

[ETHHunters]

I have a hunting buddy that had a dog that would catch on the nose and he had no problems handling hogs from the front.