On a average how long does a catch dog last?

[leonriverboy]

I have had several CDs some have lasted until retirement but many did not last but a few months.  From my experience I would say 2 years.  On average how long do CDs last?  Is it a finacial sound decision to spend 1000's on one catch dog to get two years of use out of them?  Of course I'm referring to the Dogo.  People will also tell you that when you are buying a dogo that you are not buying a catch dog you are buying the complete or ultimate hog dog.  The type of hunting I do the only reason to own a dogo would be to catch with.  Whether that is to lead in or rcd.  Curs are superior to the dogo when it comes to finding hogs.  If your buying a dog to hunt hogs with why waste your money on a 5000.00 dogo or even a 500.00 dogo for that matter?

[Miller Lite]

Man i think it all depends on how hard you hunt them an how well educated the dog is too catching a hog i had only one catch dog make it to retirement the others didn't last 2 years sad but true and i've learned from that now i wont turn a bulldog loose without me seeing the hog an puttin the dog in the right spot so he doesn't have to go balls to the walls and head up with that big 300lbs boar  lol

[BIG BEN]

 Thats a impossible question to answer and everyone is going to have a different answer. The question should be on average how many catch dogs do you go through a year? There are readily available bulldogs everywhere, I have not payed for a CD yet.

[Nickjones]

i have caught over three hundred hogs with my half dogo half pit gyp. have had her for three years. also had a red nose that i caught many of hogs over a years time with. i sold him and two days later her was dead. to many things that can happen and go wrong. i never turn my dogs loose unless i can see the hog. that way he dont sit there for twenty or thirty min working on my dog.

[gutpile]

Everyone that I know that collars,vests and tracks thier dogos gets about six or seven years of good service. But anything can happen we arent playing jacks or hop scotch here.

[La Historia Dogo]

I don't suggest you buy a dogo. Especially a high priced one. I would not pay much, if I was just buying a Catch dog.

When you are paying thousands of dollars for a dog, no matter the breed. You are more than likely buying much more than just the dog in front of you.  You are buying a piece of their parents, grandparents, etc...You are paying for the security of the time and effort put forth by the breeder to assure you are getting a dog with accurate pedigree information, solid genetics, and great temperament.

If you really just want a RCD get a pit/cur, catdo, etc. If you are looking for specific blood, temperament, conformation, health, etc....thats when you spend that kind of money.

To the specific question of how long a Catch Dog lasts, thats up to you entirely. How will you prepare your dog physically to overcome the obstacles that he/she will encounter ie conditioning, training and so on?  How will you gear them up?  How will you care for them when they need recovering? How hard will you be hunting them, and how solid are the dogs in the pack they will be hunting with?  Too many variables to get you a real answer IMO.

I would like to agree with Gutpile, as that should be the ideal age/health time period between 1-8 years, though I just went out hunting with a female dogo who was over 10 years old and she was keeping up pretty well.

[HogzgoneWild]

Not sure the average but I've had mine a little over 2 years and she will retire with me. Would not hesitate to put money in her at the vet if needed. She is my kids pet when not hunting.

[make-em-squeel]

I see alot of cd's make it, seems to be 50/50. A trusty pack of curs helps. In my opinion if you never cut one loose until you see the bay you will rarely loose one. I herd many stories of Kenny Allgood, a pit breeder who hunted like this and most of my friends took his advice- they rarely lost dogs. 

I am not personally that diciplined I may get in close but still cut-em without a visual mostly...

[uglydog]

well that comes back to that saying I don't agree with "catch dogs are a dime dozen". I guess to some folks that could be true. However our foundation catch dog, was put down this past year at 11 years old. How many hogs did he catch in his lifetime? just say ALOT, hundreds not counting anything the rough curs could handle. His sons and daughters are gettinhg up there in age and in numbers also, and his Grandpups have the tally's also. Sometimes some dogs have a techniques that help keep them safer, some have handlers that help them be set up for the best possible scenarios, and then sometimes there are just freak accidents that will end them early than neccessary.
I don't think you put an average age or shelf life on a catch dog when there are so many variables, some people use RCD, some turn loose hundreds of yards away, and some wait until the oppertunity is at its best, so I don't think you can compare one guys/gals answer to the next.
I personally am very picky about what I want in my catch dog, nowhere near what everybody is looking for, so when I have the "right one" I am going to do everything I can to assure that dog is with me for many years, as I count on that dog as a "partner" and I don't like trading out my partner.
You may not like the idea of hanging a high price on a dog, but it costs me the same to maintain and feed a disposable dog as it does one that will work to my standards for 6-7 years, and I don't have to keep starting over wich in my mind is a hassle.
I think of like this, you want to drive a  ford focus or lexus, both are gonna get you from point A to point B, both might brake down in two years but which one will be a more enjoyable/comfortable ride? you know they don't cost the same.

[Noah]

i never turn my dogs loose unless i can see the hog. that way he dont sit there for twenty or thirty min working on my dog.

And there in lies the key... that, and a proper vest....   

[goose]

its hard to put your thumb on the average lifespan of a catch dog...i always at least run a cut collar on mine and am looking into the australian chest plates...i like the vests but here in the mid of summer its hard on them....just depends on your hunting style i guess...i like to get anywhere from 15-30 yds out and start walking as soon as i unsnap and when i hear the hit drop it dwn a gear...freak accidents do happen tho take for instance my dog geronimo his granddad jack caught hundreds of hogs in the woods a purty good bit with good teeth and one of the few times we ran a collar and vest on him he got killed along with another bulldog...hog killed 5 dogs total that day

just gotta pat them on the a$$ and say seeya when i get there

[HIGHWATER KENNELS]

There is some natural born DOG KILLERS out there fellers, sometimes it just takes longer for some of us to find them.. A man might catch 100 hogs a yr and never run into the ONE that can put him out of buisness for a while.. One thing about it, when you find him it wont matter what kind of dog you runnin and how old they are, they are fixin to be put to the test That day....

[Noah]

There is some natural born DOG KILLERS out there fellers, sometimes it just takes longer for some of us to find them.. A man might catch 100 hogs a yr and never run into the ONE that can put him out of buisness for a while.. One thing about it, when you find him it wont matter what kind of dog you runnin and how old they are, they are fixin to be put to the test That day....

I completely agree... only met a couple... most people ain't....

[Scott]

well that comes back to that saying I don't agree with "catch dogs are a dime dozen".

I agree...catchdogs/bulldogs are definitely not a dime a dozen

There's nothing wrong with paying a fair price for a well bred pup...you have to decide for yourself what a fair price is. Which brings up another point....research. You want to have good dogs, you have to do some leg work. Phone calls, visits, laying hands on dogs, hunting with the dogs, etc. You would be amazed, if you do your homework and put in the time and leg work. What I have found is there are plenty of folks who care more about putting their dogs with honest folks who'll do right by the dog than they do $$$. So you can get dogs/pups with the specific blood, temperament, work ethic, health and conformation without having to go to the bank...but, you'll definitely earn it by your actions.

[NThoghunter]

Well put Scott...

[BarrNinja]

well that comes back to that saying I don't agree with "catch dogs are a dime dozen".

I agree...catchdogs/bulldogs are definitely not a dime a dozen

There's nothing wrong with paying a fair price for a well bred pup...you have to decide for yourself what a fair price is. Which brings up another point....research. You want to have good dogs, you have to do some leg work. Phone calls, visits, laying hands on dogs, hunting with the dogs, etc. You would be amazed, if you do your homework and put in the time and leg work. What I have found is there are plenty of folks who care more about putting their dogs with honest folks who'll do right by the dog than they do $$$. So you can get dogs/pups with the specific blood, temperament, work ethic, health and conformation without having to go to the bank...but, you'll definitely earn it by your actions.

Help me be clear on this.
Are you guys saying that a well bred dog, bred specifically for the good traits of catching hogs, can still catch good, have a good handle, be smart about their work, be healthier in general, therefore having a better chance at living longer?
Come on! That’s like saying a well bred hog dog has a better chance of being good at finding and baying hogs!
Do you actually think folks should pay a little more money for a dog like that even if they needed it and a had too?

[Scott]

Help me be clear on this.
Are you guys saying that a well bred dog, bred specifically for the good traits of catching hogs, can still catch good, have a good handle, be smart about their work, be healthier in general, therefore having a better chance at living longer?

No, that's not what I'm saying. I went a little off topic because of some of the replies above. There's nothing controlled about the woods...you never know when you are gonna bay-up Mr. Bad and lose dogs.

Help me be clear on this.
Do you actually think folks should pay a little more money for a dog like that even if they needed it and a had too?

What I am saying is the exact opposite, that you don't have to pay a fortune for well bred dogs.

Come on! That’s like saying a well bred hog dog has a better chance of being good at finding and baying hogs!

And yes, I do believe a well bred (line bred) dog out of working stock does have a better chance of turning out than a scatterbred dog.

[goose]

yea speaking of the natural born dog killers a guy i know was completely put out the dog business one day...dont know where the hog come from cuz the place thy were hunting we had turned all the hogs loose there and just that one bad day this ole boar wondered up they caught him but mitchell is no longer in the dog business took him years to get wat he had and lost every dog on that one hog

[hoghunterdfw]

Is it a finacial sound decision to spend 1000's on one catch dog to get two years of use out of them?  Of course I'm referring to the Dogo... If your buying a dog to hunt hogs with why waste your money on a 5000.00 dogo or even a 500.00 dogo for that matter?

Cuz I don't just like to hunt hogs I LIKE TO LOOK GOOD WHILE I'M DOING IT!  

[BarrNinja]

Help me be clear on this.
Are you guys saying that a well bred dog, bred specifically for the good traits of catching hogs, can still catch good, have a good handle, be smart about their work, be healthier in general, therefore having a better chance at living longer?

No, that's not what I'm saying. I went a little off topic because of some of the replies above. There's nothing controlled about the woods...you never know when you are gonna bay-up Mr. Bad and lose dogs.

Help me be clear on this.
Do you actually think folks should pay a little more money for a dog like that even if they needed it and a had too?

What I am saying is the exact opposite, that you don't have to pay a fortune for well bred dogs.LOL

Come on! That’s like saying a well bred hog dog has a better chance of being good at finding and baying hogs!

And yes, I do believe a well bred (line bred) dog out of working stock does have a better chance of turning out than a scatterbred dog.

I was trying to be cute/sarcastic and it back fired! You people need to stop taking me to serious sometimes.lol
Please re read my previous post.
I actually agree with everything you say here but, I don’t have a problem spending a little money on a catch dog pup bred like I want it out of proven stock.
I can never see myself spending more than $200 on a well bred catch dog prospect though.
I could win the lottery today and I still wouldn’t spend $500 - $1000 dollars on a Dogo or any kind of puppy for that matter!
If someone else wants to then more power to them but I have kids in college.
If that was the only way to get a good catch dog it would be different for me but, that’s not the way it is IMO!