Why do people use help dogs?

[levibarcus]

I'm wondering why we call them help dogs instead of culls? I have one that falls into this catagory and the only reason I keep her is as a pet. She's my truck riding buddy, I don't hunt her anymore and I'm getting her spayed so that she can't create more of the same. I am just wondering why we hunt dogs that can't do it all on their own instead of culling them or finding them a non hunting home. Opinions anyone?

[Circle C]

I used to have some help dogs

It takes as much to feed a good dog, as it does a cull.

That's why I said I used to have some help dogs...

[uglydog]

I am only going to speak for myself.
I have some dogs I call help dogs, they don't hunt as hard as my other dogs. They are usually stay closer and usually the rougher of my dogs. I call them help dogs, because I expect them to go help, not that the better dogs need help but I want them to have help, fresher dog, that will honor the dogs bay when others dogs may all be split on their own hogs.
I don't wan't my dogs all split in 4 different directions but if they do my "not so independent" help dog will honor, rather than trying to run its own hog.
You can call mine culls if you want but if I thought they were culls then they would be culled.
My help dogs can and do find their own, but not as high a chance when I have some of my others on the ground.
So each to his own.

[levibarcus]

Your help dogs are probably better than my main dogs, so I'm not knocking anyones dogs! If it can find and bay it's own pig it isn't a help dog to me. There will always be dogs that just hunt better than others and will consistently out strike them.

[Purebreedcolt]

My help dogs are also rougher so I'm in the same catagory as ugly dog but I'm not breeding them either.  Also it is hard to go buy all strike dogs unless u have a breeding program u have to go with what u have.

[uglydog]

I will give you a for instance, and several people on here have seen my Buzzard dog, he stays within eye sight of me if were are driving ATV, he usually running beside me. If he winds something he is gone, if he hears something he is gone, he is really fast and will be too another dog in a flash. He is not busting tail full speed the whole hunt like some of my dogs do, so when the strike and a race might begin, Buzz gets there and is fresher, with alot of stamina.  He acts like a pet that wants to be under my feet 89% of time. The times we are driving and he heads out, he either winded or heard another dog, I trust him. We stop and we wait, I can trust him before the Garmin knows whats going on, I guess he "Helps me too".
Now October 22, this same dog, winds across an open pasture and when he was going away from us in the opposite direction we were driving, at about 180 yards and too fast too be trailing, all other dogs are the other direction, I knew he was about to find his own at 280yds he started baying, within 10 more yds the boar was caught and over. Because he does not really leave my sight, and he is usually not the one finding the hog, although he is capable, he is just not going to outwork my other dogs in the looking through the brush I only call him a help dog, most people would not own him because he stays too close to me.
Truthfully, I would not sell him even if someone was waving good cash under my nose, because to me he serves a quality purpose.
I opnly need one dog out finding the hogs, unless we have alot of help, I can only catch one hog at a time anyway.

[Circle C]

Krystal,

   Is Buzzard a super short range dog, or a help dog?

Do you remember the little cat gyp, Lupe? To me she was a help dog.  Always honored another dogs bay...Never bothered to find her own hog.

[levibarcus]

I guess a lot of it depends on each individual's definition of help dog. My gyp will wind or run a track if the hog is within about 100 yd. If it's not that close she comes back to me. I've seen her jump a hog out of a pool, chase it into the woods and give up on it within a couple of minutes. If there is a bay she will go to it and bay like crazy and catch anything small. She just doesn't hunt and doesn't really run a track. If it's bayed she will "help". If it's already bayed then the other dog or dogs don't need help, just a cd. Like I said, not looking to start trouble or rag on anyones dogs, just curious. I'm new to all this, so I'm just forming opinions, which is why I asked the question.

[Cutter Bay Kennels]

I would classify her as very short range with no bottom.   

[Doggie]

     You may as well ask the question why do people use them "Yappy old Hounds" or why poeple use dogs with "tons of bottom" or why "Yella" dogs.  It is all a matter of what you like and how you like to hunt.  The way I learned to hunt was with one sometimes two "find" dogs and two or three "help" dogs and a catch dog.  I liked this style of hunting so I adopted it.  When hunting this way, the "help" dog is just as much important to the pack as the "find" dog.  Over the years and hunting with about three maybe four other people along the way I have come up with a hunting style and dogs that suit my personal preference.  Are my dogs better than anyone elses dogs?  Probably not.  Hell, they aren't even as good as my wifes.
   I understand the reasoning behind your question.  The way you prefer to hunt is to have your whole pack "gone and looking."  That's great!  If this is what you like, hunt that way and post many pictures and stories of what your dogs have done.  I have even read stories on here where trail barking hounds have caught hogs.  If that's what a man wants to feed, then by all means feed em (just don't bring em if you're gonna hunt with me!).
   With all of this being said, I have never bred for the purpose to get a help dog.  They are usually accidental breedings.  So, in my scenario, "help" dogs are not culls they are a part of my hunting style.

[Circle C]

So, in my scenario, "help" dogs are not culls they are a part of my hunting style.

 

That's funny Thomas, you referenced yourself and used the word style in the same sentence...  I bet Krystal would beg to differ.  You and your neon yellow shirt

[levibarcus]

That's why I asked is to get ya'lls opinions. I'm all ears and like to hear everyone's different methods for catching hogs. Like I said, I'm new to this, I've been hunting with dogs for less than a year, so I'm still figuring out what I like and don't like. Happy hunting whatever your preference is!

[uglydog]

Levi, No offence or arguements taken.

Chris, you are right about the Doggie & style thing. But about Buzz, I don't think the dog can trail his own food bowl, I can count on my fingers the amount of times this dog has struck and bayed in front of my other dogs, and frankly you have seen him, and doubt you would feed him yourself, his main purpose to me is to get to the other dog when one opens, I call him "Help" I jokeingly say I am bringing my strike dog because others think I am nuts when this dog is jumping up wanting to be petted acting like a retard, and well you know we like to be sarcastic. I know i never have to go look for my dog when I am ready to go to bed! he is not a "good dog" by anybody's standard but my own.


Doggie you are right about my dogs being better, Love Ya!

[Doggie]

Chris, I got all the style in the woods.  I wear an ETHD t-shirt and jeans when I hunt.  I am surprised you didn't bring up my hat that I covered in hunter orange duct tape to hunt in the forest.  That is called trend setting.

Uglydog-    I love you too but my dogs are easier on the eyes! 

[boarwild]

i have a dog that falls into the help dog category but only at times.  I have a really rough blue lacy that when i have my main strike dogs on the ground he will stay close to me/the truck and will honor a bay and he either bays super tight or will catch if he feels like it.  However, if i am running a long night or one of my strike dogs get hurt he seems to know when they are not on the ground and will go out and hunt and strike just as well as my best strike dogs.  Its seems like he knows he can depend on them when they are on the ground hunting, but he also knows that when they are not hunting he has to do it himself.  He is a help dog as far as i am concerned but i can't get rid of him for the simple fact of if my others get hurt or cut up i will have nothing and he can fill the spot no problem.

[Diamond G]

I am only going to speak for myself.
I have some dogs I call help dogs, they don't hunt as hard as my other dogs. They are usually stay closer and usually the rougher of my dogs. I call them help dogs, because I expect them to go help, not that the better dogs need help but I want them to have help, fresher dog, that will honor the dogs bay when others dogs may all be split on their own hogs.
I don't wan't my dogs all split in 4 different directions but if they do my "not so independent" help dog will honor, rather than trying to run its own hog.
You can call mine culls if you want but if I thought they were culls then they would be culled.
My help dogs can and do find their own, but not as high a chance when I have some of my others on the ground.
So each to his own.

Amen.  I had a big ol cur that stuck by my side.  When he left it was on.  He would never out work my lead dog, but I would watch him wind and then take off behind him.  His nose would go straight up in the air like he was lookin at the stars.  I think he could do it, he just never did.  Why do all that running when somone else can, right?

[Cutter Bay Kennels]

i have a dog that falls into the help dog category but only at times.  I have a really rough blue lacy

Aren't all Lacy's just help dogs?   

[Diamond G]

i have a dog that falls into the help dog category but only at times.  I have a really rough blue lacy that when i have my main strike dogs on the ground he will stay close to me/the truck and will honor a bay and he either bays super tight or will catch if he feels like it.  However, if i am running a long night or one of my strike dogs get hurt he seems to know when they are not on the ground and will go out and hunt and strike just as well as my best strike dogs.  Its seems like he knows he can depend on them when they are on the ground hunting, but he also knows that when they are not hunting he has to do it himself.  He is a help dog as far as i am concerned but i can't get rid of him for the simple fact of if my others get hurt or cut up i will have nothing and he can fill the spot no problem.

My first strike dog was like that when I hunted with other people.  He would stay by the four wheeler.  He knew that the other dogs were out working, why should he?  It would hack me off.  But as soon as he was with his dogs or the other strike dogs were put up, there he was, right back in front.  I really think there are some balls to the wall dogs, and then there are some really smart dogs.  Take it how you want, but I really liked my smart dog.   Work smarter not harder.

[t.wilbanks]

Some dogs may be alittle better in certain areas that others arent.

For example, you could have a "help" dog that may not be able to find a hog as good as the others, but may be better at working the hog and getting it to stop, once the others strike it.

 I bet you wish you had that kind of "help" dog when Red and LJ couldnt get that good boar you been getting on to stop!  

Everybody wants a dog that can do it all by their self, but not everybody has that kind of dog, so alittle "help" is needed. JMO!

[DangerZone]

I like the Question Levi... I've wonder as well?   CULL or HELP Dog and why do i need one?  MY dad is over looking at my dogs couple weeks ago,he's 77 and says " When me and your grand dad use to hunt rasorbacks, we use redticks to bay'em up and all the cur dogs did was follow the hound and chew on the hog till we got there"....... Now after i picked myself up off the ground because in my 44 years only hunting my dad did was from from a deer blind!!. We discused how they hunted and what i got from it was the number of help dogs you want or need is dependent on how big a hog your trying to catch, So can a strike dog and catch dog shut down a real rank big boar, or would it be better to have a strike dog,2 rough help dogs and a catch dog to get the job done??    Oh yeah now after more hunting and fishing trips than i can remember with my dad, I find out I'm a third generation Hogdogger and didn't even know it!!!