Rig dog question?

[FL hogdogger]

I have just been introduced to rig huntin with a new buddy. Now I have a couple of dogs but there still pups and just getting in to it. the question is what makes a good rig dog? what do you look for in one as a pup or an up and comer? what do the more expericed dogs do that you like? The reason I ask is we were in a good area that has a ton of pigs, now I have never just driven up on a pig and let the dogs go or just had the dogs in front of the truck. We litterily almost ran a big hog over and still missed him! i let 2 dogs go our top dog and an up and comer, they trailed it for a long time and still missed it! needless to say we had this happen 6 times! So lets just say by the end of the night I was pissed and wanted to cull every dog we had! Any advice would be great! I just want to make sure im attacking this issue correctly. THANKS!

[txhogsanddogs]

Plott cross i would prefer, closed mouth because the hogs are already getting a jump on you.  You might try the dogs you have when they come back, walk them back out and get them on the track again until they catch up to the hog, show them the way a few times.  Good luck. 

[coyote hunter]

it takes alot of time and work to make a dog rig   i clip the 1s in where i want them to hunt from until they get the confidence to ride in that spot

[skunkhounds]

takes lots of time and work to make a real rig dog not all dogs will rig hunt  i use bmc  as rig dog

[TX HOG]

If the dog likes to wind on his own stop and let him out when he look interested in a smell. Do some training hunts. Put yourself in the dogs position. Try to understand what they are thinking of your actions. Remember all dogs are different and react different

[M Bennet]

i ground hunt mine and let them get use to catching hogs on the ground,then i clip my young dogs to the hood and teach them to ride and always put a finish dog with them. at home i put the dog up there and pull them off the hood to teach them how to come off, like every body says time months and months. i use a bmc or cat cross and a dog that is not real hyper. but if you will work with any dog long enough you can teach them.

[warrent423]

Riggin is something you do to baits before you go fishin offshore where I come from.

[Noah]

I always have a dog or two on the top of the dog box when we're in the woods... the better a nose a dog has, obviously, the better he can wind a hog... all I got are curs and they do just fine.

Most of the great rig/wind dogs have been through A LOT of hogs... somethin' that gets better over time...

As for not bein' able to stop one once they wind off the truck/see one off the truck?  Don't think riggin' has anything to do with that...  I prefer a fast/rough dog for this type of huntin... you already know you're relatively close to the hog, you just need a dog that is good enuff to shut one down!

Where you huntin' anyways?

[rdjustham]

I like a rig dog but most of the hunting ive done is in the groves.  I look for a dog that runs nose up instead of on the ground.  Where you at in Fl?

[FL hogdogger]

Awsome guys! I will keep them dogs on the hogs with my buddys dogs and see it they pick it up. I know I was told to leave the trail yippers at home lol. I live in Altamonte Springs/Orlando. and this area was at the space coast he has a lease there and he had an extra spot for me. Real good dude. where do ya'll hunt out of. I havent hunted orange groves yet i hear there a lot of fun! Love this site, Thanks for all the advice!

[pltx ken]

Flhogdogger. Im not a really experience rig hunter, but i have been doing it about 4 to 5 years now. In the time i have been doing man i have evaluated that if a dog has a good hunting  drive they want to hunt no matter how you hunt them. The hardest part is getting them to ride the hood. And to do that clip them up. Mbennet had a good picture of how he done it a while back i looked but could not find it. Also as everyone else said. As young pups just put them on hogs and let them hog howevver they feel fit. Then as they improve, you make your adjustmets and style change slowly.

[slick]

why are dogs hunted on the hood rather than on the back?

[pltx ken]

Slick i guess i dont have a proven answer.. I have had dogs more comfortable off the box i have had dogs more comfortable off the cab. The reason i prefer dogs on the hood is if you hunt alone alot as i do. or if you hunt with another buddy and you both want to ride in the cab, You can and you can see when your dogs or dog gets antsy and also see if there doing what there suppose to without looking in the back. Also u can learn if you dont already know which dogs are the real strikers and which are the followers. Thats just what i like.

[Noah]

Slick i guess i dont have a proven answer.. I have had dogs more comfortable off the box i have had dogs more comfortable off the cab. The reason i prefer dogs on the hood is if you hunt alone alot as i do. or if you hunt with another buddy and you both want to ride in the cab, You can and you can see when your dogs or dog gets antsy and also see if there doing what there suppose to without looking in the back. Also u can learn if you dont already know which dogs are the real strikers and which are the followers. Thats just what i like.

Excellent answer..  I've been thinkin' about throwin' a piece of carpet over the hood with some bungees for the dogs to ride on for a while!  Besides the fact that they'd have a better shot at winding into "quiet air" at the front of the truck, I usually end up riding on the box with the dogs and lettin' someone else drive so as I can watch my dogs... usually even the most suttle tell from the dogs means it's game on when I send them... with them on the hood you can read them much more easily

Some of my friends down in south Florida that I first started huntin' with showed me how efficient this style of hunting can be... a good rig dog that'll ride(unclipped) until he winds somethin' can bail off when he's ready and take care of bidness... 

Really cool when done right.... When I hunt by myself I like this style alot... just ride with a dog or two up top and when they bail off.... wait for the bay.. then walk that ol' CD in...

I train all of my dogs to ride and rig(wind, whatever the hell you want to call it)... when I slow down and say "go ahead" they'll bail off and check out whatever I was wantin' them to check out... when I say "load up", well, they load their ass up  .... all without me ever gettin' out of the truck mind you     As I said, a very efficient way of workin' a property... in between big blocks that you want to cast dogs into, no harm in havin' a dog up top to tell you if you drivin' past one on your way!!!! 

[M Bennet]

i like to watch my young dogs work, and to see them change in to finish dogs and my buddys like watching them blow off the hood, kenny had a good answer. sometimes i take some young dogs riding around and try to get them to come off the hood on rabbits, just to teach them to come off. here are some pics of my dogs,oh i rhino my hood.


same yellow dogs just3or4 months later and no clips now

the cat looking at you some times gets hard headed

[Noah]

Yep, trainin' them up is as much fun a actually catchin' hogs!!! That rhino hood is still bad ass!!  They ever get "prancey" from the hood gettin' hot?

[okie]

this is my set up...i've learned this way from other hunters...



the main reason is for safety...but this makes your younger dogs sit up there and hunt...it prevents your dogs from jumping off the hood for whatever reason other than getting on a hog...and you can cover alot more ground..

[Noah]

That's exactly what I had been imagining with the carpet okie!  Not to sure about bolting a rail on the front of our truck though lol 

[M Bennet]

noah in the summer i put some shag purple carpet on the hood it has a rubber back and keeps the heat off there feet. im training a pit to ride with my strike dogs so when they jump he will go and i wont have to get out and turn him loose

[okie]

i just done away with the carpet...i put some grip tape for skate boards on there...