Catch dog problem

[muleman]

Ok, I got a new American bulldog the other day. I have not had him on a hog yet but here is my problem....the guy he came from says he hits a hog like a freight train but he just catches any where. Ear, nose, leg, ass end... whatever. Now I dont particularly care but I have to think his life expectancy aint too long catchin all crazy like that. He is only a year and a half old or so. Do you think he will start catching right. or just keep bailing in till he gets killed? Also do you think this is genetic?? will his pups catch all crazy?? What are your ideas, and suggestions for this dog?? I have a few ideas but would like y'alls imput. (I know something simiar was discussed previously but I cant find it)

[shawn]

take him with another bulldog and when he catches on any place besides the other ear, break him off wherever he is caught and put him on the ear. i wouldnt hunt him without another experienced dog untill he starts catching on the ear all the time.

[BOBDOG]

Muleman,
It has been my experience both with man dogs and with hog dogs that dogs repeat what works for them. The strike against teaching him proper targeting is that he has had some success at catch as catch can. If you have access to a baypen you can go back  and try to teach some targeting. If one man has a hog by the back legs and the other one has the dog  on a long line, you can control where he catches. With some repititions and successful catches, praise him on the catch before you break him off, you will up the odds of making this a habit. You can do this in the woods, at the bay,  if the hog bayed is not one likely to get a dog killed by positioning him for a likely head shot, sending him on a long line, and pulling him short if  he is targeting a wrong area. He only gets his catch if it is right.

                              Bob

[pig snatcher]

When he catches in an unwanted place.  Break him off and put him on the ear while you have the hog legged.  Then turn it back loose.  All of this is assuming it is something with out teeth .  Just keep repeating this until he figures it out. 

[uglydog]

My experience wth the AB's is been kinda what is mentioned above, but I rather work in the pen. Don't give him and oppertunity to catch wrong, and this means you will have to wheelbarrow the hog to him and only allow the proper placement and when he starts keying on where you want him to hit, let him grab and then let the hog go in a controlled situation where he can manhandle the hog, Do not use a small hog this gives them an oppertunity to release/regrip/rebite and still control the hog which is bad experience for them to learn. A bigger hog without teeth like a green 150lb green sow will teach him a lesson if he trys to change up, and will make him work, but he will learn he can control a hog by the ear and not from anywhere behind the shoulder. Don't use bay dogs at this time, don't have any thing else around that will boost confidence or help him do it wrong.

I have had this with AB's and my AB/Dogos, and Dogos, the pits are a different ball park.

[muleman]

Thats kinda the things i was thinking. He has been the only catch dog and I want to try sending our other AB first and when she has the hog send him. Maybe there will be less of a sense of urgency. I will keep you posted. I sure hope he comes around. i really like him. Anyone have any idea how hereditary crazy catching his?? dont want to breed a bunch more of em.

[uglydog]

I would se if he straightens up and calms down and starts placing his bite, If he does then I don't think it would be a passed on trait, but more of a really excitable trait.

I really don't think allowing him to catch behind another dog will teach him anything about learning to control the hog, and if he does not learn to control it he has no reason to change up the placement of his catch position.

[muleman]

I will know more hopefully after tonight. I am hunting a new spot and maybe I will be able to see him in action.

[longshot]

I am in a similar situation as you Muleman.   The AB I have is about 2years old and has been in a pet home.  I have learned NOT to send her with a experinced catchdog because the other dog will do the heavy holding and allows the new dog to hold where ever it wants with no reprecussions, encouraging the unwanted behavior.

On the Genetic thing:
I dont think it will be passed but I could be wrong.  The 2 catch dogs I have are full sisters.  One is a natural ear clamper, (has been since 7mo) that I raised  the other just saw its first hog(dog mentioned above) and is very excitable.  I think it is the way the dogs were raised NOT GENETIC.

Longshot

[johnboscamp]

i agree with shawna1973.. i believe thats one of the ways you can train a catchdog......my buddy doubleb helped me on my catchdogs and thats how we did it.....pullem off and let them grab a hold of the ear .....

[muleman]

Well we took him tonight. He will flat get to a bay. and he caught on the head, mostly. he came off a couple times to re grip and settled under the bottom jaw. Not the best performance in my opinion but at least he was on the head. How he didnt get cut all up I dont know. He handles like a dream, and never fussed with the other dogs. He has only been on eight or nine hogs so maybe with practice he will improve (or get killed). Here is a picture of him in the foreground. still on the bottom jaw.

[uglydog]

Sounds like he will be the kind of dog I like with a few more hogs behind him.

[muleman]

I really like him too and I hope he does improve. he is young, and inexperienced. When I get him in shape he will be a big dude. May have to breed him to the "Freak" one day.

[johnboscamp]

he looks good keep working with him

[aladatrot]

You know, that may be Tyson's problem. He started out perfectly despite the fact that his first time to see a hog was one he bailed off an embankment into a creek to catch. He's never been in a pen, but hogs one through 5 were right on the ears. However, after those first hogs, we started sending him with other catch dogs. When he's caught, he's caught hard. However, nowadays he's catching whatever part of the hog he can get to. Most of the time that's somewhere on the head, but there have been plenty of times he was caught on a front leg and most recently he got ahold of a boar by a back leg. Eww.

I guess maybe he needs to HAVE to hold one with no outside help. We will try that. We love this dog, and don't want him to have a short life because the next catch dog may not be as easy going. This is a dog who will ride with any one of our other dogs - even my cranky dog who whips his butt for getting too close to HER part of the box (he can't help bumping into her when we have to hit the brakes hard).

Cheers
M

[shawn]

yeah, id keep working with him, good lookin dog by the way, and he MAY need to get hit a time or two and that might teach him, just hope its not a bad hit.

[muleman]

He was already pretty beat up when I got him. And he took a pretty good beating the other night. He had a couple pretty goog cuts on his back left leg. I can only assume it is from catching on the hind end. But he didnt try that with the hog on monday so maybe he learned something from it.