Hog dogs...How do you evaluate a good Strike Dog???

[Reuben]

The questions I ask myself;

1. if hunted alone would this dog bay a hog?
if no he is a cull...if yes I go to the next question.
 
2. Does this dog give me confidence when I take him hunting?
if no then he is a below average to average strike dog and will be losing his position at some time or another.
If yes then he probably is a keeper but will get replaced at some point in time...
this moves me to the next question.

3. Does this dog excite me when I turn him loose in a good hunting spot???
if yes then he has earned a spot and probably will have breeding rights.

We should evaluate every dog in the pack and know what they are capable of...but it does take time to get a good pack of hog dogs going...just working toward the ultimate goal...to consistently catch hog with a good pack of dogs.
Lots of other things I look at but these are probably the main questions I ask myself...

So what is you alls way?

[buddylee]

Those sound good but obviously the dog needs to mature and have had time to figure it out. Some dogs are really slow to figure it out.

[slimhogdog]

If they produce pork time after time.

[Reuben]

what if the lead strike dog stays at home...can your pack still produce the pork on a consistent basis?

[slimhogdog]

what if the lead strike dog stays at home...can your pack still produce the pork on a consistent basis?

Well thats what im trying to get to, I dont like help dogs, if anyone of my dogs cant find and bay a hog on its own i dont really need him/her.  Basically i want a pack of strike dogs that will help each other out when another one bays.

[Reuben]

slimhogdog,

that is the goal to have...but I threw this out there because I have seen hog doggers that really don't evaluate each dog in the pack...they just talk about how good the dogs are...and I have seen a few in those packs I wouldn't feed. just trying to get the newer guys to think all the way thru...

[RyanTBH]

This is a good post, and something I've thought hard about while putting my pack together. I would be what most would consider a beginner, but I’ve spent a lot of time and money putting together the pack I have now. I like a good help dog that isn't afraid to honor a bay, and put teeth on a hog or help bay it up. I like to run a good strike dog, a good help dog, and a good lead in CD. That's not what always happens, but it is just my preference. I'd rather not have a whole pack of strike dogs on the ground. It seems that you would have trouble with them honoring each other’s' bays, or always having a competition of who is Alpha dog and having split bays. If you don’t have multiple hands in the woods, and two Garmins this can get frustrating and confusing. I would say I watch for certain things, sure... but to say that if they won't go find their own hog then they're a cull is a little overboard to me. For example I have my main dog that is med-long range and will go find and bay a hog by himself (and catch if it’s not too big), and has tons of bottom and drive. Then I have a short-med range strike dog that will find his own hog and bay/catch, and will stick with it too, but prefers to stay in close, honor bays, and help get gritty . (and I like that he stays close because I know that if the long range dog misses something he will probably pick it up) Then I have two dogs that I am trying to really evaluate hard to see what they're capable of, and this takes time. One is 16 months, and will get out and hunt on his own. He has good bottom and will stay with the pack on a chase… but I haven’t had a lot of time to take him by himself to see what he is really capable of though. The other is just now a year, and she doesn’t “hit the ground running” like some, but keeps her nose to the ground and will stay with the pack if they take off on a track/chase. I think those are both good signs for started dogs, and will continue to feed them because of such. I think that there are a lot of dog men that make decisions too soon on whether a dog will "turn on" or not. All dogs, from what I've seen, are different in a lot of ways. Some out of the same litter will turn on at different times as well. I’ve been through a few dogs, but not as many as some, and I am a firm believer in giving the dog time to adjust to your pack, putting them on a lot of hog signs, and time to come into his/her own as well is important in being able to judging a dog. I don’t know a lot, but I know what I’ve observed so far and partially what I am looking for now. Like Ninja said, it’s a constant learning curve! JMO, whatever its worth… 

[slimhogdog]

I see what your saying but i dont need help dogs that cant find there own, my strike dogs turn into help dogs if/when another one of my dogs strikes first.  But to each his own, i just want to be able to take any dog on any given day and go find and bay a hog. I dont want to have to depend on having one dog that will start things off because one accident/bad boar can end your hunting for awhile.

[RyanTBH]

Your right there... But in doing what I described, especially with the young dogs hunting behind a really good strike dog, is about the best way I know how to "train" a good, go find em strike dog. Who says they won't go out one day and find one by themselves without the main dogs help...? I hear you, but you gotta start somewhere...

[Reuben]

Hey Ryan...that was a good post...and that is another good style of hunting....kind of like a football team...it takes all types to have a wining team and can't have all quarterbacks or we will never win...

If I had it my way all the dogs would look and hunt about the same but do not have to be the same color. I used to raise dogs like this type but every now and then they all had there own hog and we missed catching any hogs at times because of this...but day in and day out they did good together...My space to keep dogs was limited so the goal was to always upgrade if I felt like I needed to do that. as I bred more generations I didn't have the need to do that very often.

[geronimo]

This is a good post, and something I've thought hard about while putting my pack together. I would be what most would consider a beginner, but I’ve spent a lot of time and money putting together the pack I have now. I like a good help dog that isn't afraid to honor a bay, and put teeth on a hog or help bay it up. I like to run a good strike dog, a good help dog, and a good lead in CD. That's not what always happens, but it is just my preference. I'd rather not have a whole pack of strike dogs on the ground. It seems that you would have trouble with them honoring each other’s' bays, or always having a competition of who is Alpha dog and having split bays. If you don’t have multiple hands in the woods, and two Garmins this can get frustrating and confusing. I would say I watch for certain things, sure... but to say that if they won't go find their own hog then they're a cull is a little overboard to me. For example I have my main dog that is med-long range and will go find and bay a hog by himself (and catch if it’s not too big), and has tons of bottom and drive. Then I have a short-med range strike dog that will find his own hog and bay/catch, and will stick with it too, but prefers to stay in close, honor bays, and help get gritty . (and I like that he stays close because I know that if the long range dog misses something he will probably pick it up) Then I have two dogs that I am trying to really evaluate hard to see what they're capable of, and this takes time. One is 16 months, and will get out and hunt on his own. He has good bottom and will stay with the pack on a chase… but I haven’t had a lot of time to take him by himself to see what he is really capable of though. The other is just now a year, and she doesn’t “hit the ground running” like some, but keeps her nose to the ground and will stay with the pack if they take off on a track/chase. I think those are both good signs for started dogs, and will continue to feed them because of such. I think that there are a lot of dog men that make decisions too soon on whether a dog will "turn on" or not. All dogs, from what I've seen, are different in a lot of ways. Some out of the same litter will turn on at different times as well. I’ve been through a few dogs, but not as many as some, and I am a firm believer in giving the dog time to adjust to your pack, putting them on a lot of hog signs, and time to come into his/her own as well is important in being able to judging a dog. I don’t know a lot, but I know what I’ve observed so far and partially what I am looking for now. Like Ninja said, it’s a constant learning curve! JMO, whatever its worth… 

great post ryan i agree totally abt the help dogs they def have their place if they will stay with your main strike dog and bay till u get a catch dog there

[TexasHogDogs]

When I can take a dog hunting and he is leading the pack and when its time to go home and I can say well there were no hogs there today and say it with confedence and know in my heart we did not miss any then I know are you should k now that dog is for me.  If you cant leave that place and say with out a doubt in your mind that you left no hogs on it then you should be feeling pretty dang good about your dogs.

I have several dogs like this one goes down the other takes over.  I can take a set of dogs Horn , Blu, Penny and Bell and when we leave if there is no pork in the truck I can tell you there was no hogs there on that proptery.  If there is hogs there we find it I have no doubts this is how I know when my dogs are finished and are my kind of dogs .

Horn goes down Bell takes over Blu goes down Horn takes over Bell goes down both Horn and Blu take over the Penny dog is almost there with them as far as finished goes and this little young Ranger dog I have is only 14 months are so and by the end of this year he is gonna be real real close he is the out hunting'est dog I ever seen for his age and only been in the woods five six times foound two by hiself and dont need nobody with him he goes .  I would bet the farm he has it I can  just tell.


The main thing I look for the first few times out with a young dog is will he get out on his on ,  how far will he go by himself , how far will he go with the pack .  If my dogs show me this the first few times in the woods the rest is there and then it is just the matter of  time and hunted to bring the rest out ,  feed these dogs hogs when they are young they will crap hogs when they are older !.

[TexasHogDogs]

One other thing all my dogs can find hogs on there on I will not own any that cannot.  They all help each other out it dont matter who finds it first when it is struck they are all on top of it helping each other doing what they do.  Now there has been a few times when I have had a dog are two out on their on hog baying it but as soon as we get the other hogs and dogs taken care of these burn straight to the bayed hog are were the other dogs are baying .  This way I keep only the finest dogs in my pack when ones goes down another takes over .  Just the way I see it .  To me help dogs are bonafide glorifide culls.

[RyanTBH]

One other thing all my dogs can find hogs on there on I will not own any that cannot.  They all help each other out it dont matter who finds it first when it is struck they are all on top of it helping each other doing what they do.  Now there has been a few times when I have had a dog are two out on their on hog baying it but as soon as we get the other hogs and dogs taken care of these burn straight to the bayed hog are were the other dogs are baying .  This way I keep only the finest dogs in my pack when ones goes down another takes over .  Just the way I see it .  To me help dogs are bonafide glorifide culls.

Good point Tex! LOL! I don't want this to seem like I'm backsliding, but...  I say "help" dogs... but in all actuality they are all waiting their turn to find a hog. (wishful thinking)  I have one that is a jam up dog (Fred), another that is short range but will find his own (Diablo), and then two that will hopefully make their way there soon too (Dixie and Joe). I would like to be able to take each one out by themselves and find hogs, but it's just not likely to happen any time soon. So when they are all in the woods, Fred is going to take the lead every time. I have no doubt that if Fred was to go down one of my other dogs would figure it out once we are in the woods and find a hog, but it's not a sure thing like you speak of. So I guess I'm on my way to what you are talking about. It's just going to take a lot more time in the woods and on hogs. I can't say that I wouldn't like to have every dog on my yard find a hog, but that brings us back to the "too many chiefs not enough Indians..."  LOL!

[RyanTBH]

Hey Ryan...that was a good post...and that is another good style of hunting....kind of like a football team...it takes all types to have a wining team and can't have all quarterbacks or we will never win...

If I had it my way all the dogs would look and hunt about the same but do not have to be the same color. I used to raise dogs like this type but every now and then they all had there own hog and we missed catching any hogs at times because of this...but day in and day out they did good together...My space to keep dogs was limited so the goal was to always upgrade if I felt like I needed to do that. as I bred more generations I didn't have the need to do that very often.

LOL! Thanks Ruben... Like I said to Jimmy, I'd like to have a yard full of dogs that can find hogs... but we all have to start somewhere. I like to think I have put together a pretty good pack, but only hogs and time will tell! Good post buddy!

[/quote]great post ryan i agree totally abt the help dogs they def have their place if they will stay with your main strike dog and bay till u get a catch dog there

Thanks Geronimo! I guess I just like the pack mentality. I am an only child, so I don't mind being alone. BUT many hands (or paws) make light work! So some good help never really hurts IMO...  them being in the woods and seeing hogs is just about the only way to tell if they will turn out to be an independent dog anyways... So I like to look at it like a win-win...

[levibarcus]

I am by no means a seasoned hunter, I've been dogging for about two years. That being said this is my opinon for what it's worth. I have to agree with the guys who are saying they won't own a dog that won't do it on their own. The dogs that I have that I can count on are dogs I raised from pups. When I started hunting them they just rolled on their own. I never had to ask them to hunt, they just do. So far the dogs that haven't hunted on their own at first haven't gotten any better, and are what most people would call help dogs. They will find one every once in a while, but mostly are waiting for a bay to go to. My deal is, if my strike dog has it bayed, I don't need another dog to help, the job is being done by one dog. On the other hand, I'm glad someone likes help dogs because it makes my culls worth something when I go to sell them. One day I hope to have dogs that are of the quality that I can breed some good dogs of my own and not have to sort through so many "help dogs" to find what I want.

[RyanTBH]

OK... so my question to ya'll on this sub would be what do you call a dog that is on it's way to finding hogs, but hasn't found their own yet? If they will get out and hunt and aren't just "waiting on a bay to pop off" what are they called then if not "help" dogs...?

[levibarcus]

Ryan, to me that is just a pup. When they have been given the chance to step up and find their own hogs and they don't, then I consider them help dogs. Again, that is my opinion, it doesn't mean I'm right!

[RyanTBH]

Ryan, to me that is just a pup. When they have been given the chance to step up and find their own hogs and they don't, then I consider them help dogs. Again, that is my opinion, it doesn't mean I'm right!

LOL! Tushay! 

[slimhogdog]

Ryan, to me that is just a pup. When they have been given the chance to step up and find their own hogs and they don't, then I consider them help dogs. Again, that is my opinion, it doesn't mean I'm right!

Agreed, that is a pup, now when he gets several hunts under its belt and it still aint finding hogs, its a cull.