Culling... all types, but mainly with pups and younger dogs.

[RyanTBH]

I want to know different reasons of why people cull puppies...

I also would like some tips on what to watch for right after they are born and growing up...

How do you catch the defects early so that you don't waist your time feeding and raising them? And if you are questionable, how long to keep them around until you make a decision?

Thanks,

Ryan Shelton

[Miller Lite]

i start culling after they are a year or two years ... if they make it to two years an haven't bayed there own hog it doesn't make it here

[RyanTBH]

Looking for early culling traits and defects really. I've seen a few talking about culling hard and early as possible, and just want some tips on what to look for...

[Bryant]

For me it's a bit hard to explain or put into words.  From the day they drop, I watch puppies like a hawk.  Just certain things they do or ways they act will get my attention.  For me to really give a pup an honest shot, I have to like the dog.  If a pup irritates the heck out of me, his / her chances are already slim.  Irritation can come in the form of barking too much for no reason, inability to figure out how to do simple tasks (such as figuring out how to jump up on the platforms in the kennels), being grouchy towards the other pups, or grouchy towards the dog in the next kennel.

Conformation is also very important to me.  I hear people say often that they don't care about anything but how the dogs hunts, and they would hunt a ______ if it would do the job.  I like to think I set the bar a little higher in that I not only want the best working dog I can breed, but I also want one that looks the part and is built well.  If breeding better dogs is a person's passion, you simply cannot refuse to settle and just accept anything.  Every dog I raise is done so with the thought of being a future breeding prospect.  If there's anything along the way (physically or mentally) that would prevent that dog from possibly becomming such, his spot is filled and the next prospect is being evaluated.

[RyanTBH]

Thanks Bryant! That's the kinds of info I need. Nothing personal Miller, just would like to catch it as early as possible if I am going to be doing some serious breeding. I will not be able to afford to keep the whole litter up to 2 years old, thats just not possible... I may give a few to hunting buddies, but for the most part... if they are not doing good, I do not want to keep them around longer than I need to. Byrant, do you not think that the excessive barking or not understanding things comes from being a puppy in the first place? or do you expect them to see and then do quickly to show intelegence, problem solving, and adaptive traits?

[blakebh]

Thanks Bryant! That's the kinds of info I need. Nothing personal Miller, just would like to catch it as early as possible if I am going to be doing some serious breeding. I will not be able to afford to keep the whole litter up to 2 years old, thats just not possible... I may give a few to hunting buddies, but for the most part... if they are not doing good, I do not want to keep them around longer than I need to. Byrant, do you not think that the excessive barking or not understanding things comes from being a puppy in the first place? or do you expect them to see and then do quickly to show intelegence, problem solving, and adaptive traits?

Ryan you mean you cant keep half the litter?  I will be keeping more than half of a FredxSoka litter for at least a year depending on how many you and Jimmy want..

[Bryant]

Byrant, do you not think that the excessive barking or not understanding things comes from being a puppy in the first place? or do you expect them to see and then do quickly to show intelegence, problem solving, and adaptive traits?

Ryan,

It goes back to the future breeding issue and desiring the whole package...not just selective traits.  I choose pups based not only on what I desire in those dogs, but also what I desire in future breedings down the line.  Fact is that slow learning, barking, or otherwise undesireable traits in pups will produce the same thing if bred.  I've heard many times over the years of an "old dog man" who would cull a dog for some reason that to someone who was only looking for a "strike dog" might sound silly.  For example...maybe a dog that was super at finding and baying cattle but just could not have a handle put on him and so he didn't make the cut.  To many folks, they would just overlook the bad trait because they feel the good outweighs or maybe they don't have anything better.  In my mind, that would be called being blind to the whole package that I desire.  Nowhere near that "whole package" with my dogs (and may never be), but without a goal there can be no plan to get there.

[KevinN]

We're still talkin about a time frame of four to six months correct? I can't see making a decision before four months. Does anyone cull earlier than this?

[Miller Lite]

culling that early sounds like a waste of a dog dont it lol

[RyanTBH]

Thanks Bryant! That's the kinds of info I need. Nothing personal Miller, just would like to catch it as early as possible if I am going to be doing some serious breeding. I will not be able to afford to keep the whole litter up to 2 years old, thats just not possible... I may give a few to hunting buddies, but for the most part... if they are not doing good, I do not want to keep them around longer than I need to. Byrant, do you not think that the excessive barking or not understanding things comes from being a puppy in the first place? or do you expect them to see and then do quickly to show intelegence, problem solving, and adaptive traits?

Ryan you mean you cant keep half the litter?  I will be keeping more than half of a FredxSoka litter for at least a year depending on how many you and Jimmy want..

If ur gona keep that many I'll probably only keep the pic female out of that litter. Getting pretty full at me casa... Especially with the new addition I'm going to get Friday!

[RyanTBH]

OK... on second thought, I will probably keep two. One male, and the pick female. Others can stay on your yard, or go to our hunting buddies...  I think that Fred and Soka are going to make a helluva litter!

[Bryant]

I guess I should have said that what I'm saying applies mainly to dogs give or take a year old.  Younger than that really is just based on physical deformities.

[Zaneo]

Bryant, what did or would you look for in a dog or dogs to start youre breeding. Was it one good that was everything or a few really good ones. Thanks

[RyanTBH]

I know that I'm going to have to dig deep to cull hard on the future breedings we are going to be making. This is going to be a long drawn out process. I think a lot of these answers will probably present themselves after the pups hit the ground. Blake seems to have made good decisions on what dogs he has kept out of his past litters, so it should just keep improving. He is the real brains behind this... I am just learning from him, and from all of ya'll who have been so helpful to him and myself.

[Bryant]

Bryant, what did or would you look for in a dog or dogs to start youre breeding. Was it one good that was everything or a few really good ones. Thanks

It was a line of really good ones.  The line a hunting partner of mine has raised for a long while.  I watched him breed and have nearly a 100% success rate with what he was producing until I felt some of the crosses were beginning to be too tightly bred due to signs of inbreeding depression.  So, I took dogs from that line and started making my own crosses which resulted in two outcrosses.  So far, the majority have met or exceeded my expectations.  I plan to take pups from those outcrosses back to the original line.

I cringe at the thought of ever having to start over.

[TeJaShOgSlAyER]

OK... on second thought, I will probably keep two. One male, and the pick female. Others can stay on your yard, or go to our hunting buddies...  I think that Fred and Soka are going to make a helluva litter!

I have read alot about both of these dogs and if yal have to many left over yal send one down my way or ill come pick up i am always down for a pup Ryan!

[RyanTBH]

OK... on second thought, I will probably keep two. One male, and the pick female. Others can stay on your yard, or go to our hunting buddies...  I think that Fred and Soka are going to make a helluva litter!

I have read alot about both of these dogs and if yal have to many left over yal send one down my way or ill come pick up i am always down for a pup Ryan!

Kelton, I will talk with Blake, but I'm pretty sure that would be the pefect op for us to come make a run with you, or visa versa, you with us! I hope for us to be down there sooner than them getting stuck though. She has not come into the heat yet, but soon as she does she is coming to me casa to get down!!!  I wlll deff put you on the list! I think that Fred and Soka are gona make some dogs... Zig and her spit out some really good ones so far, so I'm eager to see how this goes. 

[TeJaShOgSlAyER]

I gotcha soka is full plott hound right? But what is ole fred got in him?

[TeJaShOgSlAyER]

OK... on second thought, I will probably keep two. One male, and the pick female. Others can stay on your yard, or go to our hunting buddies...  I think that Fred and Soka are going to make a helluva litter!

I have read alot about both of these dogs and if yal have to many left over yal send one down my way or ill come pick up i am always down for a pup Ryan!

Kelton, I will talk with Blake, but I'm pretty sure that would be the pefect op for us to come make a run with you, or visa versa, you with us! I hope for us to be down there sooner than them getting stuck though. She has not come into the heat yet, but soon as she does she is coming to me casa to get down!!!  I wlll deff put you on the list! I think that Fred and Soka are gona make some dogs... Zig and her spit out some really good ones so far, so I'm eager to see how this goes. 

And yal let me know i aint scared to come down to yal's neck of the woods!

[Reuben]

Looking for early culling traits and defects really. I've seen a few talking about culling hard and early as possible, and just want some tips on what to look for...

Ryan,

I start noticing every thing I can about all the pups in the litter. I cull out the longer haired pups. I look to see which pup comes out of the dog house first and figures things out...looking for intelligence and willingness to explore...cull for shyness but sometimes the best dogs can be a little on the shy side. I test for nose and finding ability at a young age... test for ranging out at 3-4 months old. also watch who sticks the track at the youngest age...all the pups are on a mental point system and some that make it as keepers might not make it as breeders. I check for baying style for grit and willness to get back on a hog if the pup gets banged around some...

Usually by time the pups are  4 months old I can just about pick the keepers and sometimes way younger than that. I used to keep the whole litter and then culled down slowly because I wanted the very best at the end.

one thing I will say is that just because a pup didn't make it early did not mean it would not make a good dog...The pup just wasn't competing at the same level with the other siblings at that particular time.

I usually new who the breeders were going to be by time they were 10 months old sometimes a little younger and sometimes a little older...but I was breeding not just for hard hunting dogs that could find game easily if it was there but for early starting dogs as well...

at the beginning I had a few pups that wouldn't even look at a pig in the litter and mid way thru I was usually getting 100 percent turn out rate especially after testing...the ones testing good at a young age usually made dogs.

The other part of having good dogs is to handle them plenty as little pups and make loud banging noises with the food pan. shoot a cap pistol when you call them to eat...just little things that look insignificant but in reality are very important for the growing pup...besides...you could be culling a pup for shyness when in reality it was not genetic but a lack of human contact...

and making an out cross because the line is getting depressed or tired is going to be a big deal...this can produce some culls because all the recessive traits that are covered up can surface...sometimes might have to cull the whole litter and shop around for another prospect to breed to...It is best if you can find one already carrying some of your blood...The fresh blood needs to be bred on the side meaning that do not just breed it into you line,  test it and only bring in 1/4 of the outside blood into your line... otherwise you line will actually be somewhat lost if you just bring in that outside dog and just breed him to the majority of your females...outcross in slowly and very carefully.

you want that outcross dog to be similar in type and hunt with your dogs and preferably a dog that brings a strong trait that your line needs to improve on...

this worked for me...