leting them lose in the yard

[got2catchem]

the rule of thumb was when a pup starts treeing squirrls and cats, its time to put him up! just my two cents

That is what I was always told. Its good to let a pup run free when they are young. Its gives them exposure to different things. But as soon as they start going to hunting around, put them up. They have already shown you that they may potentially have the hunt and there would be no reason that I could see to let them get trashy. Instead put them in the woods with solid trash broke finished dogs and let them learn exactly what they are supposed to be looking for. This is the method I was shown and has worked good for me so far. They will have experienced the free roam and build drive off of it and appreciate the time to free roam again in the woods. Although, I dont think it will create that much drive in a dog that dosent have it bred into them or make a dog hunt who dosent have it in them.

Just a example. Me and a buddy of mine both raised a couple of pups from the same litter. He would let his run free all day until the dogs started chaseing rabbits and baying up his horses. I on the other hand, could not let my two run free because I lived off the highway.

About 7 or 8 months later, we started those dogs in the woods. I was impressed at the confidence, curiosity, and hunt that his dogs were showing. It seemed that my two dogs had a learning curve that it took them a while to get over until they were on the same level as his. JMO

[HogzgoneWild]

I let my dogs run the yard for excercise and fun, they have alot of hunt in them but they know the difference in play and work. The way they are trained makes them hunt because they love it and enjoy doing what makes me happy and congradulate them, rather than hunt out of fear cause they are afraid of gettin in trouble. they even run the yard the day before a hunt. I think its all about individual preference and training. Most will do as you ask, even if its runnin around havin fun on off days.

[clint]

I let my pups run till there about 10 months old... let them bay cows, horses run deer rabbits etc.

I think that helps a pup learn to use his nose, and to produce a hunting drive

[Bar M]

Part of what gives a hunting dog its drive is penned up aggresion


This maybe some of yalls experience but I let mine out alot of the time.
I actually have a finished male lacy that stays in the yard and rides with me everywhere,
I also have two other dogs that do the same.
And when we hit the woods they act like they have been in a kennel for awhile.
They know the difference from the yard and the woods.
I wont say every dog needs to be let out alot, because I do have a couple that I can't
let out because they would climb fences to get out and hunt something.

[pig snatcher]

Part of what gives a hunting dog its drive is penned up aggresion

My 0.02

If a dog has HUNT in him, he is going to hunt today tommorow and next week whether he is kept in a pen or on the yard.  You cant force an animals nature.  If a dog has to be confined so that it will run around wild and "hunt" when let go, it just doesnt have it and you cant make it have it.

The "old people" left their meet dogs loose on the yard.  They took no junk and made no excuses for dogs.  If it didnt do its job it didnt hang around, and those dog HUNTED. When hunting became a hobby dogs were not held to the same standards they lost some of what they had. 

[cantexduck]

If the dog has it, it has it. Some dogs cant be trusted to stay around the house if let out. I like a dog that I can let run free.

[pig snatcher]

Now it is toatally understandable to not be able to leave a dog out for its own good.

Nobody wants trouble or injured/dead dogs.

[khoghunter27]

My opinion of letting them loose in the yard is that I know that my dogs know when they come off there chain its time go hunting not just goof off and it seems to work for me but that is just how i have raised my dogs.

[shawn]

If a dog has HUNT in him, he is going to hunt today tommorow and next week whether he is kept in a pen or on the yard. 

Exactly, what's wrong with letting a dog excersise and play, basically be a dog? I let mine run around my yard for about an hour every day. I think it helps keep em in shape, plus it's my time to socialize with them and each other.

[dabutcher]

i've always let my dogs run loose at least 2-3 hours a day.  be it labs, shorthairs, or my hog dogs.  it gives them the exercise they need to be able to hunt longer, gives them time to socialize with each other so they ain't playin sniff butt in woods cause the only time they get to smell each other is in the woods.  i've never seen it hurt a dogs drive, that seems silly to me.  either a dog is gonna hunt or it ain't regardless of how much energy they have balled up.   seems to me if i haven't been able to let em out to exercise in a while that first hunt all they do is run for about the first 30 minutes.  then they'd get to hunting, but when they were let out on a regular basis as soon as they hit the ground in the woods they'd go straight to work. 

dogs can and do tell the difference between work and play.  they're not as dumb as some people would like to think, and if they are it's cause they aren't bred very well.   it's about repeated action.  When i raised labs i could toss birds out of my launcher and they'd fetch em up but they also had a bit of a laid back feel to em.  as soon as the shotgun came out they were all business cause they knew what they were going to do.  it's no different than when you load your dogs up in the box, if they've been hunted enough they know what they're going to do.

[raider54]

Well there you have it git rid of the kennels! they hunt much harder if you let them lrun loose all day, If you keep them put up like I do they wont go hunting! My opinion seems to differ with about 90% of your guys so I guess all there is left to say is CUT EM LOOSE!!!!!

I wouldnt do it, for one if they have any hunt in them they are probably going to get gone but even if they dont get gone I believe it is sending them a mixed signal, you would be telling them its OK to hang around with you. Part of what gives a hunting dog its drive is penned up aggresion, meaning when he is penned up all week when you turn him loose on Sat. he should knock the back of the woods out looking for something to get into. This is my opinion, I went to Howard Carnithan's in Mississippi to pick up a couple of pups once and noticed he lived right on the highway but all 25 of his dogs were running loose and I asked him about it, he said nah! they know what time it is when I take them to the woods. I have owned hunting dogs for over 30 years and in my circle of friends the rule of thumb was when a pup starts treeing squirrls and cats, its time to put him up! just my two cents

i dont have as much experience as you but i have some dogs on chains and some run free in about 2 acres. 1 just hangs around the house because he is a houdini. the ones on chains are ankle hunters and houdini and the yard dogs are long range and 1 of them will leave the country.

[dabutcher]

Well there you have it git rid of the kennels! they hunt much harder if you let them lrun loose all day, If you keep them put up like I do they wont go hunting! My opinion seems to differ with about 90% of your guys so I guess all there is left to say is CUT EM LOOSE!!!!!

   i think everyone handles their dogs differently.  what works for others may not work for you and vice versa.  if it works for me i don't care if 99% of people have a different opinion than i do, i'll keep doing what works for me.   

[nosightsneeded]

I dont have my dogs in kennels or on chains ne more. i just bought some nkc kennels from tractor supply and made a fence divided my yard the dogs like alot better than being in the kennels of chain. since i went to this i havent seen ne change in there behavior hunting wise. i also put some pallets on with legs on them in the middle to help them with there excersice. they use them as shade and they chase each other around jumping from platform to platform kinda like an obstacle course.