How old do y'all show pups their first pig?

[LTHogDogger]

My pups are 6 weeks old and I was just curious on when I should let them bay from the outside of a pen? I was thinking about doing it this weekend but I don't wanna start them to soon.

[KevinN]

It seems some don't see a pig till there first trip to the woods. I like to start early with a baby pig. Ive started a litter at 8 weeks but most of the time it's 12 weeks.

If they show interest great, if they don't, fine, try again in a week or two.

Just the way I do it. Don't mean it's the best way. 

[charles]

It wont hurt to let them watch at that age from outside the pen, as long as they dont get in there with the pigs. At 6wks, they really dont know whats goin on, but its nvr to early expose them to the sounds, smells and eye sight. With a small enough hog or a really tamed pet feral hog that wont go on the attack, u could put them in the pen at 9-12wks n c what they will do, BUT every dog is different in intrest levels.
Kevin, iv done the same. As kevin said though, dont get discouraged if they take intrest or not.

[LTHogDogger]

Should I just let them watch the pig, or put the mom in there and let them watch their mom bay?

[KevinN]

Well....chances are...at 6 weeks they ain't gonna pay much attention, especially if the pen is to big. Some may perk up but Some may even be spooked by mama going balistic.

When I started my 8 week old pups it was with a just weaned Hampshire pig. It was about the same size they were. It was a litter of 12. I put the pig in the puppy pen and a few of the pups nosed him but that was it. I made him squeal and half of the came running so I let him go. Within a few seconds a pup started barking, then another, then another...lol, next thing you know I have 8 little pups surrounding this little piglet and in a matter of seconds he's caught.

After that first day I had to break them up into groups of two or three depending on their individual personalities. I did this every other day for a week. One little gyp would catch every time so I didn't put her on the pig anymore. After a two weeks they were all catching so I moved them to a 25lb mule footed sow. She was basically tame but they wouldn't catch her.

At 12 weeks the pups were hog crazy. I put the whole litter in the bay pen during a break in competition. They bayed a 250lb boar (tame-used in puppy bay competition) for 2-3 minutes. It was a sight to see. Lol

Biggest thing to remember....DO NOT let them get wrecked. It will set them WAY back. There's always time for them to learn respect later. Only use a pig/hog you are certain wont wreck them.

[LTHogDogger]

I might just put a piglet in their own pen cuz their pen is a lot smaller than my bay pen.

[Lance]

I wait until their 5 or 6 months old before I show them a hog and I let them bay it from outside the pen.

[Miller Lite]

here is mine at 5 months old they had already been on two i got videos of them at 3 months old doin the same thing  


the big worthless grey hound lookin dog isn't mine lol i wouldn't own/feed that raggity p.o.s  


http://s1119.beta.photobucket.com/user/jane723/media/332.mp4.html

[Miller Lite]

here is mine at 5 months old they had already been on two i got videos of them at 3 months old doin the same thing  


the big worthless grey hound lookin dog isn't mine lol i wouldn't own/feed that raggity p.o.s  


http://s1119.beta.photobucket.com/user/jane723/media/332.mp4.html

an no this isn't a pen i dont put my dogs in pens only the woods

[Easttex91]

This seems like one of those reoccurring questions that there's no real answer to

[charles]

This seems like one of those reoccurring questions that there's no real answer to

Very ture. There is no right, but no wrong, just personal prefrence

[BA-IV]

I never showed these batch of dogs I got now a pig in a pen, just started taking them to woods at 10 months old mostly cuz I was so busy.

Now my internet hog dogs is different.  They better be slobber mouthed baying by 7-8 weeks, and better trail hogs and finding on their own by 3-4 months old, and if they can't stop a runner by 6 months, they're culls, BUT that's my Internet hog dogs.

[charles]

I never showed these batch of dogs I got now a pig in a pen, just started taking them to woods at 10 months old mostly cuz I was so busy.

Now my internet hog dogs is different.  They better be slobber mouthed baying by 7-8 weeks, and better trail hogs and finding on their own by 3-4 months old, and if they can't stop a runner by 6 months, they're culls, BUT that's my Internet hog dogs.

U got any finished 6.5mth olds for sale? If so i'll get a half dozen for $200 for all 6 but they need to be 100% trash broke

[KevinN]

I never showed these batch of dogs I got now a pig in a pen, just started taking them to woods at 10 months old mostly cuz I was so busy.

Now my internet hog dogs is different.  They better be slobber mouthed baying by 7-8 weeks, and better trail hogs and finding on their own by 3-4 months old, and if they can't stop a runner by 6 months, they're culls, BUT that's my Internet hog dogs.

Understand what your sayin bout bein busy. Heck, I've just been gettin my 10-12 month olds started. I have a brother sister pair of 6 month olds that hadn't had much work at all. Just gonna start taking them out one at a time with the other dogs when they hit 8/9 months. 

[halfbreed]

  i used to raise all my pups free range on the farm and they saw pigs and cows and ckickens and yotes [ some didn't make it back from them ] but i would let em run the farm and only pen them up when the cows started paying attention to them or i feared they may finally dig into or go over the hog pen . i can't raise them like that anymore so it has slowed down the starting age on my pups now i wait until they are around six months old and some of the puppy has worn off them  . but the free range pups would be baying and trailing at a very young age , maybe 3 to 4 months old and i have bayed wild hogs with pups that age on the back side of the farm during training sessions , they would leave the drag trail and get on a hot wild hog track that was in the swamp checking out the caged shoat i had set out . so just depending on where you are and how much time you have as to when you want to start them is up to you . the catahoula hound crosses i raised were baying and trying to catch 80 to 100lb sows at 3 1/2 months old . just watch your pups when you let them out to play and decide for yourself no right or wrong answer or time to start .

[haakdt]

i show mine there first hogs about 4-5 months old in a pen.......then around 6 months old i take them on a mock hunt then start them for real hunting a little older than that

[Stacy]

I never use a pen to work dogs....ever! I like to wait till 5-6 months old before I ever show them a live hog in the woods. I make sure the hog is as small as them. You wouldn't want your first fight with Chuck Lidell would ya? As young pups if I catch a hog, I'll cut half the ear and do a drag or tie it to a string a dangle from there pen....start them in their comfort zone... then if we catch a pig or something I'll kill it and do a drag...most these curs have the natural ability to bay...start them trailing on drags with a reward at the end of it.  Jmho

[kerreydw]

i let mine run loose until they get to cocky these started at around 2 months

[sanduskykennels]

I like my dogs to be semi loose baying... But, by nature there gritty as all get out so I start them on a little shoat at about 3 months, if they dont show intrest ill get in the pen or have the neighbor kids try and catch the pig, when they finally catch it and it squeelz ive had very few pups that wouldnt at least pay attention. repeat repeat repeat repeat etc..... When there doin good on the little shoat and start catchin it i put em up til about 5 months old then repeat with a 80 to 100 lbs pig. Then i put em up till about 8 months and put em in with a good ol' rank boar (after I do some Dentistry on him) ive been teaching them to hunt and catch pigs... HE teaches them to be smart. make sure your pen is big enough for your pups to get out of the way do lots of mock hunts and basically just enjoy em while you got em cause you never know if there gonna make it or not. When you start them in the woods take them by themselves to a place you knoww theres alot of hogs walk them on a lead til you find some good fresh sighn if youve done your job and theyre good pups you oughta bay a hog. TRY REALLY HARD TO CATCH AND KILL THAT FIRST HOG AND LET EM CHEW. then repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat...... Thats how i do it, hope somethin in there helps. good luck, Patrick