looking for suggestions

[doggin]

Me and my hunting partner have two nine week old bmc's and I was wanting to know some good tips
  For starting these pups out right they haven't seen a pig yet I would like to get a good  foundation
  Started and was wondering if anybody had some good tips

[KevinN]

You'll have people tell you...just let them be puppies and start taking them to the woods when they're 6-8-10 months old. Never put them in a pen...etc, etc. I guess there are different ways.

I like to show mine a pig when they're young. I try and start mine about 12 weeks, on a little shoat. I use a pen. Biggest thing is....don't let them get wrecked. Better they catch than get beat up. They may not start up right away....don't worry bout that...just keep trying every couple weeks. I keep that up, every 2-3 weeks till they are 4-6 months old if I can, depending on their progress.

At 4-6 months, I drag and tie out a pig and do mock hunts.

Once the pup shows me he's ready, quits acting so much like a pup and shows some focus, ill start taking him to the woods. The ages will vary...could be 7-8 months could be 10 months. Just whenever he's ready.

[Jpigg]

PATIENCE my friend. at nine weeks don't even think about starting them. not saying you would but the biggest problem I see in newcomers to this game is they think they could put a young dog on a pig and it should hammer. Ive had  a lot of very good dogs that ran from the sight of the hog the first time I put them in a pen to see one. don't get your feelings hurt when your buddies start laughing. give it some time, don't try to force it into wanting to get the hogs wait on the dog to want to do it and then hold it back until you see rage in its eyes. One of my friends runs the bay pens and has dogs that are the caliber to win any baying in the country at any time. Winnfeild, fortbayouranch, any of them and his best dog would even pay attention to it til two years old. Patience will be very rewarding to you. Even if those two pups don't turn out to be what you want, you learn from every dog you raise and you will be able to see positive/negative traits at an early age. Hell, I watch pups to see which one of them the gyp drags the furthest away from the pile cause that's the one who held on to that titty the longest. I say that's gonna be the one with the most bottom. LOL.  KEVINn's post is right on. The more they are around pigs the more comfortable they will be and youll have that step out of the way. Also the drag and tie out method on the mock hunts is the most affective way to start puppies I have found. just like not wanting to get them wrecked young, you do not want to let them hunt without a reward. they will lose interest quick.

[doggin]

Ok thanks guys that gonna help alot, I'm gonna start them on
 A liver cast so they will learn to use thier nose and gradually work
 Them into everything else

[crackerc]

My advice is to let them be pups for a while. They are just babies at 9 weeks old. I will show mine a pig when they are about 3 months old, but the pig is in a wire crate where there is no chance of contact and getting the pup hurt or scared.  As they get older and show more interest things will progress from there.

But you can't expect a baby pup to do much and what he does at that age , is no reflection on what he may do when he is older.

Just my opinion...............

[justincorbell]

I agree with everyone else, let em be puppies. If you want to do anything to help em out in the long run tote em around the neighborhood on your 4wheeler from an early age to get em used to riding, I did this with the last set of pups I raised and it helped out alot. by the time they were ready to go to the woods they were already used to the 4wheeler. Another thing you can start doing now is jusut tote em to the woods and walk around with em, let em explore and range out a bit, even at such an early age it will help give you an idea of which ones naturally use their nose and range out.

[RyanTBH]

I agree with everyone else, let em be puppies. If you want to do anything to help em out in the long run tote em around the neighborhood on your 4wheeler from an early age to get em used to riding, I did this with the last set of pups I raised and it helped out alot. by the time they were ready to go to the woods they were already used to the 4wheeler. Another thing you can start doing now is jusut tote em to the woods and walk around with em, let em explore and range out a bit, even at such an early age it will help give you an idea of which ones naturally use their nose and range out.

nail on the head there Justin!

You can let them be puppies at the same time of judging them and see what their natural abilities are. Like Justin said, and IMO, I think the best thing for puppies is to tote them around in the truck getting used to the box and all the sounds, let them walk with you through the woods to start getting used to tall brush and thorns and such. If you have a pen with hogs in it let them see it, and start hearing the other dogs baying the hogs, or barking at them. The dogs will show you when they are ready, and you will see it in their body language. Hope it helps and good luck.

[drew]

I thank u will get more out of your dogs
The more u put into them at any age
Past ten weeks old  if its there
There always comes that's time when you know
If the dog is going to have it or just catch lead