MULTI PURPOSE DOGS

[Mike]

When I was a kid, I had kin folks out of Winnfield,LA. They used the same dogs to work hogs, hunt squirrel and hunt coon. They were just called "cur" dogs... catahoulas.

The ones that I remember were some the last ones that were used many, many generations before that time. They were a way of life, to put food on the table and money in their pockets...I'd put any amount of money on them up against the hogs dogs of today.

I'd give anything to have some of those dogs today.

[clint]

when my dad was a boy he had some pretty jam up hound dogs that squirrel hunted in the day and treed coons at night.

[matt_aggie04]

I couldn't agree with you more Mike, I would like to have some of those old dogs that were used back then as well.  But one thing my grandpaw told me was that spending 7 days a week in the woods with a dog is what makes a dog what it is.  You have to bring out the genetic potential to see what you really have.  I would love to just put a group of hunters from the old days and their dogs in a time machine and bring them to present day and see what they could on the hogs of today and watch the dogs do whatever is asked of them.
MG

[Mike]

That's just it, i'm sure most of those dogs are a thing of the past... they were a way of life back then, not just a hobby. The last ones I remember were about 25 years ago... long gone now.

[dgdawsonBMCs]

I would venture to say that if someone had the time to put in to train and work the dogs you could do most anything.  Most of us have jobs that won't allow this, but it can be done.  No reason to think that a dog that has the skills to be a top dog in one area can't do the same in another..  If a dog can find hogs with the best of them, no reason he can't find coons or squirrel...The trick is to devlope a relationship with him to be able to let him know what is expected of him..

[Caughtandhobbled]

nosightsneeded,

I have not had the pleasure of meeting you, but I can see you like to stir the pot (lol).

When I had 100+ cows I had a pack of dogs that I would like to think of as the type Mike referred to. These dogs were great IMO. My dogs could work cows in the day and catch hogs at night. These dogs were BMC and we never used catch dogs, there was no need to.

Here is were the buttt comes in to play. I could take these dogs through a herd of cows at night time with no issues at all. To reverse the role when we were using the dogs on cows in the day and ran across hogs, well you know. We were roping dogs or catching hogs. These dogs did what it took to get the job done period. I could live with there short comings.

I am not a dog trainer, but I do believe that the alpha dog plays a huge part on the packs end results. With that being said if you want to multi-task make sure the your lead dog is a smart one that is very well rounded. And that is my 2 cents worth. Later...

[TrueBlueLacys]

I still debate this issue with myself and trainers and other dog owners all the time. I want my dog to do multiple things because we live in the city and she needs to work, so whatever comes along I'd like her to take a stab at it. She hunts hogs, she does agility, I'd like to start her on cows and I want to get more serious about bay competitions. She does tree, so I thought about squirrels, but we don't have the resources for it. I do believe that with time and training, she has the intelligence and basic skill set to do a couple jobs.

But... everyone seems to have a but in this argument... I don't expect her to be the top dog in any of them. I have the highest expectations for hogs, that is what she was bred for, but she doesn't need to be a jam-up strike dog for me to keep her. I'm more concerned about the dog, not what I get out of it, so I'm willing to try a lot of things to see what sticks and what works together.

I think people had to have multi-purpose curs 100 or 50 or even 25 years ago when you had only a handful of dogs, you didn't have an Internet forum to be buying and trading back and forth, and you couldn't afford to keep multiple packs for different jobs. You invested in the dog, not the sport, and tried to maximize what you had. You also bred the best to the best because you didn't have the time to mess around with a litter of culls. It was a totally different approach.

I don't think one dog can be the best in multiple disciplines. But I do think they can get it done in several if you put the time into it. And you can probably have a dog that jams at one thing and can do a passable job at another. Just depends on what you, the owner and trainer, want.

[nosightsneeded]

   MIKE I LOVE HEARING ABOUT THE OLD TIME DOGS I ALWAYS WONDERED IF IT WAS THE STORIES THAT MADE THEM SO GREAT. WHERE THEY ACTUALLY AS GOOD AS SOME OF THE STORIES SAY THEY WERE? MY FATHER IN LAW SAID WHEN HE WAS A BOY HIS GRANDPA HAD DOGS AND IF THEY WERE AS GOOD AS HE CLAIMED I WOULD GIVE UP EVERYTING IN THE YARD FOR JUST ONE. HE CALLED THEM HOUNDS BUT SAID THEY WERE SILVER WITH BLACK SPOTS AND SOME HAD BLUE EYES.    HE TOLD ME THAT HIS FAMILY SETTLED THERE IN THE TRINITY RIVER BOTTOM WHICH IS NOW GRAND PRARIE IN 1880. HE ALSO SAID THAT THEY WORKED CATTLE, ROUNDED UP PIGS (WHICH JUST RAN FREE) AND COON HUNTED ALL WITH THE SAME DOGS. HE SAID HE COULDNT REALLY REMEMBER A WHOLE LOT ABOUT THEM BUT HIS MOTHER DID.

   WHEN WE WENT DOWN FOR THE 4TH IT WAS COOL TO LISTEN HOW THE DOGS LIVED FROM STORIES MY WIFES GRANDMOTHER TOLD US. SHE SAID THAT HER DADDY'S DOGS ONLY ATE ONCE EVERY OTHER DAY AND HER MOTHER WOULD MAKE A HUGE PAN OF CORN BREAD AND WITH BEEF AND PORK DRIPPINGS AND THATS ALL THEY ATE. SHE SAID THEY DUG UNDER THE BARN FOR SHELTER AND SAID YOU COULD SEE 10 CHAINS RUNNING INTO HOLE UNDER THE SHED IN THE SUMMER. SHE ALSO SAID THAT IT WASNT RARE FOR THE DOGS TO FIND MOUNTAIN LIONS BACK THEN, AND THAT HE HAD LOST SOME DOGS TO THEM. IF I WERE TO TELL YOU NOW A DAYS I HAD JUST SEEN A MOUNTAIN LION IN GRAND PRARIE I WOULD GET LAUGHED OUT OF TEXAS. I JUST REALLY ENJOY HEARING ABOUT THINGS THAT WE STILL DO TODAY THAT TOOK PLACE IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT TIME. LIKE MY BOWHUNTING I DO IT WITH JUST A STICK AND STRING WITH WOODEN ARROWS JUST THE WAY IT WAS MEANT TO BE.

[machine73]

There is a great collection of stories concerning dogs in "The Big Thicket Legacy". Both from folks that had dogs that hunted everything and some from folks that perfected hunting of one game animal. Either way, it's a good read for anyone into dogs and the pioneer spirit. I wouldn't doubt if there were some folks on here that are kin to the people interviewed in that book.

Sean

[barlow]

Love the Big Thicket Legacy book. Lots of great stories. But also lots of mentions of keeping cur dogs for this and July hounds for that and feists for tree dogs.

[nosightsneeded]

THANKS MACHINE ILL LOOK INTO THAT.

[matt_aggie04]

I also own that book and have read it cover to cover, I really enjoyed it.
MG

[machine73]

Sure does barlow, that's why I brought the book up. As an example how an earlier people, that depended on dogs for their very livelihoods, viewed them. I think the only wrong way to use dogs is not to use them at all.

Sean

[hillbilly]

I sure like listening to the "ole timers" tell stories about their dogs and the way they worked. My wifes Uncle tells stories of a dog that they would send out to find hogs and would bring the hogs back to the coral they had set up in the woods. Said she would go out and bay hogs and they would rally and she would start running toward the coral barking and the hogs would follow her. Another story about dogs would bay the hogs and they would ride their horse up in the middle of the bay and feed the hogs. Then they would just drop a rope on the shoats and cut and mark them. Those sound like some good times to me. I am sure our stories will sound great to our younger generations coming up one day.

[Caughtandhobbled]

I did mention earlier on this post the pack that used to have. This evening I went out and carried 2 pups that are 6 months old (3/4bmc 1/4pit) with lots of promise with my older dogs. All of my dogs today have a little pit in them, when I used my dogs for cows more than hogs I stayed away from the pit cross. The 2 pups have been hog crazy since they were 2 months old. Until tonight the pups had never seen a cow just horses. I had some kids that found their way into my north pasture (bud-lite beer box here and there and dounuts circles, and cut lock). They drove thu a wire gap in the back of my pasture. I had cows out, before I even saw the cows or the downed gate the 2 pups were heading south at a high rate of speed, the cows were 300 yards away. The pups and a couple of my older (trash broke dogs...ha, ha) had the cows bayed up right by a gate. Sometimes it does pay to muti-task dogs even when you don't know it. If you are wondering nobody got a spanking tonight.

We did not catch a hog, but my female dog bumped a deer AGAIN, she may be for sale before too long (too much muti-tasking). We did have fun. Later....