Dogs,Dogs,Dogs

[North Ga Plott]

I've always wondered the difference between nature and nurture. I have had dogs that just seem to to take to whatever game you're after. I have had dogs that after time they'll take to your main targeted game and become decently proficient at that game, but it takes alot of time and alot of getting through doubt. I've found enjoyment in raising and hunting both types of dogs but the slower progressing type dogs don't give you that feeling right away. Alot of people have different opinions but as I'm mature in the hound game I'm starting to run out of patience for those slower progressing type dogs. I am running out of excuses for them. What are some of the things you want to see in a dog right away? What are some things that make you give up on a dog? One of the most honest bear dogs I've ever owned wasn't worth a bullet until at 5 years old something clicked and he became a bear dog. A bear dog with alot of brains. I've had 2 very natural dogs that caught more game than most but even with those it required alot of patience and getting through doubt. I've always wondered how much is taught and how much is natural with a dog.

[macedonia mule man]

The only way I think you could tell natural from taught is live out where you could let pups run out and see who starts on their own. The one thing that sets dogs apart is desire to hunt. If he doesn’t show a desire to hunt pretty quick,I’ll I don’t keep it very long.

[Beebout-it]

It’s definitely tough. I’m very patient with a dog if it continues to show progress every time they get out. I really like dogs that are just naturally going on their own but I’ve sometimes seen the slower starters continue to get better where a few pups that were out of the gate and rolling kinda peter out.

[GVBEAR]

Interesting topic, I can say over the years my patience has come and gone and come back I guess and settled with what works for me is two seasons but have to make sure you give the dog as much opportunity as your favorite dog. The reasons I choose two is a few reasons. One is because if you start not liking the dog or turning dogs out in front of the dog you will slowly not give it the time it needs. Second is what mule man said by 2 seasons you should be able to tell if it has the desire or heart to hunt. Lastly, I enjoy starting young dogs so usually have a young one every other year or so, well if the previous dog is not going or possibly having a few bad habits that do not seem to be moving in a positive direction I do not need the next young dog getting those habits or hurdles to overcome. With that being said it is just my opinion I don't feed or hunt anyone's dogs but mine so they just have to meet my expectations. With the price of dog food these days I might have to raise mine a bit.

[macedonia mule man]

Beebout,I’ve heard other people talk about a dog that started good and petered out as time went on.I’ve have never seen that and I’ve started a lot of different kind of dogs. The dogs that started early or on time finished out to be good dogs for me.

[al baldwin]

Owned some sort hunting dog as long as can remember. 1965 bought five month old female for 50.00, Belle was a grandaughter to Merchant/s Bawlie also grandaughter to Hershbergers Okla. Spot. Recall so proud to show her to my dad, Dad said nice looking female, but you have a lot of shoe leather to wear out before you tree anything with her. The first coon i spotlighted took about ten minutes to lead her down to where I spotted the coon. Bell left nose to ground, but gave no voice on trail, I waited what seem like a long time, before Belle opened & she settled in to chop that ant ten year old kid could call treed. That was the beginning to many bear coon & cat that belle treed. Belle was loner almost to a fault at times. Belle became know as a great bear dog in this area, her natural ability brought prais from the famous bear hunters in this area. My good friend, Tom Barnette told me any bear needed killed, if the hunter did he/s gob, Belle was the only dog needed. I take no credit for the dog Belle was, she caught game inspite of me , not brcause of me. Typing hard for me due to health, hope you can read this.

[Beebout-it]

Not saying they turned into culls just that they hit a point where they were just as good as they were ever going to be, but not even close to the dog that some of the slower progressing dogs turned into. I also have a dog that your story reminds me of Al, catch whatever you turn her out on all by herself, silent on track and when she barks you better get to walking because it will be treed in short order. I took One of her daughters that is almost 5 years old coon hunting for the first time in her life at 4 years old, she had never seen a coon in her entire life but the other 2 dogs I had out had. One was her dad and she rolled out up river after crossing a bridge the other dogs had already been across and sure enough had a coon treed before them boys realized she had one started. I love raising dogs!!

[macedonia mule man]

Al, I went up in NM bear hunting with a friend that was hunting Redticks at the time. Cujo,Turkey ridge bloodlines. I forget the fellow up in Ohio that bread that stuff. Anyway the man I was hunting with sent me a male redtick to see if he would do good on coon. I started all my tree dogs solo. Don’t like another person or dog in the woods with me when starting a dog. I put out out corn feeders about every two miles down through the swamp where I could just drive up and drop out. (TRUE STORY) the first trip at about 8 months old I pulled up at the first feeder and Red started opening in the box. When his feet hit the ground he was on his tiptoes with his nose in the air hunting something that smelled good and for some reason his mind was telling him go find that something and put in his mouth. HE DID just that. Open on the track, ran it to the tree, treed slobber mouth and I put it on the ground for him. He never looked back or regressed. Had to hunt him by himself or with a female because he was male aggressive which didn’t bother me because I never competition hunted and I always liked hunting only one tree dog of any kind. I have always used him as a blue print for tree dogs because he taught me it can be done quick. Waiting for 2-3 yrs is too long for me.

[macedonia mule man]

Berton Oney was the breed of those dogs.

[macedonia mule man]

North Georgia, I know in squirrel dogs when they first start hunting, they will run or tree most anything. After a while usually the 2nd or 3rd season they settle down to just squirrel of coon. I guess they figure out that is all you are going to put out on um and they stopp messing with anything else.

[al baldwin]

Belle was five months old when treed that first coon She did become more open on trail, never wasted any barks. Most of the bobcats she caught were likely because she was tight on cold track & ran to catch on jump. She caught lot of big toms at that time we had a good cat population the hard running cat that ran circles gave her problems. To my knowledge she never ran a bear util one morning at about two years old she and a young half july trailed and jumped what I thought was a bobcat, that thing ran some good and I was on a real high as I made my way to that tree in a very steep & thick hell hole area, thinking that/s the way I like them to run a jumped cat. They had treed a 75 lb. year or so. I shot it out to them, from that day on any time belle and. or a pack of dogs were cold trailing a cat and belle came across a cold or hot bear track she took that bear track no matter what the others did. She would walk & bay a mean bear up close all day by herself or with company. The only way you could tell if she was bayed or treed is if was moving. Tom Barnette at that time was very close to what I have read about Ben Lilly as possible. Tom made his living bounty hunting varmints for local ranchers, owned what most considered the best dogs in this area. When I first met him he told me dogs like belle would be ok for coon, but, not good for bear. Tom came to love that belle dog and when he told me hunter only needed belle to kill any bear that needed killing I knew what a compliment that was to belle. Man we sure caught a pile of critters back then.

[al baldwin]

Yes Mule Man there have been a few good Oney dogs in my country, sure would have been more if more were brought here. there good in all breeds. Good hearing from you.

[macedonia mule man]

Reds sire and dam were good bear and cat dogs( mountain lion- bob cat) but he never had a chance to show me he could be also. We don’t have any bear where I hunt and very few bob cat. We had a small hurricane come through here and blew a tree limb down on the cable run I had him tied out on. Broke the cable and I found him dead on the road next morning. He was 4 yrs old, at his prime. Made one breeding to a half redtick/ treeing walker that was another good story. I guess I might as well tell you about Candy. I was servicing a customer in a little town of about 300 people called Wilson La. There was a lady there that had a coon hound puppy for sale. I went up to her house and she said she wanted 50$ for the pup. I looked in my wallet and had two 20$. I said I have 40$ and she stuck out her hand. Bought dog and she mad a good one with the exception of not being slobber mouth tree dog which I like. She had 8 pups and I kept one that was good as her and him but trashy. I heard 3 more made good coon dogs and I never heard anything about the other four. Lost contact with the owners. I guess it would safe to say both dogs were good and could produce good dogs.

[SASS]

The best dogs I have raised were all naturally early starting dogs. All I had to do was hunt them and brake them off any trash when needed. In my opinion it's how it's suppose to be. You shouldn't have to train or wait five years for a dog to hunt. As long as I see consistent improvement I don't get too worried. There are other things that factor into how long I will wait such as do I get along with the dog, his kennel manners, does he cause any other trouble or is he a pleasure to have around etc.

[al baldwin]

I kinda read your post wrong yesterday. Yes sure nice to see dogs start like the Belle female. But those type dogs can be too quick tree some times. Instead of hype them up to start & tree one has to work on taking some tree out of them it can be done, but mostly likely not 100%. I learned with experience that some of the late starters have made some very good dogs, I can recall a couple good bred dogs others gave up on, gave to me that made nice dogs. When I went trying to run straight bobcat I realized one had to allow more time for dogs than when i ran multi purpose dogs. A good bobcat hunter once told me I have seen two year old dogs that could tree a bobcat, but I never seen a two year cat dog. Maybe, west Texas with all the bobs they have that happens.