what do you think? one pup or two?

bullriver · Post by **bullriver** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 9:41 pm

I recently bought a B@T pup out of some really good blood lines. He will be 8 months old when season starts next year. just the right age to get going alone and with some of my buddies older trained dogs.
I now have an opportunity to reserve a redbone pup out of another really good line. That pup will be born mid april. He will be about 61/2 months when season starts next year.
Anyway my questions are should I go ahead and get both pups because it is an opportunity for a really good prospect, or should I pass and concentrate on the first pup. also if I should get both what are some tips on training multiple pups at once.
I am new to cat hunting, I used to do alot of coon hunting but have been out of it for quite a while now. I have never had more than one pup at a time, and would appreciate any input you folks can give!

kickemall · Post by **kickemall** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:22 pm

If you want to enjoy hunting, get invited by your friends more often and have a better dog then stick with one. If you want no friends, lots of misery and bad hunts then get two. Good luck,

twist · Post by **twist** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:39 pm

stick with just one pup.

kdrchuck · Post by **kdrchuck** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 2:10 pm

My choice would be 1

MTblack&tan · Post by **MTblack&tan** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 2:58 am

I say stick with one at a time. I think you will get very flustered trying to train two pups at the same time. My two are just over a year apart, and that seemed to work out pretty good. In hind sight, couldn't imagine training the both of them at the same time.

deerhunter17 · Post by **deerhunter17** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 7:54 pm

i agree with everyone else. Just get one pup.

Spanky · Post by **Spanky** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 8:25 pm

been there done that and have had as many as 4 at times. Do yourself and your pup a favor and deal with one at a time :wink:

Two can be done but your level of dedication better be extremely high.

catdogs · Post by **catdogs** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 11:53 pm

If ya get two, don't run them together. Double the pain in the a$$

BigGameHunter · Post by **BigGameHunter** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:40 pm

I am with everyone else here. I have had twp pups at a time and if you can get out enough for both of them then that works out but dont take both out at the same time. Alternate them. Takes a lot of time and effort to train a pup. Multiply that by 2 and a half for two pups. If you do end up getting two pups and the time comes when you think you are ready to hunt them together then I would recommend doing so in a controlled enviroment as much as possible otherwise you might end up undoing a lot of training you have worked hard to get and taking a few steps back.

JMO

:roll:

david · Post by **david** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:37 pm

When you are saying cat hunting, if you mean bobcat, I say get at least two pups. At this point it might be the only thing that would help convince you to give up bobcat hunting altogether which will be much healthier for your marriage and your finances.

In reality, I can only think of one time when I was smart enough to be training only one pup. Come to think of it, she turned out better than average, and I turned out less frustrated than average, but I generally can not resist having at least two pups to train. The one to ask would be the person you are planning to hunt with. If you have a great tri tronics system, and a truely check-broke dog to train with it is not all that hard to do if you have LOTS of time to hunt year round. I pretty much agree with everything already said, except that it does not take twice the amount of time for me to train two pups as it does one pup. In the time it takes me to find out what one pup has, I can pretty much figure out what two pups have and decide what I want to do with it. Your chances of getting a genetically superior pup I think might be doubled or some mathematical equasion like that.

If you want to do what is wise and/or hunt a few weeks a year and/or really get to fully know and appreciate the pup you already have, listen to all the wisdom befor my post. But know that there have been a ton of good dogs through history that started out being trained at the same time as another good dog in the same kennel.

I do agree whole heartedly with the beleif that a dog is not fully trained or realized until the dog has been hunted alone enough to feel like you are depending on him, and if he dont get it done, it aint getting done. But for me, getting him to the point of being ready to hunt alone has mostly been done by starting him with another pup or two. There is an old saying though, that two pups spells trouble, and there is a lot of truth to it. For some reason, some of us just dont feel quite right without a little trouble.

Hummer · Post by **Hummer** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:01 pm

There are days with one pup that can drive a man to drink!! 2 pups you might want to reserve a front row seat at the next AA meeting?!?!

I can't really say to much as far as lion hunting goes because they are pretty sparce here in my neck of the woods, but I usually look at it that one pup at a time I can give it 100% to get it going where as 2 pups I can only give each 50%. More times than not I have seen better results training 1 rather than multiple pups at one time.

Jake Bess · Post by **Jake Bess** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 8:18 pm

I personally would train the two if you want to start hunting alone in the next year but teach them to handle well before hunting them and get them started on drags or the roll cage before taking them hunting also be very careful they are a little younger than i like to start a dog at least on lions dont over do it if there not ready.

Houndswoman · Post by **Houndswoman** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 11:40 pm

My husband always raises two pups, and has started as may as four at once. He usually decides which ones he will keep at around ten months to a year and then sells or puts down the others.

Another thought for you is to try to find a good young dog from a reputable breeder and hunter that is anywhere from 1 to 1 1/2 years that is started good and has had some hunting.

In the past we have purchased started pups from a government hunter we know for usually around $1000.00 and we felt we got the best end of the deal. These pups acted and hunted like they were a year older than they actually were. If you start adding up what is costs to purchase, raise and then start a pup you will realize that you will be money ahead and probably have a better dog by buying one that has already been started and evaluated. Professional hunters that are making a living off their dogs will have what you want, the only problem is getting to know them well enough to buy a pup.

I think the key is to find someone that is reputable that is selling a good young hound that they themselves would be proud to hunt not one of their rejects.

Don't think you have to begin with pups to have a good time hunting. In fact most hunters and pups would have a better time and have a better chance if they started with an older pup or dog. Some food for thought.

Good Luck.