do people ever tell you what to do with your hounds?

[houndcrazy93]

I'm asking just to make sure I'm not the only one. I mean nothing pisses me off more than some one trying to tell me how mmuch feed to give them and how to take care of them. So does it happen to your guys and if it does do you got any ideas on how to get everyone to quit ha

[dan kluthe]

"Oh, you don't feed them enough! See? You can see where his rib bones are." "Oh, a chain is mean. You should let them run free and have fun." "Oh, what's it hurt if they jump up on you. They're just playing." Yeah, yeah, yeah, - But you know, my dogs and I do just fine. They're able to run and run when we're out hunting - they don't drag at my feet because they're too fat to run. When I turn them loose in the yard they do enjoy running & playing and I like it too but I'm not going to have them digging holes under the foundation of the house. And they know respect: Never do they jump up and knock the feed bowls out of my hands, Never do they jump up and knock me in my face, If I tell them to Quit, they pay attention.

And I like em. We do just fine. No, you're not alone houndcrazy.

[Melanie Hampton]

I had a lady at the vet's office say to me "Don't you think your dog is kinda skinny?" )And here I was so proud of the running shape she was in) I told the lady "How many fat athlete's do you see? Let me guess, the Dr tell's you your beagle is about 15lbs overweight."... She got up and moved to the other side of the waiting room LOL

[outlaw13]

I had a lady at the vet's office say to me "Don't you think your dog is kinda skinny?" )And here I was so proud of the running shape she was in) I told the lady "How many fat athlete's do you see? Let me guess, the Dr tell's you your beagle is about 15lbs overweight."... She got up and moved to the other side of the waiting room LOL

That is freaking awesome.

[FullCryHounds]

Perfect Melanie.

[cobalt]

I ain't afraid to tell someone their dog looks like shit whether it be too fat or too skinny, especially after my dogs blow their dogs doors off on a long tough race and they wonder why!!

If their RIBS show ...that's ok. If their BACKBONE shows and they didn't just throw a batch of pups, or they just spent a week lost in the mountains...that's NOT ok!

Yes, some dogs are hard keepers, and yes, most of the general public don't know what a dog in real good shape looks like, but some dog owners and houndsmen don't either.

[Ker_man]

HC93 I don't know how long you have been into hounds but I am grateful for a lot of the advice I was given when I started out. I still try to learn all I can and people at all stages of the food chain(success, time, means, results)know things that when accumulated makes a lot of knowledge.
Things like how dogs can dehydrate in cold weather, mean dogs at the tree, a hundred things.
I get pissed when I see a dog with no bedding in cold weather or a dog house blown full of snow.
But there is ''Way'' of giving advice Terry

[houndcrazy93]

Oh I don't mind if people give me advice. Its just the people thatdont know anything that bugs me ha

[dwalton]

Most people that do not know what conditioning is think our dogs are to skinny. I personally have had people think my dogs are to fat. I try to go into the winter with the dogs over weight. I don't think it makes much difference to there ability other than in the heat of summer. By the end of the winter they will be down in weight. I feel there energy level and fat reserve is important for hunting 5 to 7 days a week and maybe 10 to 14 days straight. I feed twice a day all they will eat during that time. We have all seen hounds that were not taken very good care of but that is a different topic. Dewey

[bigmikej]

Most any kind of working dog in good working shape is considered too skinny by most people today. I was a protection dog trainer for 10 years and people always wanted to say "My rottweiler weighs 285 pounds and he's only 8 months old". When ever one of the top working dogs came out to train with a couple ribs showing people would make comments. I always asked them if they had a million dollars to bet on in a race which dog would they choose? I can't understand why we want ourselves to be super skinny, and we worship tiny super-models and iron-man triathletes but then we want our pets and livestock to be grossly overweight. You just have to do your best to explain your view and let roll right off your back when all of the "experts" tell you that your wrong. If that doesn't work then you can get a little pushy with them right back. The lady that I used to train for would sometimes say "I don't know how you can turn your dogs loose to hunt like that, I'd be afraid of losing my dogs. I guess I just love mine too much." After hearing that a few times I finally said "I don't know how you can keep your dogs in a kennel their whole lives and only go in there to feed them or pooper scoop. That doesn't seem like much of a life to me. I guess I just love my dogs too much." That was the last time she said anything about my dogs.

Mike

[timothy]

I had a lady at the vet's office say to me "Don't you think your dog is kinda skinny?" )And here I was so proud of the running shape she was in) I told the lady "How many fat athlete's do you see? Let me guess, the Dr tell's you your beagle is about 15lbs overweight."... She got up and moved to the other side of the waiting room LOL

Thats funny shit right there!

[Redwood Coonhounds]

I've had people that have hounds that don't hunt much tell me my dogs are too skinny. I've also had people that starve there dogs brag about how in shape and fast they are. But there dogs can't keep up with my slowest young dog... I am lucky I work at a Vets office in the country. My Vets LOVE my dogs. The Dr has pictures of them all over the boards in the rooms. She pulls them down and shows the "Lab Hunters" what an in shape dog looks like, when she tells them there dog is about 35lbs overweight. LOL...

I do find it hard sometimes to not say anything to other hunters when there hounds are starving. Or when they are shitting straight water on/in the box, or they have sores all over them from having no bedding in there house or dog box...

[halfbreed]

hell i'm allways telling people what to do with their hounds .but it comes from love and care and years of expirience . don't be to harsh on constructive critsism . listen to everybody and then throw out the bull . i hunt with a few people and i shake my head every time i see their dogs . being in shape is one thing but lookin like they been lost in the woods for a week is another .

[a_olly]

This is interesting, not only because I hunt but I'm a vet also! I can honestly say that about 90% of my patients are overweight (dogs and cats), and for the life of me I cannot get people to understand. Most vets will appreciate the hound world (outside of the anti's) because most of our dogs are in good shape. We all have seen the opposite but that is another conversation. I agree with most of you, that advice is good, hell we can all learn something from everyone. I have to be careful about how I give advie because most think I'm trying to show off because of my education and it's not that at all, I just want to be helpful if I can.
I do have one observation: MOst of the time when I have a fat dog............the owner is overweight also! LOL

[techno]

I have to be careful about how I give advie because most think I'm trying to show off because of my education and it's not that at all, I just want to be helpful if I can.

I took a hound to a vet once in Indiana and she was a country girl and knew about coondogs. Her and I talked quite a bit and she was amazed at how much I knew about canines in general, of course I told her what I know is only a drop in the bucket compared to her knowledge, and I never went to school. She was really a cool lady and I liked taking dogs to her.

Yet I have been at other Vets that when I try to conversate about the field I get snooted and shunned. It pisses me off to no end when a Vet thinks because I did not go get a paper education that I should just shut up and listen.