male or female

[southern fox]

just wondering which ones you think make the best hound, my opinion on this is a female, easier to train , smarter, and will most always open on a track, a good male to me with what I have seen over the years are 1 in 50, as long as the wood isn't to thick he will open on track but thicken them up and he wont be heard, well might give a little tongue, but not like the female, never quits opening , I lay this to being what he has swinging, he don't like getting them drug thru the briars,

[davidg1!]

I have leaned toward the female to me were easer to train and smarter but I never thought about silent part, makes sense. I mainley run lion and bobcat but we have many fox here and an thinking about starting pups on fox, may just ruin me I love a good race and easer to start, although not easer to catch !

[Jkohnke]

Definetly like a jip. But I have owned some males that were exceptional. Jip pups seem to start faster and a little more level headed. Ever noticed all your old pup trainers are old females. That's they way it's been for me.

[scrubrunner]

I think jips start easier and are easier to handle but out of the 3 hounds that I have owned that I thought was outstanding in 40 yrs. of hounding 1 was a male and 2 were female. I like males but when I get through culling through a litter of young hounds I end up with more females than males.

[greyfoxexterminator]

I own 4 males an 1 female. But In my opinion males start quicker . Just depends on what dogs there out of. The only down fall on the males is they like to piss on everything as when the female is is always huntin lookin for that red hot fox track. But I bet every one thinks different.( good topic ! )

[southern fox]

I was probably a little much on the ratio of males doubt its 1 in 50, prob a little less, with what I have seen over the years males will most of the time start a little quicker, I have owned a lot of dogs and have bred and raised bunches of pups, the males will start quick, but with what ive seen over the years a good female will usually be giving tongue on a track early maybe year to year and a half, and will be made into a fox or cat hound by year and a half if she has the nose, where most males I have seen it takes them to 3 years before they will open on a track, they will smell it and wag o the track but very few will open on it, I think its all about keeping up and not wanting to bark out of place, a good male to breed to is hard for me to find , cause I want one that can trail and run his game and have a good mouth and can be heard in a race,with a big booming mouth and be heard all the way thru it, i have often wondered why one wont bark in a thick place like a gyp will, don't think size has anything to do with it cause ive had gyps that's just as big, is it the preasure they put on him to make him not bark with him trying to keep up, don't think so cause some can really run it when the woods aint so thick, so i think something is causing him not to open and i think it is what he has swinging, i have seen a few good males that can really run his game, but not as many as i have females, that's where i lose patience with the males and get rid of them, and wont hardly keep 1, but im still trying to raise 1 to breed maybe i will get 1 sooner or later

[Dads dogboy]

Mr. Brian,

You bring forth another good Topic that has been gnawed on before!

Male vs Female.....this was pretty much a moot point with Dad. When I asked him about this several years ago, his comment was "As long as they get the Job done, it don't matter".

Further questioning, and I know he told others this back in the Summer, is that while he has had MORE Special Females over the 50+ years, his 3 or 4 VERY BEST Hounds were Males.

Now as has been discussed several time, and probably needs to be stated in the Linebreeeding thread again......Dad only bred a SPECIAL female....one who had PROVEN herself as a CAT DOG (a title they had to have at least three years of Hunting to have earned); She would be mated to the BEST Solid or Better Male Hound who Dad felt like had traits that would compensate for weaknesses in the Female.....NO MATTER THE FAMILY RELATIONSHIP of the two. (for some one who is new on here and does not Know of Dad's Hound rating System, please go back through the Archives or read all of the Linebeeding thread which is active today as I think it is shown there)

We have not seen Male Hounds slack off on giving Mouth when running a Cat in thick cover. Mark, CRA, and Big N Blue have seen Ole Corky run a Cat in a Bad Cut Over full of Berry and Saw Briars and truly "Take over" the Race....he is 27" tall and weighs 70lbs in running shape.

The females do tend to sometimes hog a race on a ducking dodging Cat, but this tends to be more of a "Style" matter than a "Balls dragging" issue as Caddo River (a 2 yr old male) can also dominate a tight running Cat in BAD Briars.

These are just Observations of Dad's Hound and where we Hunt.....there is NO RIGHT or WRONG Answer to this and many other HOUND related questions!