Best/Most consistant producing walkers

[Daniel Tremblay]

Hey there all,
I was just curious what are some of the best or most consistant producing walkers around right now? That will be up for sale in the near future. Now this is by no means a topic to start a pissing match of who has the best stuff around. I am just curious who around the west is producing some good stuff. I am talking about top quality high caliber pups like topper again is known to produce. I will be in the market for two pups this spring/summer. I am hoping to be lucky enough to get a pup from twist this spring so i am looking for another that would match up good with his stuff to breed once they are old enough. My hopes are to start breeding my own stuff and maybe even create something great. So if you guys were starting completely over from scratch. Which pups would you guys buy to start your own stuff?
Thanks all, Daniel

P.S.
I am wanting dogs that I can hunt in any condition. Dirty cold nose and all. I'm sick of not being able to hunt because I dont have a fresh snow.

[Mike Leonard]

There are some walker coon dogs doing a great job but if you are talking about big game walkers you came to the right place. I would take a hard look at the strain of dogs PacoJack is raising and also Spanky those dogs will work. Also Redwoods dogs are bred right. You talked about old Topper Again well I guess he is putting some good cat dogs on the ground I have seen a few. I would say you have a plethora of opportunities to look at right here on the forum. There is a listing about some line bred House walkers and they have made a huge name wherever they have been.

Treeing Walker Hounds are the most numerous and popular by far of the tree dog breeds. Many great strains excist within this noble breed. Choose the attributes that you feel will serve you best for the area and species that you hunt, and then go hunt with some of the different lines of dogs. This way you can settle back think on it and make and educated decision without others bias. Sure we all love our dogs and think they are tops but these are not going to be our dogs, they are going to be your dogs.

[Daniel Tremblay]

That is some very good insight. I appricate it. I guess my main focus would be a super cold nose for bare/dry ground hunting and a solid tree dog. Which strain would you say raises to the bar with those traits ?

[Melanie Hampton]

Look and see what is being hunted around you and catching game.. Ask people questions (you are doing that know, but maybe people in your area)

There are a few lines out there that have a great rep, but you couldn't give me a pup out of it.. Just isn't my cup of tea.. So it boils down to personal preferance..

Try and get in on some actually hunting time with some dogs, or dogs out of that line..

And I know there are some guys out there catching game without snow on the ground (or currently 60 degrees and raining

You said this was for future... so you have some time to do research

[Daniel Tremblay]

Well said. I actually just found out about a buddy's friend that lives near me that is running some tri color walkers and are suppose to be pretty good. I am not for sure but i am guessing they are from the jim walker line of walkers that used to live in Enterprise. Does anyone know anything about those walkers?

[larry]

There are some walker coon dogs doing a great job but if you are talking about big game walkers you came to the right place. I would take a hard look at the strain of dogs PacoJack is raising and also Spanky those dogs will work. Also Redwoods dogs are bred right. You talked about old Topper Again well I guess he is putting some good cat dogs on the ground I have seen a few. I would say you have a plethora of opportunities to look at right here on the forum. There is a listing about some line bred House walkers and they have made a huge name wherever they have been.

Treeing Walker Hounds are the most numerous and popular by far of the tree dog breeds. Many great strains excist within this noble breed. Choose the attributes that you feel will serve you best for the area and species that you hunt, and then go hunt with some of the different lines of dogs. This way you can settle back think on it and make and educated decision without others bias. Sure we all love our dogs and think they are tops but these are not going to be our dogs, they are going to be your dogs.

I think Mike is going off of papers rather than actually seeing these dogs hunt, with possibly the exception of Topper. Just because it came from old so and so or has old trusty in the ped doesn't mean it's gonna be any good. Just because someone claims to be line breeding to old trusty doesn't mean old trusty is contributing anything to said pups. Is it tightly line bred to old trusty and do the pups turn out consistently would be more important. Anything past the third gen in a ped is not making much of an influence, Pacojack seems to miss that all important fact when touting the rebirth of a dog long gone. Far as topper again, Jeff Allen has no problem telling you he prefers Sampson by a landslide. I would hunt with or talk to someone that has hunted with any dog you are considering building a pack around. Be weary of the internet buzz around a dog and those that claim to have something rare, you've got alot more homework to do in the walker breed as the market is flooded with so much junk and alot more guys trying to cash in on the mind boggling popularity.

[walkersrule]

SINCE HE POSTED IT ON THE BOBCAT SECTION, I THINK HE IS LOOKING FOR BOBCAT DOGS.................OR AM I WRONG,
ok.........larry is right on what he said about constancy as far as i am concerned! look at it this way. you might have a dog that has proven to have good dogs come out of it but, unless you breed the SAME DOGS together for more litters that you origionally bred, you are not consistantly going to get the same amount of good pups. breeding as i am concerned is a crap shoot. i am not a breeder. but i do know that if you have a cross that has a good turn-out, you need to breed it again and again. even if it is your main dog. just because, something might happen tomarrow and you might not have the chance to breed that cross again. if you have a couple generations of the same cross you MIGHT be able to find a cross somewhere that MIGHT make the grade that you desire. i am no expert as i said, but that is logic! THE BEST CROSSES THAT ANYONE KNOWS, HAVE BEEN LOST for the most part. first you have to find what style of dog you like to hunt and works good for you. second you have to keep that style of dog held dearly. for the rest, well.......thats up to you! a dog is what YOU make of it. the dog has a natural ability but you are the keeper to the key. that means you have to give the dog the chance or opportunity to show you what it can do. that also means that you have to help it along the way to excel. every dog is differant in its own way. you have to find out what each individual dog likes or dislikes. some are strong willed and will be hard to teach but others wont. personally i like a dog that is a little thick headed. seems to be that they like to do things their own way until they know that it is either ok, or not ok. some people that i know only like the easy trainers (the naturals). the only bad thing with the naturals is: they hunt for themselves, not you. the ones you have to WORK WITH seem to have the want to hunt for YOU. like i said, its a crap shoot in all crosses. you just have to get lucky and get the good pups and know how to train them. YOU CAN HAVE THE GREATEST PUP IN THE WORLD, AND IF YOU DONT KNOW HOW TO HELP IT PROGRESS, YOU WONT EVER HAVE SQUAT!!!!! its all in what you make of it. i hope i didnt ramble on, and i hope it helps! my opinion is to hunt with a few people and come to your own conclusion as to what type or style of dog it is that you like and then go from there.

jimmy

[blackpaws]

I think Mike is going off of papers rather than actually seeing these dogs hunt, with possibly the exception of Topper. Just because it came from old so and so or has old trusty in the ped doesn't mean it's gonna be any good. Just because someone claims to be line breeding to old trusty doesn't mean old trusty is contributing anything to said pups. Is it tightly line bred to old trusty and do the pups turn out consistently would be more important. Anything past the third gen in a ped is not making much of an influence, Pacojack seems to miss that all important fact when touting the rebirth of a dog long gone. Far as topper again, Jeff Allen has no problem telling you he prefers Sampson by a landslide. I would hunt with or talk to someone that has hunted with any dog you are considering building a pack around. Be weary of the internet buzz around a dog and those that claim to have something rare, you've got alot more homework to do in the walker breed as the market is flooded with so much junk and alot more guys trying to cash in on the mind boggling popularity.

At least they can post pictures of the game they catch with their dogs as proof. i will agree that there can be a lot of internet buzz about a certain dog producing good dogs but when people consistantly write stories about how happy they are with their pups and post pictures of the pups on game at certain ages and show the progression i think proves what kind of stud dog that is. Not just crossed on one female but multiple litters people are writing good things about these dogs from the Bozo line to the nance line and every other line.

[Melanie Hampton]

Not all people are going to post pictures on what they are catching though.. Or even most of what they catch.. There is just too much $hit involved these days to even mess with it...

So in other words... don't think because someone is not posting pics... that they are not catching anythings...

Hunt with the line.. hunt with the line... hunt with the line...

[larry]

I think Mike is going off of papers rather than actually seeing these dogs hunt, with possibly the exception of Topper. Just because it came from old so and so or has old trusty in the ped doesn't mean it's gonna be any good. Just because someone claims to be line breeding to old trusty doesn't mean old trusty is contributing anything to said pups. Is it tightly line bred to old trusty and do the pups turn out consistently would be more important. Anything past the third gen in a ped is not making much of an influence, Pacojack seems to miss that all important fact when touting the rebirth of a dog long gone. Far as topper again, Jeff Allen has no problem telling you he prefers Sampson by a landslide. I would hunt with or talk to someone that has hunted with any dog you are considering building a pack around. Be weary of the internet buzz around a dog and those that claim to have something rare, you've got alot more homework to do in the walker breed as the market is flooded with so much junk and alot more guys trying to cash in on the mind boggling popularity.

At least they can post pictures of the game they catch with their dogs as proof. i will agree that there can be a lot of internet buzz about a certain dog producing good dogs but when people consistantly write stories about how happy they are with their pups and post pictures of the pups on game at certain ages and show the progression i think proves what kind of stud dog that is. Not just crossed on one female but multiple litters people are writing good things about these dogs from the Bozo line to the nance line and every other line.

thats just asnine logic right there, anyone can say and alter any story with pics of any game to make it look like they have the super crosses and super pups here on the net. You bet, lead those pups into a tree, pull your buddies dogs off that did the catchin, take some pics, and boom, you can sell a pup to blackpaws.

I think Melanie might be onto something

[Nolte]

My hopes are to start breeding my own stuff and maybe even create something great.
P.S.
I am wanting dogs that I can hunt in any condition. Dirty cold nose and all. I'm sick of not being able to hunt because I dont have a fresh snow.

I'd take this whole deal one step at a time. Concentrate on getting what you want first by the methods already mentioned and THEN worry about trying to repeat it.

My advice, go hunt with some dogs and see what you like. Then try to get some of it. The final piece is to get them on a LOT of tracks to see if they've got it.

[blackpaws]

thats just asnine logic right there, anyone can say and alter any story with pics of any game to make it look like they have the super crosses and super pups here on the net. You bet, lead those pups into a tree, pull your buddies dogs off that did the catchin, take some pics, and boom, you can sell a pup to blackpaws.

i doubt anyone would fabricate a story about a pup they bought for $500 as a puppy and paid to have it shipped. if a guy would have to make up a story or do what larry does and pull his buddies dogs back to take a picture then i would be posting about how the pup was a cull. DUH!

Melanie is right. not all people post picture as proof including myself. hunt the line. talk to people that have hunted the line. keep your mind open to the good and bads because there are going to be some good and some bad qualities in most dogs.

[twist]

I can say for sure the young dog blackpaws got from me you dont have to lead him into the tree and I bet you cant buy him from Joe! I can say for sure Joe knows what a good dog is. But when these people are posting whole litters of young dogs out of a certain strain and telling their progress they are sharing this with the rest of the hound world and doing it because they are pleased with what they have purchased and not trying to sell their dog just glad he or she is working for them. If a pups is really working out I think a person has all the right to tell about it just as if its not making the grade they have the right to post that also. Just my thought but usually when a person pays a higher amount for anything they expect more out of it so they are harder on it and if anything are looking for any fault they can find. I also got to say that if everyone could go hunt with the line of dog they are wanting would be great but I for one dont have that kind of income to go all over the country tring dogs and the same for others, who is going to come from West Virginia to hunt a dog in Montana and then say oh thats not what I am looking for very few houndsmen I believe are that financially set. Some times believe it or not (word of mouth) is a wonderful thing these people can slam a strain just as easy as they can brag about it. later, Andy

[Ranger]

I have a skuna river fred bred male that is doing a great job so far. Took to trailing on the dirt right away. And I dont thing a dog could tree any harder.

[Daniel Tremblay]

Thanks for all the helpful advice and comments. I for sure have work cut out for myself to do my homework. I do agree with the fact that going around hunting with the different dogs is unpraticle for me because of finances. But i will just have to make due with what i can for researching. I do know that I want a dog that has a super cold nose that will be succesfull on dry ground. With that being said i agree that a dog is only as good as you make it so thats why my plans are to have a pup trainer by next year for my dogs. Thanks again all.