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Just a question for you all:

Just how independant do you want a dog to be? I have a female that will run a track and work with the rest of the dogs......Right up until there is another cat track. At that point, you can almost guarantee a split race. She seems to look for another to run without the pack. We watch her on the Garmin and she consistantly splits from the pack and will run her own track. She has always stayed on the track if there isn't another option. Is this a desireable trait or is it something that should be considered a fault? Is this possibly a female trait or just this dog?

Thanks
Scott

I don't encourage it myself it can lead to a lot of headaches lost dogs and many extra miles traveled. It can also cause confusion in the pack if one track has some cold spots in it. Then you get dogs swapping tracks or loosing them. If your in a area with good game numbers and decent conditions it probably wouldn't be a issue. or with some types of game. my tracks don't come real often so I expect the whole pack to work on the trail we started so we don't end up running the female or different cat period. Thats my preference, however most hounds will switch to a hot track given a chance so like many of my preferences the dogs may twist things to their perspective and catch the easier one. I don't know if I was clear or understandable there or not. but track swapping can cause problems and most hounds will do it given a chance. let me put it this way if your tracking a trophy cat or stock killer do you want them splitting off and running his girlfriends or a fresher cat track with out you knowing it? usually you'll notice a hesitation then they'll shift gears

i like idependent dogs. i like dogs that dont take another dogs word for it and check for themselfs.

As far as track swapping, hard to blame a dog if its a fresher track. last year i had 4 dogs trail a good night old lion track in the snow. The lion track crossed a bobcat track and 2 dogs switched to that. Never had it happen that way before from more scent to less? Maybe the bobber was a lot fresher? And to make it worse the dumba$$'s were trailing the bobber backwards!!!

I like an independent dog, but I also like dogs that will honor other dogs.

I guess I will ask the question. Is the dog you describe independent or just not a team player? What I mean. Is this dog going on and finishing the track? Are you looking for it after the rest have trailed through and caught? Do you only run in snow? Is this dog a lead dog or one that is always in the rear with the gear? Is the dog cold nosed? How is this dog’s speed? I love independents as far as starting tracks and getting through loses, but once a track is up and moving they better be a cohesive unit trading for the lead until it’s jumped then it every dog for themselves. On very cold tracks a lot of things can happen, but with a good moveable track I find it unreasonable for a hound to brake camp and find their own track, now if this hound was the one to always go on to catch, then I would rethink the rest of my hounds.

Sourdough

Sourdough - I would call her independant. If it's an only one track day, she's there with the pack. When she does split, she trees, well most of the time. We generally run in the snow or at least broken patchy type stuff. She is not the lead dog, but she is trying to be. Her speed is not all that great, but I guess it's not bad either. She is not what I would consider "cold nosed", but what she lacks in nose, she makes up with detail and effort.

Scott

As Sourdough said there is a big difference between independant and jealous.


A jealous can be a real pain in the rear. I have seen a lot of older dogs get this way.

This is my thoughts on this a hound must have a certain amount of indepedence just because they need that to start and run thier own track but the ones that are to stuburn to lift thier nose out of a track and honor another hound will for the most part get thrown out of a race. I like all my dogs to be able to take thier own track but they better be smart enough to honor another hound or like I said they will get blown out of the race. This also depends on if you are hunting just one dog or a few at a time. Most of the true independent dogs I have been around when run with several other dogs is about a ridge behind all the time. I am not saying this calibur of dog can not catch game by themself but when run with other dogs is always sucking the hind t-t. On lions you can maybe get away with a little of this but on bobcats the dog is always out of the race. later, Andy

I have seen the behavior your talking about as Mike said in Older dogs, and I believe it is pure jealousy because they simply cannot keep up with the younger dogs anymore. They still have to prove to themselves that they can do it alone. And when there is no other track they show up at the tree and halfazzed pout.
This doesn't happen to all dogs, but I have seen it.
As far as honoring another dog...I'm mixed on that. If they have hunted together alot then hounds figure out who they can trust and who they cannot. If you mix your dogs with someone elses then they are not used to them and may not trust them...yes this can throw them out of a race, BUT can also prevent a Huge trash race if the other dog is running trash and old betsy is honoring it all the way
But I do like a dog that will work independantly for sure