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the perfect cat dog if u were to build it would be ................ build it for the area u hunt .
this might help the new cat hunters at what to look for in a dog.
jc

Well cold nose dogs to take old tracks in the frozen snow, excellent stamina to keep a race going after 5 miles or more of cold trailing, good feet (preferably black), open mouth for locating your dogs in the deep canyons here when tracking collars aren't picking up, good consistant track speed with little loses, and good handling is a must! That's just off the top of my head.

BRAINS, a decent nose and good track speed with after burner jump speed, locate and tree power, the rest will fall into place with exposure.

x2 with twist all the way

All the above sounds good. I will give up a little nose power for brains, drive or track driving ability. I like a dog with a flag tail and alot of hunting character. It's voice will also have alot of character. Different barks and change over barks will be used as a tool to determine what the dog is up to. I want the dog to hunt for it, but be smart enough to realise it needs me. Heart, drive and determination are very important to me, dogs I have raised that had enough of these traits could be a pain in my ass at times. A good dog should hold putting game up a tree over all other things. And be challenging if my hunting decisions are wrong. O.K. have a good day. John.

i agree with what everyone said. but with brains you get everything else. less loses, locating, and the afterburner on a jump. its all about the brains

JC wrote : "the perfect cat dog if u were to build it would be ................ build it for the area u hunt ."

Short answer is to Breed Creek to Cherokee....

Seriously Warner, Twist and the others have hit the nail on the head! Brians, Brians, Brians....that above all else is what puts Ole Short Tail up a Tree or your Tailgate!

brains for me would be number one then I would start with short toe nails with really short quiks, feet, confirmation, and stamina of a coyote, Brains, thick hair with a flag tail to protect them from the brush and rain, brains, just like Warner5 would give up a litte nose power for brains, good box dog that strikes every cat track, pee bush and cat pile you go by and cats that came close to the road but maybe didn't hit the road and when they struck them must be able to go straight to what it was they were striking. Brains, Start the track and always be moving it forward never smelling the same bush twice, once jumped I want them to hold the track under them like a train on rails and make all the corners. Brains, The dog would never open out of place and would open a little on a cold track and I guess you could call it medium on a jumped track. I wouldn't care if it chopped or bawled on track but it would have some kind of change between running the track, locating, and treeing. The dog would be a good locate dog always knowing when and where the track actually ended and always new what tree the cat was in. Tons of brains, And it would handle like a cowmans border collie and have tons of brains. I'm sure Iforgot some things but thats pretty much what I would want.

Better get you some Rush pups and you will have everything but the tail. We just cut the Damn things off and don't have to worry about them. Great input guys. I agree with everything but the flag tail, seriously just cut them off.

I couldn't cut it off I like watching that tail way to much.

Hang it on you rearveiw mirror and you can watch it all day while you are driving.

Im with all of the above. Sept not the cutin the tail thing I wood need a dog that will hunt hard off the truck in bad weather. no mater what

Dogs are supposed to have tails!

There are the typical responses about brains and track style and so on. Granted it takes a special dog to consistently catch bobcats in most terrain, but I find my favorite trait to be good old fashioned determination. I have owned a couple dogs that were flat out dumber than a box of rocks. They didn't let their handicap keep them from being successful. They would run a cat like it was their last minute on Earth and Heaven only existed at the tree. When the hard running cats would get to twisting and turning those big dumb SOB's would just push harder. It seemed as if that cats number was up and it didn't matter what it tried those dogs were locked on. Maybe it is just the side of me that likes to root for the underdog but a determined dummy with a desire to please his master runs right up there with anything else. So lets go with brains, but don't get rid of a determined dog that hunts for his master either.

I really enjoy these posts, makes me think back and relive some of those races. It will get me going off to the wife telling her a story she has probably heard a dozen times. The only reason she lets me keep talking is to see if this is one of the stories that will bring a tear to my eye. Don't worry boys I'm tough, I can keep the tears in, at least most of the time.

Dads dogboy wrote:JC wrote : "the perfect cat dog if u were to build it would be ................ build it for the area u hunt ."

Short answer is to Breed Creek to Cherokee....

Dang it's fun knowing who those dogs are! Let me give it a stab: Both seven year olds, and both out of Red Cloud. Was the dam Polly?

George Streepy wrote: a determined dummy with a desire to please his master

Wow I hope that is what they are saying about me when I am knocking on heavens door!

Tim Cook wrote: ...then I would start with short toe nails with really short quiks

That is an amazing answer Tim. Kind of like saying the perfect cat dog has worn out boots on his master. Nice

Great thread JC. Great answers and fun to read. Hopefully we are not done yet.

I got to have the tail on a hound also! If not I think I should be bird hunting lol. Andy