EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

 I was reading another thread and I noticed that a lot of people talk about full blood catahoulas being short range, and rough or catch. We have one that we use as a guard dog at the house because he didnt want to leave our feet unless he hears a bay and he is very rough. So I was wondering if this is across the board for this breed or just a stereo type. Or is there someone out there who has a rangey full blood catahoula that is loose baying?

All the Catahoulas I have or that I hunt with are long range and rough to be honest.  Mine hunt out 800-1000 yards and one is rough as can be, but is smart about it.  He knows pretty quick if should just back off and wait or if he can catch it.  If theres another bay dog with him he will always try to catch too.  The other one isnt so rough but will put his teeth on a hog from time to time.  They both hunt out though pretty good and will stick with one for awhile if they cant get it stopped.

I do own, have owned and hunted with a bunch of catahoulas that were rangey and loose baying.

It's just a stereo type... you can say the same thing about bmc's or any other breed... short range, rough and catchy.

DJ, there are sterotype with good reason IMO as many other breeds that had the "work" bred out of them, just like Mike said in all the other breeds too.
I happend to know several papered dogs that will do what you mentioned about ranging out and finding hogs, and will bay right. However its like anything else, researching the lines and seeing the dogs in that line work for yourself, to make sure the owners definition of the word "hunt" "strike" "bay", and "gritty" all match your own definition of the word. To me one persons defintion and my definition are what has been where the confusion comes into play. 6 years ago, you could not hardly convince me to hunt with a Catahoula, I saw a few I liked but alot more that weren't worth feeding. Now I have some papered dogs, and feel confident through hunting and researching the line of dogs before making up my mind that I can find and pick out a dog off of a few select bloodlines that will work the way I expect one to work. In November we just purchased another pup, out of the same lines as the one we have already, and so far he matches exactly what we have in these others. But I hunted his aunts, uncles, sire, and cousins and keeping track of these dogs where the traits come from and if the dogs are consistantly producing the same traits in the majority of all the pups. I feel I have increased my chances of having less oppertunity to have a sorry dog by putting in the time and working with bloodlines that are consistant and not just getting a dog because it is papered or because it has spots

I love Catahoulas. I would say that yella dogs are more stereotyped than Catahoulas. I know a lot of people that wouldn't take a yella dog if you payed em to.

My first strike dog was a full cat and he was a medium ranged dog.  Wouldnt put a tooth on anything over 125 lbs but would catch a shoat without a bark.  Rosco is on the right.
(http://i874.photobucket.com/albums/ab305/pgordon1979/roscosbighog.jpg)

I think that this is true. You have made a really good point.

I'll agree there are plenty of sorry Black Mouths out there, but I'm going to have to disagree with your statement.  Unfortunately, there are people breeding (and buying) Catahoulas right and left strickly based on coat color and glass eyes without regard to working ability.  There are good cats out there, but due to this fact I think there is a lot more junk to weed through than some other breeds.

X2, excellent post. Personally I wouldn't own a full brooded catahoula or BMC. I would take one with a touch of hound and I think that some of the good ones have hound in their background. This is what I saw back in the 1980's and I have made up my mind from those days and that is what I believe. I still think that the percent chance of getting a top strike dog or what I consider top strike dogs (("What I Consider", key words)from either of these 2 breeds are lower than some other breeds.

I also have friends that don't like my type of dogs because they are too long range and trail bark some and they prefer BMCs. I reckon this is what makes the world go round and round. :)

I also always have said that the catahoula is hard to beat in the bay pen arena.

 Like said in several replys, there is crap in every line, it dont matter the bloodline there are some that dont think or care for anything other than looks and will lie and sell the heck out them just for the trait. research, research research is the best way to go. when i get back from the desert im wantn to expand into cats but i will need help from yaw on the better lines to buy from, i dont care if they reg or not

I agree with uglydog that catahoulas are stereotyped for good reason right along with a lot of other breeds these days including BMC. More people are breeding for "double glass eyes" or Yellow w/black mask than they are for hunting, conformation and performance.. Most of the catahoulas I see these days aint worth feeding. All but 3 BMC I've hunted with were not worth feeding. We have a 20 acre wooded pen that I've let a guy who breeds weatherford ben dogs try his dogs out. They have been bred for paper and not hunting. The guy thought the dogs would do awesome , "scenting" and "chasing" and "working" game.  :)   He has tried 22 grown dogs and not one of them would hunt or run or stay bayed..
And in his defense he actually thought they would do anything he wanted them to simply because of the fairy tales he has been told and read..
And I'm in no way dogging down BMC because there are just as many sorry catahoulas, Mountaind curs, and hounds... and just as many people breeding them all for nothing but paper and profit.
If you want a hogdog you have to get away from papers or ads or fairy tales. There are good ones in all those breeds but they are nowhere near the majority. You have to find someone who has been raising and hunting dogs for themselves to hunt with. These days I pay no attention to whether a dog is a catahoula or a BMC or a mountain cur or a beagle, I pay attention to the person breeding the dogs and what they produce when you feed them some hog tracks..

The ONLY thing in common with good hogdogs that produce is that they have been bred for hunting by hunters, Catahoula, BMC, Mountain cur don't matter that much..

Yea, a guy who brought a big beautiful dogo to our house to try in the pen. This dog was papered and he said that they paid $2000 for the dog. I bet he weighed 100 lbs. and was 8 months old. He wouldn't even look at the hog. We put him in the pen with some puppies baying a small hog and the dogo stood by the gate and wanted nothing to do with the pig. Even when we made it sqeal a little. I told the guy that i didnt know anything about dogos but maybe the dog was bred as a show dog. I felt sorry for him.

Good post... :) A breeder needs to have high expectations for all breeding stock and must know what a good hunting dog should be with no exceptions.