EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

 We have always choked the cd off until recently. Our cd VooDoo is toooo hard to choke off and wont release his grip for no one, No how, not ever. So we decided to use a break stick. The first time that I tried to use it, I stuck it between his back teeth and attempted to twist it.....with no effect what so ever. So my question is, am I doing it right? Or is there another method? (without causing pain or injury to my cd).

Yall will probally laugh at me but I went and bought a scrub brush with a handle and cut all the brissles off andd ground it down into a wedge all I have to do is stick it in the back of the mouth and push down and they come off

You may also want a 3/4" wide collar. 

I heard if you lick your finger and... Nevermind  ;D 3/4" collar or cut the ear off if your sticking it.

there are many different ways ive tried all of them when i was in high school we used to have catchdog comps and i dont thnk there isnt a method we havent tried lol...imo the most effective method for me is push the dogs head toward the hog then twist on the stick while pushing his head and then pull back when you feel the jaws give a little works everytime for me swiftly....its all about trial and error and personal preference hope this helpd

 THanks for the advice everyone.
 
 We have tried the skinny collar trick and I swear this dog can breath through his ears.

 T-Bob, we have had to use the old trim the ear a bit trick. LOL

 I will keep trying different things until I find a method that works for me and VooDoo. Like Goose said, its a lot of trial and error. The pit that we used to have, Ammo (RIP) was fairly easy to choke off but his neck wasn't nearly as thick as VooDoo's neck. Maybe I just need to go to the gym.  :D

  :o  :D

i used to put my hand over my bulldogs nose and then use my blunt knife to get him off

I'd like to breed this voodoo dog to my gyp. What breed is he?

Really....?? just based off him being hard to break? not to say he isn't good but just asking....

 Pit/Dane  HE is overkill on a small hog but just what I want when we get on a big nasty!  ;)  He will bring a choat back to you, he just wont spit it out.  :D

 (http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr266/djhogdogging/voodoo007.jpg)

 (http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr266/djhogdogging/SowCaught12-30-10001-2.jpg)

you should breed him to my buddies gyp bulldog, thats gon be a mean dog

 I wouldn't mind breeding him to the right female. One that is big and leggy, no dog agression, no human agression, loves to catch hogs, loves long walks on the beach and drinking pina colodas..... :D

i do not use a break stick i cut the hogs ear off,no pain on mycd and they break easy

Very true. Its easy and painless for the cd. Just have to be careful not to accidentally cut the dog.

find u an old buck shed cut a tine off and give it a whirl works like a charm, and looks pretty cool to!!!!

Please don't take this the wrong way, just a different point of view.  But break sticks? 

We teach them to let go from a pup, when they are told.  I start with a whippy stick on the nose as a pup and then normally use a hat across the face when they are grown.  I think it helps to teach them (or force them) to "sit" or do something when they first start out catching as a pup.  It uses the "thinking" part of the brain rather than the "instinctive" part.   

Of course very few people use pure pits here though.  We run what you would call running catch dogs.

Troy

Here's mine and I think it cost me 3 or 4 bucks

(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y114/purebreedcolt/SU1HMDA2MjQtMjAxMTA2MDctMTY0OC5qcGc.jpg)

Cut the ear off my wifes male most time u can't get break stick I'n and 120lbs ain't fun Tryin to pull off my female outa same line is same way some times won't spit ear or break stick out for few min.    And I don't like a bulldog to come off on comand IMO train wreck waiting to happen

x2... Yep, that would suck to have a someone yellin/jumping around the hog and the CD let go...  :o

A lot better that'll would think. It works fine. Nothing worse than fighting a dog to stop doing anything they don't want to quit. HANDLE, HANDLE, and more HANDLE!!!!

He did say hat across the face! Maybe thats the only way they let go  ???

Never had a problem with them letting go, have had them thrown off a few times and it gets a little interesting.  I've known a few dogs that would see you had the hog and leave the country go to get another, you'd better have hold of them then....

I wish I had one like that now....

Just a matter of preference and training for that preference.  I find it a lot easier to kill, throw or tie a hog (particularly a big one) with no or just one dog on it.

Troy

x3 but i do like for a CD to have an off switch when he aint caught!!! nothen worse then a CD that wants to act a fool after the catch, and on a dead hog is even worse!!!

Dj, here are the ones I use ..

under dog are those made out of a cutting board?

Yep. We used to do alot of restaurant remodels and bought it bu the 4. X 8 sheets.

  I know that everyone has their own preferences, but I would never want my dogs to let go of a hog on command. EVER. The reason is because we have been on some really big rank boar hogs with large shanks and in the middle of trying to get that type of hog flipped and tied, I don't want my dog to think that he heard a comand to "release". Then you would be in deep doo doo! But thats just my opinion.

 I once knew a guy who was so proud because he had taught his horse to stop on a dime when he said " whoa " until one day we were pushing some cattle and a yearling broke and ran. He took off on his horse at lighting speed to rope it. He hollared back to someone else to "ROPE IT" and the horse thought he said "WHOA"!  :D ....the horse came to a dead stop like he had trained it to and the guy riding it kept on going!  :D

I agree a catch dog better not let go when he hears anyone saying anything bc there is alot of times when the other dogs catch to and i do tell them to let go or get off and i dont want the cd to think i mean him, that would be bad news.

there is a difference between getting a bulldogs attention and then giving the command and the dog just thinking he heard the command to release . just like i have to make sure my boys are listening when i tell them to get their boots on , it's time to go ! lol

i'd say dogs that can be taught the difference are not the norm , but i have seen some .

   i don't have alot of experiance with bulldogs .

Its all about having a handle and starting with a dog that has brains. The catch dogs we use walk beside the horses until the curs bay then go in for the catch. They don't necessarily wait for you to send them but can be called back if you want them to wait. Once the hog is flipped we say caught hog and one person can pull the dog off. We have never had a dog let go early because someone said caught hog on accident or he thought he heard the command and we have never had to use a break stick or cut a hogs ear off either. This is just what has worked for us. To each their own.   

I agree with Toby, letting a hog go becuase it thought I called it off has never been a problem for me, ever.  Some young dogs will let go when they see you coming, because they can think that they are in trouble, my older dogs wouldn't do it. 

In practice most dogs are harder to get off the big boars than sows and smaller pig, cause they like catching them.

I don't understand why you'd want a dog on a pig if your trying to tie it?  Also how would you tie a hog on you own with a dog on the ear?

I can't speak for everyone here dogs that are  "too hard" are not desired here.  Again each to own, just one of the ways that we are different.

yeah I'm keepin' mine straight pit. My cd started out as a house dog then we started using her on mock hunts to get the hog gathered up and she would catch but not try to rip its head off. I just started pulling on her cut collar, tap her on the nose, tell her "caught hog". and she don't just let go I'm pulling her off at the same time just waiting for her to loosen just a tad to come off. When i take people hunting that is the first thing I tell them is to not say anything about a caught hog lol she ain't let go on me until I've got a hold of her. but she's one in a million. Her son is a year old and starting to be just like her only a lot bigger.

A dog that catches hard is like insurance to me. If I am muddy and wet and the hog is muddy and slippery, I could make a mistake and it could get loose and turn on me. But if my catch dog holds it until I have its legs tied up, then I don't have to worry about it. One accident with a hog can make a persons day go bad.  :o

 Oh, and the type of catch dog Im refering to would never bark at a hog. They are all catch and hold solid.

x2 I have hunted alot by myself, and i flip and tie, then worry about gettin the dogs off. No need in takin unecessary chances.

i wouldnt want mine to let go on a comand. i just choke her and she comes off after a few seconds. but, i do like em to calm down once you got the hog caught and them pulled off. dont like one to pull on a lead constantly and start barking after you tie em off.

i aint never been a fan of a Dane either, but thats a good looking dog.

kinda shocked those Manly shaped break sticks Mr Love was trying to sell a while back aint showed up in this thread yet.  ;) :D ;D

Trent if you would leave Alan at the truck you would not have to worry about anyone jumping and yelling when a hog is caught!!!! ;D ;D ;D   When we going to go hunt?? Im out all summer....I know you are going... ;D  I hear you got ya a boat now

This is one that a friend made for us. Yours are bigger and have more of a point to them.
 (http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr266/djhogdogging/breakstick.jpg)

Dj, that looks to be the same material and concept. Get the James to tune it up on the belt sander and get some point to it and it may go in better.

 ;D Yeah, especially if Cowboy finds a hog, he will be out there yelling and doing flips around the hog..  :D

I HAD a boat...  rolleyes ... took it back because it wouldnt start, needed several more parts, and what the tpwd said it would cost to have it registered without a signed title or bill of sale was more than what it was worth....

Just let me know when you want to go.... after today i may be down to just my Molly pup as far as strike dogs....

Choking them off works but if you have a catchdog that lives very long and catches many hogs you will eventually damage his throat and breathing especially if you hunt much in the summer. A break stick will save a lot of unnecessary damage. Slide it in their mouth , twist it ,shove their head toward the hog and pull back quick. Once you get the hang of it you can break all them dogs off a hog that have "lock jaws" or "can't be broke off"  in just a few seconds.   ;)

 Yea, I think that it has a lot to do with my strength and I just need to keep trying until I get the hang of it. I only tried it once and failed. A friend of ours took over and he pushed down on the break stick and got the dog off. I was thinking that by pushing down on the stick that i would damage the roof of his mouth and thats why I asked if I was doing it wrong, because I was trying to twist the break stick to force his jaw open a bit.

dj you do need to twist the stick as much as you can , all it takes is a little. When you push the dog's mouth into the hog it makes most dogs want to get a bigger mouthful and they will open their mouth just enough so that you can get a little twist on the stick and then pull back as quick as you can. Timing and technique is they key. A little practice and you will be showing everybody else up in no time..  :)

Thanks for breaking it down for me. This info will sure help.  :)

try the deer antler! it does work slide in behind jaw teeth add pressure pops right open. stick ur finger in ur mouth beind ur back teeth and try to bite down... see how much u like it ;D

If you always use the breakstick, after awhile they will get used to it and it will get easier.

I hunted with a guy that had the most handle I had ever seen on a bulldog. He could walk him with no lead to 10 feet from a bay and send him by command. He would catch like a bulldog should. He would tap him on the head twice and he would let go and back up about 3 feet and sit by the hog as the guy would tie him. He would cut and release hogs and the dog would never move.

I was amazed and still have not seen that kind of handle on any bulldog.