EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

Just wondering, If you have a dog that you use on cattle (primary job) can you teach him to be a hog dog? How would you teach him to ignore cows and focus on hogs? (as we all know, a hog dog trashing on cows will get you kicked off a ranch) Would the training hurt his drive for cattle work? Would a dog be able to sort out the differences in work? And finally, do y'all think it's possible for a dog to be good at both types of work? Sorry for the question overload lol.

Yes you can do it. I only use my cow dogs on hogs at night. If you have a real good handle on them you can get them lined out pretty quick to know the differance. And they can be outstanding at both.

yes it can be done but alot of handle and understanding from you and the dog . i used my ol cat male boudreaux for both . he would only bay cattle on command . if i was hunting the cow ranch and he made a move for the cows i could just tell him to leave the cows alone and go find me a pig and he'd never look at the cattle the rest the day . but if we was working the cattle and a hog busted up it was on and we had to take a breal and go kill a hog  ;D iv'e had other dogs that figured it out easy enough  they figured out that the cut collar meant pigs and wouldn't mess with cows with one on . takes a pretty intelligent dog to go both ways but they are a pleasure to own

I have never owned a dog trained to work cows and then take the same dogs and catch hogs on purpose...

In my mind a dog to know the difference is a dog that is worked on a regular basis if not daily...

so let's here some input on these dual purpose dogs...

There is some folks in Mississippi, J Cross Catahoulas, that catch and pen rank cattle on a daily basis for hire. That's there business. They
take these same dogs and use them for hog hunting and are very successful. They also take these same dogs and compete in NALC Hog
Baying and CHDA Hog Baying events and they dominate in the bay pen. They have some very versatile dogs. Check out their website.
               
                             http://jcrosscatahoulas.com/

Will do

thanks jimco...i enjoyed the website...

My dogs do it both lots of time and good genetic.

Carlye and Craig Reid of Ontario Canada are some other folks that use their dogs on a daily basis and hunt coons for enjoyment and dominate in the hog dog trials and conformation show ring. They also hunt hogs with the same dogs when they are down south hunting with friends.  Check their site out.     http://www.crosscheckcatahoulas.com/

J Cross Catahoulas and Cross Check Catahoulas are two examples of being able to use these dogs for different tasks and excel at all of them. The ranch, The bay pen, The woods, The show ring, it doesn't matter. I know they are not the only ones with very versatile dogs. They breed for an extreme work ethic and versatility.  I also believe that using these dogs on a daily basis plays a part in the dogs excelling
at all the tasks that they are asked to perform.

I've got a good friend in the hill country that uses his dogs for cattle and bloodtrailing.  If they are in the suburban they are going deer hunting.  If they are in the truck with a trailer behind it they are going to pen cows.  I believe intelligence, handle, and repetition are the keys to dual purpose dogs.  I can "put" my female on cows or hogs, but when she is on a bloodtrail she ignores both.  She is extremely intelligent and has a really good handle on her. 

Jimco, thanks for the sites! Those cats look awesome!

Yes it can be done.  In my opinion dogs with livestock working instinct make the best hog dogs.  Cur dogs originated as dual purpose dogs.  So yes, not only can it be done and have a dog good at both, but in my opinion if they are good at one they will almost automatically be good at the other.  It takes exactly the same kind of dog to locate and bay hogs as it does with cattle.  They are both livestock.  Hogs are a little more wild than cattle these days but I've seen quite a few cattle that were as wild as any hog and some hogs that were very calm and bayed as good as dog broke cows.  A good handle is key.  It works best for me to teach the dog to only work cattle on command.  That way you will never run into any problems.  Dogs work off of cues.  Give them a consitant cue for each job and they will know what you want them to do.  Think about it.....if You walk out of the house with a leash the dog automatically knows you are taking him somehwere.  They are cuing off of the leash  If I walk out of the house at 6 am in my FD work uniform the dogs dont even flench.  If I walk out of the house at 6 am with lacross rubber boots on they go nuts knowing we are about to go hunting.  Those are cues.  I cue the dogs to work cattle by putting a bell on thier collar.  Or I just sic them on the cattle.  My dogs get cued into the hog hunt when I grab my rifle.  I don't think they would hunt worth a chit if I did not have it with me.

It depends on the type of dog ofcourse, but If you have a dog that does both jobs the right way then It most likely a Cur dog and that means he works cattle the right way.  So I disagree that if the dog messes up and bays cattle on a hog hunt that the land owner will get very pissed and kick you off the place.  The worst that will happen is the cows get bayed up.  If the land owners sees that you are more likely to get a job penning his cattle than to get kicked off from hunting his place.

Waylon

Waylon,
What cue lines would you recommend for dogs that can do both? Also, when you work cattle with your curs do you just use them to bay, or do you also use them to drive and bring cattle to you? I guess my question is, how much handle do you want in a dual purpose dog?

Well I've got Cur dogs.  So I use them in a typical Cur style.  They locate the stock be it hogs or cattle.  Bay them up the dogs will circle or windmill as some like to say.  Thier job at this point is to keep them in one spot.  Curs and I like to let the bay settle.  Both the cattle and the dogs will settle down and the cattle will drive better.  Hogs will settle to bay also, even lay back down in thier bed given a chance.  Then you drive the cattle the dogs will lead out front when you are driving the cattle and if one tries to run off they will go for the ears or nose untill the cow changes her mind and goes back to the herd.  Once the cows are driving nicely you can call the dog back to stay behind or beside you (if you have a good handle) that will give the cows thier head so to speak as long as they are driving good.  Ofcourse the dogs are itching for one to break out so you can send them out again.  Thats How I use them and most other people I've seen use Cur dogs on cattle and hogs. They don't drive the cattle by any means.  Not like a sheep dog would do.  I don't know anything about sheep dogs and how they are used on cattle or hogs.

The one I use both ways is a black and tan colored male that came out of Cow dog stock.  He made a heck of a good close to medium range hog dog and would shut down bad boars with style, he is a very "hard" mouth dog in that respect and bays right in their face.  At the same time he has the finesse to bay loose on sows with pigs or shoats and not catch out on the shoats while the sows bust out.  Which is a huge no no for me.    I don't use him on hogs very often any more because he was crippled by a bad boar.  He's always taken too many chances with hogs and he's just too slow getting out of thier way with only 3 good legs.  I was sewing on him more than I care to.  I did hunt him the other day after about 6 months of being layed off of hogs and he act like he did'nt forget a thing.


Any cues will work, they just have to be consistant.  As for handle you can never have too much.

Waylon