EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

I had a guy give me a cat gyp today said she was  trained on cattle so I went and got her I can always use another cow dog loaded up took her to ranch to love some cows unloaded her and horse and took off she stayed with me I found the cows and started driving them to next pasture she never barked or even messed with them I tried every command I can think of and she wouldn't mess with them. So here is my question she is 5 yrs old should I try her on hogs or is she to old or just wait and try her again with my dogs on cows or just keep her for breeding she is good looking dog with two blue eyes and papers Idk what to do any suggestions?

I'd give her some time and try her again. Give her some time with your pack and try working her with them. She may work, she may not. I wouldn't breed her without working her IMHO. If she is a cull, she could pass negative traits to the pups.

 let her see and hear your commands to your other cow dogs. if she knows what to do, even a little, she will follow suite

May take her some time to adjust, I wouldnt give up on her just yet. BUT......ifshe don't come around, I definitely would not breed her. That is the reason good cats are hard to find.

I appreciate the advice I will give her some time and see what happens if she is a cull I won't be upset she was free

so what makes you think a good cat is hard to find? ??? :o

So if she won't work cows would yall try her on pigs or just cull her

some dogs won't work for you until they accept you as the new master...so like someone else said, just give her some time and spend some time with her so that she will get to know you and speed up the process of her wanting to work for you.

I'd try her on hogs. One of my catch dogs didn't show any interest in pigs until she was three and she turned out awesome.

I'm gonna go against the grain here and give you my honest opinion. If @ 5 years old unless completely broke off cattle before you got her and she wouldn't fire on cattle that you were gathering, wouldn't bark ect. I'd have culled her out there and went on about my day. The Catahoula, BMC ect. should WANT to work cattle & hogs as they were bred to. If you have to coach or baby one into doing it then to me that dog needs culled asap. If the majority of men did this we would see better dogs across the board. I've got a belly full of seeing sorry dogs kept and even bred over the years and so I am touchy about this subject. Come on the dog is 5 for Christ sake, it is mature and sound, her nature should be to build to these cattle and get to work with little or no direction from you. I have decided to set for myself a goal of either producing or buying if I must stock that works hogs naturally like a good dog should, my style and idea of what I want in a hog dog has changed over the last few years but either way I am dead set against feeding any dogs that I have to " teach " or " train " to hunt or work. But that's just me and my 2 cents.

Reuben you let me down with that reply  ??? which is not usually like you.

I'm for culling dogs that don't work naturally and for ME. Yes I know some curs are slower to warm up, but man 5 years old and staying by his side not looking for a the lead cow and getting ahead  :P she needs taken out of the gene pool and let's all start cleaning it up. It will be damn shame the quality of dogs we leave on this earth for our son's and grandson's at the rate were going.

I appreciate the advice guys and I'm usually the same way if a dig don't work cull it I just did not know on this subject I did not know the guy that gave me the dog so I never seen the dog work and neither had he he said he just didn't want to ruin a good cow dog I will give her a couple weeks and see what happens

 ;D :)if it were for me I would cull...but I have seen dogs that will not work for a stranger but with the original owner was hell on wheels...

another thing... more than likely I will never own a catahoula...just don't have the extra space...

Reuben I'm gonna forgive you this time, but don't let it happen again  :D

I just wonder if this dog was brought to a ranch/farm 50-100 years ago what those men would have done with her?

Correct me if I am wrong waylon but the dog would get lead poisoning all my cowdogs work without hardly any commands like a good group of day hands this is the first dig that u have taken that was a suspossed to be a finished cow dog

Just my .02 but i wouldnt have taken her out as soon as i got her.. I woulda given her time to warm up to me in the yard before i put her to work..  Take her home let her get comfortable then try her again.. I would do it by herself, at five she should be doin it if shes gonna.  if she dont, it doesnt hurt nothin to show her a pig.

This is why I'm part of this forum so I can learn and get advice from the guys that have more experience than I do I appreciate all the advice and help that I get

Lol she may be finished at protecting the yard of cows.  At 5 years old and she did not show any interest is hard to believe if she is truly a cow dog but in the same time there are like several others have said many reasons she did not work.  I would put her with another dog I know you and and for a dog not to work for you is kinda strange.  Think most dogs take to you pretty easy. 

Forgot to mention I have seen a couple dogs that would not even look at a cow or sheep till told to.  Now these dogs were well worked with and might want to try spanish especially down there.

Very true Landon might brush up on the espanol lol she has a good handle though I am going to run her with my other dogs tomorrow and see how it goes.

I was going to say try Spanish. Call the person you got the dog from and ask what commands where used. I would disagree with Waylon on this. Because the dog was used before any real introduction. Put the dog in the yard and let the dog learn you are the knew one in charge. Then of the dog does not work cull. At five I would not give much room for learning.

I do not work cattle but got two Catahoulas and went straight to a pen. One wanted out of that pen and to get as far away from the pig as possible. The other only looked at the pig to avoid getting hit and as far as I was concerned was a flat out cull. I was told that they sometimes take time to warm up. The one that wanted out never did hunt. The other one after about a week of my sitting next to the food bowl came around.

So will the dog work who knows. Find out what commands were used in what language. Then I would not give more than a week. If the dog won't work cattle then you won't hurt nothing seeing what he will do with a pig. Just my two cents.

Ok got the commands this morning from the guy that originally trained her too her with my digs to go catch 3 yearlings that got out. We rode about 300 yards and I could hear the digs baying rode up and they had the bunched up circleing. So we started driving the pens are about 400 from where we found the cattle I started giving my dogs commands and to work they went started trying to work the gyp and at first nothing then when almost to pens she started to work enough that I think she will come around. On the good note she was with the other dogs baying when I got there woo think I will just keep hauling and using her and she will be good