EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

i look at some of the guys we hunt with and it seems as if they are satisfied with the dogs they have and how they hunt, personally i wouldnt own some of the dogs . i feel as though i am never satisfied with the dogs i have and how they hunt,i feel like there is always room for improvement and i own and owned some dam good dogs .does anyone else feel the same way or have some advice for me ,i been in this game since the mid 90s and the last 10 yrs or so i have been like this and it drives me nuts, 24/7 i think about how to make better dogs and what traits to breed to what traits and things like that. HELP LOL

My wife and past girlfriends were never satisfied either.

ha ha i gotta laugh . i used to be that way .  alot of us go chaseing rainbows all the while tripping over pots of gold  .. lol

Well said half breed
im the same way man its just like anything else u get where your at
and u always won't better

always striving to be better is not a bad thing , but bein satisfied with where your at is not a bad thing either !

Amen to that...we also need to be careful we don't take a big step backwards and breed in some traits we don't want...got to move forward not back...sometimes we have to cull the whole litter and look elsewhere to get improvement...

i am always tryin to improve my dogs i mean dont get me wrong im happy and catch hogs with what i have but they can always improve

dont worry about making better dogs, just try and stay consistent on how they hunt and catching hogs. normaly hunter will go 3 steps forward to try and get better dogs , then before you no it hes taking 5 steps back and he always says the dogs i had before where better.

Im with you most often than not I  just want to shoot everything on my yard and start over  lol

Bigcutters,

I look at it this way...I think we all want better or at least want to improve, that is part of the game.  Speaking of game, I am not sure if you are a sports fan, but I am.  I like baseball and I compare a lot things to baseball.  To me, it is easier to catch a hog that hit a 90 mph fastball.  You know the best hitters get a hit 30% of the time they are up to bat.  If you look at it like that, I catch a hog more than 30% of the time, but not 100%.  Am I better that a baseball play, probably not.  In some sports, a passer rating of shooting % may be in the 80 %.  Seems pretty good, I dont catch a hog 80 % of the time, but it doesnt mean that I am not good.  Hitting a baseball or shooting a basketball takes practice and nobody is going to die doing it (not suppose to anyway).

People and dogs are human, some things we can practice and get better something we do more and more and dont get better, but it oesnt mean that you are not improving.  Me and my dogs have good days and bad days.  I cant tell you how many times I mad a mistake in the woods and then was mad at myself becuase I knew better.

I think I learn something new everytime.  I've been hog hunting about 10 years and I can say that my pack now is about the 3rd best pack I have had.  Dogs get older and they die.  In theory the more you do something the better you get....not always with hog hunting.  Loose your best dog and you may not have much.

I say, keep striving for improvement and have a good time with it.  Sometimes you dont know what you have until you go to a new place and hunt with someone else. 

If you're not searching for improvement, then in a way you're already moving backwards.

When I can pretty much drop my dogs anywhere and there's no pigs, and they produce a hog anyways, I MIGHT say I'm impressed and that's what I've been after, but until then, I will be on the search.

LoL ...Well that could not have been said any better!

I was that way when I was younger eyes roaming everywere but were they should have been on my own yard chasing rainbows tripping over my own pots of gold as ole halfbreed said but with time comes wisdom and since have realized my dogs are just about as good as any and in my eyes and the way I hunt better than most in my ways .   I have become some what comfortable with them .  Now that does not mean I do not keep on striving to improve and improve with every liter I get bred yes I sure do.  I have realized the pasture is sure not as green as looks on the other side of the fence so yeah am comfortable and content but never satisfied just have learned what the difference is .

Now with what I wrote earlier I will add this, one of my all-time favorite sayings:

If the pastures on the other side look greener, it's because they're fertilized with BULLnumber 2  ;)

Your expectations raise as you truly see what you are after. I cull a lot of dogs now that I would have given a much longer chance in the beginning of my hog hunting adventures


Here's a good sports analogy.. Most kids grow up wanting to play major league baseball.... But in reality there are very, very few that have the ability to make it. It's a lot easier for kids to make a college baseball team, but still the overall talent is pretty high. Almost anyone can play highschool and junior high baseball

In the beginning my dogs were merely high schoolers. They'd be in there, occasionally contributing. As I was around more and more outstanding dogs(-athletes) I realized what that next level is.. In my opinion I now own one really experienced, productive college athelete in my drake dog. I have a super flashy, sky's the limit black gyp that can go the distance. With time I have no doubt she'll make it to the majors. Briar is a stud, equivalent to a consistent all star in the major leagues. He will produce no matter the conditions and with style. He looks the part of a professional athlete as well.

My long term goal is to have a kennel full of major leaguers! I've seen a few packs that I would say we're already there. They are truly a wonder to hunt behind

Set your sites, cross your fingers and cull hard

The only people I see, that are satisfied with their dogs, either don't know what a good dog is or they are breeding dogs to sell and have alot of customers that don't know what a good dog is.

 I have to say that for me personally, as long as we are catching hogs, Im too happy to worry about making improvments. I don't mind a few dry runs, thats what keeps me coming back.

 As of now life is good and I love my dogs.  :)

I should have said people that breed dogs or try to keep a line of dogs.

lol at least i aint the only one who had women jelouse over dogs lol

I'm no big time dog breeder,.....however, one of my best friends develped the Scott type AB, so I'm no stranger to it either. I have matured as a hunter and as a man and I will tell you this....you can put so much pressure on yourself and your dogs that hunting stops being fun and gets to be work. I, for one, don't want that to happen to me and so far it hasn't.

Man! You guys are lucky. My mom and dad have the say so on how many dogs I can have, And once my mom gets attached there is no getting rid of a dog. Im stuck with the ones I have whether I like it or not.

My wife's the same way, thank goodness most Often the cull dogs chew thru the kennel and immediately get run over :/

Alan is a good man. Tell him Lee said hello.

Perfect! So very true, well said.

I think we all feel that way at times!
I am always striving to produce better dogs, but in the same I have to be satisfied with a dog on his strong point, some speed, some baying style, some hunting style, bottom, ect!  Yes I am trying to put all this together and create the (super dog)  does he excist???   I enjoy watching the dogs do their job way more than, just catching pork!  If they do their jobs the pork will be caught!   If I don't find some really strong points in a dog that I can be satisfied with, next!!  I don't have the dogs I'm striving far, but getting closer every year!   I will not settle for a dog that cannot produce by their self!  Too often we have an injury or loose a dog, if this stoped me from being able to catch hogs I would cull every one of them!

Guess I should go a little deeper.   I have a 20mo old that has some major injuries!  When he feels good he is close to what I'm striving far!  He has the hunt, speed, drive, baying style, stopping ability, bottom i am looking far!  However  I will not breed this dog, the litter he is from is not consistent, he is kind of a freak in the litter!   I'm not wanting freaks,  I want consistent litters!

AMEN

AMEN!

My girlfriend is the same if I have a cull I take it hunting and bring back a collar bad hog got away works for me