14 month old American Bulldog female line bred to Allan Scott's Crusher. Very keen, ready to train hard. She's about 21" and 70 pounds. Not finished growing. White with two black eye patches.

$400

Will consider trades for guns, dog boxes or Garmin Alpha collars.

Serious inquiries only, please.

903.975.0491

Pedigree below

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/american_bulldog/dog.html?id=2376601-western-world-molly-b

A hound's tracking ability is more refined than that of a cur. Nose, instinct or whatever it may be, a good hound can lock onto a track and move it in a way I've never seen a cur do. If you look at studies on the subject, curs are said to use a mixture of scent, sight and sound, whereas hounds track almost solely by scent. If this is true, then one could say that hounds have a better nose than curs, individual variation notwithstanding.

Each dog has its own way of working, but if there weren't similarities, then there would be no such thing as different breeds of dog. A pure bred dog is supposed to breed true to type, which is what distinguishes it from dogs of a different breed.

That said, personal preference on the part of the hunter basically determines what kind of dog he likes. Since I hunt on foot, I have no use for rig riding scent dogs that only run hot tracks and hunt together. I also don't want a dog that's so independent that it splits just to get alone. The dog needs to work the best track regardless of what other dogs are doing.

My experience tells me that the cold or hot nose business is probably overrated. You need a dog that puts game on the end of the track. In east Texas that generally means you need a fast track dog. Hogs can move quick and so can coons, and the coons aren't real thick here like they are in the upper Midwest.

The hounds split and work their own track. When they open, the other dogs will go to the bay if they haven't struck their own track yet. If you have get gone, deep hunting dog that other dogs are strikings good tracks behind, then you have a problem.

All the curs I've ever had wanted to hunt together. You couldn't get them to split if your life depended on it. Some hunters likes this, just as some hunters like rig riding dogs. But I don't mind walking (or running), and I won't feed a track dog that doesn't work its own track and won't hunt at least half a mile deep on its own.

The curs didn't hunt deep enough, fast enough. The cold, hot, warm nose deal is hard to say. For example, I have a Walker grnitech female that would be described as hot nosed by most people. As best I can tell, however, it's not that she can't work a cold track but rather that she keeps moving until she strikes a track that she can hook on and tree quickly. If there isn't a fresh track available (and she'll go two miles looking for one), she'll circle back and work a colder track. I prefer her working style to a "cold" nosed dog that takes the first track it comes to and works the track for an hour. That's what I mean by getting deep fast. A good dog will find a good track and do so quickly without wasting time.

My Bluetick gyp that I use on hogs and coons is a head up, fast track dog. She can take a pretty cold track (couple hours maybe) and warm it up fast because she runs the track with her head up. She's much tighter on hogs than coons. She has yet to develop into a hard treeing dog, and she may never be a real hard tree dog, but she is a true hunting dog, a real track driver. She's only 11 months and still makes mistakes, but she is a real track dog.

I sold my curs and went with hounds (Blueticks and Walkers) because I only cast hunt and the curs don't work deep enough. I don't have trails on which I can take a vehicle. Many hog hunters have a "silent" fetish that predisposes them to claim they don't like hounds because they're "open." The reality is all dogs are open to varying degrees. Any sensible hound can be trained to only open when the track is really hot, which is what you want anyway. "Checking the Garmin" doesn't get it. If a dog doesn't get at least 800-1000 yards, then it misses too much. If it takes the dog more than a few minutes to get that deep, it's the same thing--problem. If the dog only goes deep with other dogs, it's a problem. I have a young Bluetick gyp that will go over 1000 yards in a few minutes. When she strikes a good track, she opens. The other dogs hear and go to her to bay the hog.

Blakebh, Please send me a message.

I have a young female line bred to Scott's Crusher line that I'd like to breed to a leggy, working catch dog. I'd like for the stud to be 25" or taller. My female is almost a year old and I'm just staring her. She's going to be good. Looking for options. It will be next year before I breed her.

Obviously anyone can pay how much they want for whatever they want. In terms of hunting dog economics, however, there is generally a strong correlation between price and practical value. With this in mind, I'm asking why the relatively high price for Dogos in the absence of a practical benefit gained for the higher price.

I would argue the contention that Dogos can hunt and catch doesn't change much of anything. There are many dogs that can follow a hot track and catch too. That's the general definition of a running catch dog. One may counter that Dogos can catch better than other running catch dogs. If that is true, where is the proof? Further, even a limited understanding of canine genetics renders the proposition that molosser Dogos can track as well as cur or hound running catch dogs doubtful at best, making the improved catching ability a trade off for decreased tracking acumen. This puts us right back where we were in our consideration of the price.

If there is empirical evidence of Dogos catching, as opposed to "hunting" or "baying," jaguars and the like, I'd like to see it. I too  have seen reports of Dogos used to "hunt" such game, but I have never seen a Dogo actually used to literally catch big cats. There are plenty of hounds, curs and crosses that "hunt" big game. You can buy pups from proven lines of such dogs for $200-$300.

I don't know about bird dogs, but the high dollar coondog market is driven by competition hunters willing to pay for the odds of obtaining a winning dog, which can be backed up by the seller pointing to actual competition wins (however relative the value of the "wins" may be). Names certainly play a big role in that market. After all, that's how we designate certain lines. Even there, however, pup prices are pretty close and consistent.

But the Dogo deal is different: I know of no practical measure that a Dogo seller can point to and say, "That's why my started Dogo is worth $1000 even though you can buy a more than serviceable, fully trained catch dog for half the price or less." One guy told me Dogos can catch mountain lions and other "dangerous game." When I asked for some proof, he was miffed.

Thanks, Charles. The rif-raf and supply combination occurred to me, but after thinking about it, I decided that practical value would outweigh such factors for nearly all buyers. It certainly does for me. After all, there are hard catching lines of Pitts, Americans, etc. that breed true and aren't too difficult to find. I'm therefore more inclined to go with the psychological factors that create the market environment for highway robbery.

For a couple of years I have been trying to understand why Dogo Argentino catch dogs are priced two to three times as much as other catch dogs. I've seen Dogos, Pitts, Americans and various crosses all used effectively as catch dogs. I haven't seen the Dogos do anything the others can't do.

As best I can tell, Dogo pricing is purely a function of the effect of the somewhat exotic name mixed with brand psychology. I could be wrong (which is why I'm posting here), but experience is difficult to argue against. Do others have educated views on the subject?

Red pit catch dog. $200. Male, 22" 70lbs. Two years old. Will catch by himself or with others. Very keen and will follow a hot track. Great temperament and easily handled. Can text pictures if you are seriously interested. West of Gilmer, TX. Selling him because I'm going straight coondogs.

I have a brindle NKC registered BMC gyp almost six months old and about ready to start. $250. She's out of champion Ladner treeing lines on the top side and hog dogs on the bottom side. Beautiful leggy gyp. She's already treeing some on her own and following trails. Ready to train as you want.

I have a yellow NKC registered BMC male also six months old. $250. Also Ladner bred. Hog dogs top and bottom. Deep bawl. Going to be a big boy. Should make a strong bay dog or a running catch dog. He wants to hunt.

A half Mountain cur and half Bluetick light red male that's six months old and ready to start. $100. Mountain cur mother is a medium range strike dog. Bluetick father is a long range strike dog on hogs and also hunts coons. Don't know if he'll be open or closed mouth on trail yet. He'll be a little smaller dog, probably about 45lbs.

Text 903.975.0491 or email harveycmd@yahoo.com. I check email often. Can text pictures if you are really interested. Selling these prospects because I'm going straight coondogs. These are all good keen pups ready to work.

Four year old red heeler male free. Will make a good yard dog, good with kids and protective of property and people. Does not get along well with other adult male dogs. Text 903.975.0491 or email harveycmd@yahoo.com. Located west of Gilmer, TX.