Hunting range of Blue lacys

hate to wake up an old thread...

lacy dogs were bred as all round dogs on hill country ranches. meaning they were bred for working hereford type cows, hair goats, sheep, and turn out hogs. most were coon hunted at night, if not they were on loose guard dog duty. mile plus range was never a trait those old ranchers needed. they needed a steady companion, and they often made "damn good" dogs because of the time spent with them, not neccesarily because the dog itself was good. a reason a lot of them are later maturing. the old timers stuck with a dog untill it made one.

as for cowdogs. i've seen and used plenty of good ones, but styles vary from dog to dog to much. i've seen them work with a border collie style, as a hardcore bay dog, all the way to a full on catch dog, there not being a nickles worth of difference in how they were bred. some oldtimers liked a softer silent lacy with more sense around sheep and goats, and some liked a bay type dog with more grit for hogs and fur. in my opinion the best lacy cowdogs i've been around worked no different than a good BMC or cat.

short range was an original bred in trait. there wasn't much reason for one to be out of sight.