Message #200216

[uglydog]

well you got the right attitude, polite and asking questions and some good questions at that. There is not one right definate answer. I will tell you alot of guys get started and between 2-3 year mark into it, about the time you get lined out with some decent places to hunt and start catching hogs on your own, that alot of folks get a "cocky" attitude and thats were you start going backwards again. Then between year 3-4 into this sport, you start moving forward again, and settled in and figureing out who and how you want to be around and what style you will work for you.
If you are willing to put that time and dedication into your dogs, you will probly be lucky enough to find a mentor to kinda help you along and get you going on the right foot, help you find the right dogsfrom the right people, so you don't have to go through getting screwed over two or three times.
 
Have patience, these lessons you will have to learn, don't come fast, and they may not cost you anything but they certainly ain't free. Its kinda hard to explain, but I will try to put it out there, Most of my friends are hunters, we have a common bond, we may not hunt together but acouple times a year, but its the kind of friendships that last years, and I am always willing to help them and I know I can pick up the phone anytime to get some help, a hunt, a dog, or a question answered, the kinship and complex understanding of what we do is hard to put to words, but we all understand it. That being said, even though several of us are spread out throughout the state and some in different states, when some one does somebody wrong/right on a dog, or a peice of land, the word travels fast and does not get forgotten.
That being said if it weren't for the dogs we would not be able to do what we do. You can get lucky and find a pup/dog here and there that turns out to work, and even more time and money in those that don't work but its definately alot easier to get a dog from someone that knows the dogs and their history, backgrounds/bloodlines ect., thats when its real helpful to know somebody that knows somebody to get the animal that will work for you. Raising pups is always a crapshoot but having the experience/knowledge of the dogs blood increases your odds drastically. Most of these folks are willing to help out a newcomer as long as treated with respect, and your honest and up front. They offer advice and you  need listen, Many have been burned multiple times by the fellas that are between year 2-3 as mentioned above, and may take some time for you to earn that priveledge to be able to hunt, learn and get dogs from them. After all these people that have been in it awhile, already have plenty of hunting partners, are set with quality dogs, and have good properties to hunt that have taken years to put together, so why would they need to take along an individual that will give them a headache later on down the road? The answer is they don't, So why do they take along a rookie and show them the "ropes"?
Because when they do its because they see somebody that is were they once were and it real eager to learn, and think that somebody may have once gave them an oppertunity and find it in their hearts to pass on the favor.
Then there are others that don't have the real passion for the hunting behind the dogs, they get into it as a hobby and usaully in and out by year 5, cause they move onto something else. Everybody has the bad days and multiple dry runs in a rowe, if you don't have the passion for the hunt, then you won't last and will spend alot of time and money and feel like you never got anything but drain for your pocket book out of it. The people that are in it for the passion and not the thrill, never think about how much you get back out of it, because you would not have it any other way, its a way of life.

Next, more dogs is not always better, just more expensive to manage properly. Usually running too many puppies is more of a headache then rewarding. I have alot of dogs but rarely have more than one "pup" on the ground at a time. I find it best to have my dogs staggered in age and experience. The dogs get more from the experience. Then quality is better than quantity. It only takes one dog to find the hog, and then depends on what, where, when and how what you need from that point on.

Keeping dogs "Properly" and I stress Properly- Maintenance is alot more than just feeding acouple of dogs, You ahve to learn about how to maintain the dogs, worming has to be done with two different wormers monthly, quality feed can get very expensive and hard to find, keeping the dogs clean and in condition is time consuming. Learning how to handle emergencies, cut, pokes, Heat Stroke,skin issues, and more.
Then you need to be able to get the proper equipment to keepthe dogs safe and heal. Its not as easy as buying some Ol Roy and a bucket of water.

alot of people come on this message board and make fools of themselves, have already invested in ten dogs, but don't have a clue how to or what to worm the dogs with, or that they even need to de worm them for intestinal and heart worms in a routine. Its called putting the cart before the horse, and that gets under my skin.
So the best advice I can give you is read alot, go back and read old posts on this message forum, There are alot of experienced people here, that have already answered many of the same questions about all the above multiple times over. If you really want to do this and thats where your heart is, don't be looking for a quick fix, take the time to look into what you are getting into. Research it, and look back in the past two-three years of posts about dog health, maintenace, training & advice and if you still don't find the answers then ask, and if your dedication shows through you will get plenty of help, but if you get ahead of yourself the road will be longer and harder.