It all depends on a guys definition of a hunting dog. I'll talk about "Strike Dogs". Some won't label them a good strike dog unless they leave the truck running and don't come back until a hog is found. You know, lots of range and bottom. Some folks are ok with strike dogs that hang around close, within 20 yards and never leave. It depends on your hunting style. I think this quote is right on.
Some of the best, long range, hog finders that I have ever seen didn't care if there was a person hunting with them or not. I lean toward the dogs that really don't want your affection, but will let you put hands on them if you want to.
"As for the long range strike dogs". More than not, if you want the dog to stay close then you put more of a "handle" on him. If you want the dog to leave out then you build a working relationship with him. I've never had a long range jam up dog that once he was finished hunting that he was hard to catch. The only time those dogs are hard to catch is while they are hunting. One of my training secrets for a strike dog is, while they are hunting hogs I do not teach them the command no or stop or any command of that kind. If you turn mine out you can not call them back for awhile. I was once told by a partner of mine that a good find dog is like a machine. All he needs is someone to turn the button on and let him go. Thats what I prefer in a find dog. My experience with them is they, will reach a point to where they don't care it they are petted or not. Only when they are fed and after the hunt. Yeah its agervating to try to catch a dog at the truck that wont come to you, but Ive seen several that instead of loading up they will go back to the woods and hunt. I tried bringing the hunting dogs in the house and they crapped on ever thing they could. They chased ever cat I owned and chewed up all the legs on the chairs.
It just depends on your preference and hunting styles. More than not. If you want the dog to stay close you baby him more. If you want the dog to leave out you build a working relationship with him.
i've said it before i'll say it again . back in the day's of ol are hunting dogs were as well the family pets and household gaurd dogs . every dog i plan on keeping and putting my time into is welcome in my house for a while to learn me and bond with me and after that at spaced out intervals cause i cant let them all in at once and as a result of much affection and bonding i don't hunt with my dogs my dogs hunt with me .
A hog hunter has to understand that most of the hogs now days act different from the hogs in the old days. The hogs now do not bunchup and and their running distance has no bottom. I bet not many hunters on here have ever hearded a set of wild hogs to a corral with dogs and then worked the pigs and turned them back in the woods. To get a dog to work like that you need to have him close. Dogs that work like cow dogs are supposed to work will not get the job done these days on the hogs that run. In my situation, I select cow dogs vs. hog dogs on how they act and I pet the cow dogs more, to gain more of a handle on them, than I do the hogs dogs.
*I enjoy a good conversation.
