I am by no means a seasoned hunter, I've been dogging for about two years. That being said this is my opinon for what it's worth. I have to agree with the guys who are saying they won't own a dog that won't do it on their own. The dogs that I have that I can count on are dogs I raised from pups. When I started hunting them they just rolled on their own. I never had to ask them to hunt, they just do. So far the dogs that haven't hunted on their own at first haven't gotten any better, and are what most people would call help dogs. They will find one every once in a while, but mostly are waiting for a bay to go to. My deal is, if my strike dog has it bayed, I don't need another dog to help, the job is being done by one dog. On the other hand, I'm glad someone likes help dogs because it makes my culls worth something when I go to sell them.
One day I hope to have dogs that are of the quality that I can breed some good dogs of my own and not have to sort through so many "help dogs" to find what I want.
