I'll take my pups several times to the woods alone when they're very young. My intention isn't to catch a hog, and often times I'll go right down from my house where there aren't even hogs. If I drop a pup on the ground...sit still and give him/her about a half hour then have to go use the Garmin to go find and pick him/her back up...you couldn't knock the smile off my face with a bat. Independance and the drive to hunt is the absolute first thing I look for. When I find my pups out of a litter that will consistantly get gone, then I'll do my part by giving them enough time in the woods to let them make sure enough dogs.
how old u talkin twelve weeks?
read the puppy apptitude article...pretty good...I start observing pups from day 1 but I look for pups that exibit above normal intelligence at a very young age...like when they first start trying to walk around I am watching who does what first etc. etc. I take the pups to the woods together and see who leads the pack and ranges out...Then I leave the lead pup at home and see who steps up and leads...if they all roll out then they are at least going to make pack dogs...but that is the proof and in reality these pups will probably grow up to be good hunting dogs...
I am looking for natural ability...and I am one of the few who will say a hunting dog can be picked at 3 -4 months old if you know the line of dogs and the pup passes the testing...but I will also say that some pups that don't shine at a young age can go on and become great hog dogs...but I am looking for early starters who know how to find game and make it look easy doing it...because that is how to breed early starters and that is to identify them and if they go on to become great then they are worthy of breeding...
the real testing starts at 8 weeks on up...but I lay the foundation down by socializing them beforehand...
