well justin you bring up a good point . but let's see a finished [ help dog ] you could actually call a well started hog dog . and with more woods time and hog tracks should become the allmighty strike dog lol . and to be a well started hog dog that goes to the bay and helps contain the hog has got to be a year or so old , and 400.00 isn't too far out of the standard price range for a dog that old . now me i don't own any help dogs just future hog dogs i believe in keeping dogs that will do it all when needed and the young dogs should be able to step it up when called upon to do so . help dog = future hog dog , shure some will never step up and should be taken out of the gene pool . you just have to look beyond this new age terminology . dogs are pack animals with a pecking order take out the number 1 and number 2 will normally pick up the slack
Ok Halfbreed,
for me a one year old pup better be hunting and running at least 20 minutes on a hog before dropping out...and this pup better be going all the way by 14 months...but this pup probably won't be a breeder...but his brother that goes all the way at 10 months old might be the lucky one to carry the line...Just how I see it...but I do not consider these pups as me too dogs/help dogs...
A good help dog is at least 2 years old and he probably will never be a strike dog because he is as good as he will ever be....I think some people confuse this type of dog as a well started dog and will advertise it as such...and someone buys it to be a future strike dog and will be very disapointed...or...the seller believes he has a good strike dog because he makes every step the strike dogs make...but this dog will never find a pig or even hunt alone...and sometimes the seller is actually trying to pull a fast one and make some fast money on a cull...
so to me there is a difference between an up and coming pup and a good help dog...because the pup is still improving and maturing and the help dog is already all he will ever be...
