leting them lose in the yard

Part of what gives a hunting dog its drive is penned up aggresion

My 0.02

If a dog has HUNT in him, he is going to hunt today tommorow and next week whether he is kept in a pen or on the yard. You cant force an animals nature. If a dog has to be confined so that it will run around wild and "hunt" when let go, it just doesnt have it and you cant make it have it.

The "old people" left their meet dogs loose on the yard. They took no junk and made no excuses for dogs. If it didnt do its job it didnt hang around, and those dog HUNTED. When hunting became a hobby dogs were not held to the same standards they lost some of what they had.