Long range??

To start, I agree 100% with those that base a dog being long range on how far that dog goes in zero sign, simply hunting, not running a track. In my opinion there is a BIG difference between range and bottom, range is how far a dog will get out and hunt away from its handler. Bottom is how far that dog will take and work out a track and stick with the hog until it is shut down and bayed. I really don't think that you can do much at all to train either into a dog they are simply bred into the dog no different than the trait to point a bird is bred into a german shorthair.

the whole notion of "long range" has so many variables its not easy to define, at least not in my opinion. For instance, we hunt deer leases and have around 6500-7000 acres to hunt in one area........ I can drop 2 of my dogs on one of the dirt roads that runs through the lease and if i'm not careful they can be a mile or more away in a few minutes time.........Is that long range? I don't believe it is as the dogs are feeding off of each other and fresh dogs generally have some steam to blow off and get good and stretched out. Say they ran .75 down the road and then hit a track they liked and took it then eventually bayed......... some would say that is a long range dog, I simply don't think that equates to a long range dog. I consider a dog "long range" if you pull up to a spot in the woods off the beaten trail, drop the dog/s and it/they roll out 5-6-700+ yards through unbroken woods just hunting, not running a track just simply hunting. That to me is a much truer representation of a long range dog than the one that ran the road/trail for a mile before he turned off into the woods to hunt......

just my thoughts on range.