Free Ranging Dogs

I am very lucky that I can allow my pups to run loose and they do so until they start running deer and that can be anywhere from 4 1/2 months to 6 months. There is no substitute for pups running loose. They are learning and useing their nose 24/7. When I do chain them up, I will put them in my 25 acre running pen. I only keep a running hog in there. I am not concerned about them baying, I want them using their nose trying to trail the hog up and getting him jumped. By the time they are 9 months and I start hunting them, all I have to do is put them in hog sign and they will do their best to trail it up. Between running loose and the pen, I believe it puts me a year ahead by the time I start hunting them.
All that being said and the very best dogs I have had all ran loose. It will not make a superstar out of a dog that does not have the genetics for it. All it does is bring out the dogs potential at a faster rate and no doubt dogs are smarter because they are exposed to more stuff running loose. JMO