MULTI PURPOSE DOGS

I still debate this issue with myself and trainers and other dog owners all the time. I want my dog to do multiple things because we live in the city and she needs to work, so whatever comes along I'd like her to take a stab at it. She hunts hogs, she does agility, I'd like to start her on cows and I want to get more serious about bay competitions. She does tree, so I thought about squirrels, but we don't have the resources for it. I do believe that with time and training, she has the intelligence and basic skill set to do a couple jobs.

But... everyone seems to have a but in this argument... I don't expect her to be the top dog in any of them. I have the highest expectations for hogs, that is what she was bred for, but she doesn't need to be a jam-up strike dog for me to keep her. I'm more concerned about the dog, not what I get out of it, so I'm willing to try a lot of things to see what sticks and what works together.

I think people had to have multi-purpose curs 100 or 50 or even 25 years ago when you had only a handful of dogs, you didn't have an Internet forum to be buying and trading back and forth, and you couldn't afford to keep multiple packs for different jobs. You invested in the dog, not the sport, and tried to maximize what you had. You also bred the best to the best because you didn't have the time to mess around with a litter of culls. It was a totally different approach.

I don't think one dog can be the best in multiple disciplines. But I do think they can get it done in several if you put the time into it. And you can probably have a dog that jams at one thing and can do a passable job at another. Just depends on what you, the owner and trainer, want.