maybe the more experienced can help me...

[duece24]

i got two dogs that are hunting really hard right now. i drop the tailgate and they are in front of the truck huntin before i can get back in the cab. if we get to a spot where they are lots of hogs the won't honor the others bay. say my bmc gyp opens up first my dogoX gyp won't come off her track to back her up, and vice versa. now if we are in a spot where there are fewer hogs they will back each other(cause they are running the same trail). when they work together they have stopped probally 3-4 hogs..by themselves they have individually bayed probally 10-15 hogs but they aren't good enough to stop them and keep them bayed by themselves just yet(my bmc is about 1.5yrs and the dogoX is just over a yr). neither have been hunted really hard(they've been laid up since august and we've been out maybe twice since the beginning of nov).

my question is how can get them to pack up better? i'm confident that they can stop the majority of hogs when they work together. my problem is they find hogs very well when by themselves as well. i'd love for them to work together more or to develop the ability to bay up by themselves. have any of you had this problem and if so how have you handled it?

thanx in advance for any and all responses.

[cantexduck]

 I am not experienced but...... my first thought is too let one go hunt. When they bay cut the other one out. Take turns with each dog. I may be way off...

[elliscountyhog]

Sounds like you got 2 excellent strike dogs now you need to just get a couple help dogs, they sound independent and want to finish there tracks which is a GOOD thing. Just send me Sunny and i will send you all the help dogs you need

[duece24]

cantex i like that idea i might try that...my only issue with that is i just got them to get out from under my feet and hunt a ways out. they used to hunt maybe 50yds in front and checked in all the time, now they hunt about 100yds out checking much less. if i make one stay close you think i run the risk of teaching them to stay close to me again?

elliscounty i was in a spot a month ago where i thought i was going to have to stop hunting all together but now i got things smoothed out sunny ain't leaving..lol. i just convinced the wife to let me get a dogo..don't think she will let me get two..she isn't happy about three..

[sfboarbuster]

Try putting them in a pen togethor for a little while, maybe they will buddy up and start to work togethor a little bit more.
Just an idea.

[DanS]

I would not do anything....dogs that are that young are not going to consistantly stop bad running hogs.....when they get some age on them you will be much happier and will be catching more hogs with them hunting independtly......patience now.....reward later

[chainrated]

Don't sound to me like you have a problem at all...But I LIKE to see independence in a young dog..

[Mike]

If they're working out their own track, let 'em go... that's what I like to see in a young dog.

[Pecos21]

I would get a pack dog or two and alternate taking them......sounds like you have a good thing going for you......

[craig]

be proud you got 2 independant dogs, they are hard to come by.

if she wont let you get any more dogs get a hunting buddy that has some dogs that will fit in with yours

[Pecos21]

if she wont let you get any more dogs get a hunting buddy that has some dogs that will fit in with yours

That sounds like a better idea..... 

[Bryant]

I agree with others and it sounds like you have a couple of good prospects.

I would not however recommend trying to put a dog with them which is any less than what you would want these to become.  There's nothinig for them to learn from a 'me-too" dog.  Keep hunting them, and let them do their thing.  Dogs learn by experience, and experience only comes one way.

Also...don't know how the dogs living arrangement is set up but if they're not already, pen or chain them together or as close as possible.

[Eric]

I would double down. Hunt them seperatly and get two more young dogs to run with each one.

[duece24]

thanx for the responses. i like an independent dog as well, was just hoping they would see that when they work with each other they stop them. i'm real pleased with both of them. they are chained up right next to each other, they can almost touch noses. they do work together sometimes, they have started to 'read' each other. if one is hunting in the woods a couple of yards and the other is on the road one of them will stop and look at the other and if they see the other one getting real busy they will break off and go to that area. normally when that happens one goes one way and the other goes the other way..lol.

i have several good buddies to hunt with. only problem is they are 1hr away from me and my spot is 15min from my house. when i get with my buddies we catch hogs very consistantly. i acquired these spots and i use them when i either don't have the money to drive that far or dont' have the time to hunt with them(normally it is a time thing).

again guys i appreciate the kind words about my dogs, as you can tell i'm real proud of them. i have to give the credit to good breeding by joe leveridge(ushog) and richard(elliscountyhog). my dogs came from their stock and they have been everything these guys said they were. i like them so much that i'm getting a half sister to my dogoX from joe..my hog dog training is at a minimum so it has to be the breeding. all i've done is run them with dogs i felt were good dogs and tried to put them in areas where there are hogs and the blood as done the rest...joe, richard..thanx again for letting my acquire these dogs from you...


edit..eric..that isn't an option cuz the wife is barely letting me get the catch dog i wanted so getting three more dogs isn't an option..i wish i could do that..also i just don't have the room to have that many dogs..three is about my limit..at this point..but in a perfect world that is exactly what i would do.

[Bryant]

...i have to give the credit to good breeding by joe leveridge(ushog) and richard(elliscountyhog). my dogs came from their stock and they have been everything these guys said they were....

Oh geez....You never said ANYTHING about a dog coming from elliscountyhog.  That changes everything.  Throw that one away, and start over.

Just kidding...Richard's an okay guy. (no matter what anybody else says)

[ETHHunters]

I got one thats almost 5 and he wont honor a bay. He gets pissed off if he aint the first one to strike. If another dog starts baying he will pull out until he finds his own hog. Im like everybody else I would let them do their own thing. As young as they are I would be happy with the way you describe them hunting.

[chainrated]

Some of the best dogs I ever hunted with would absolutely NOT hunt with each other. If one of them struck a hog and got gone the other one refused to run behind him and would just go on off hunting on his own..  They would honor another dog's bay ONLY if they didn't hit a track they could smell on the way in.