Bulldog Training ???

[TexasTransplant]

Need some assistance, my bulldog died this week and I got some replacements I want to train.  One is a year, the other probably 2 years.  I got a hog and a pen and was looking for tips.  Planning on going to pen this afternoon.  What tips can you give me for training a bulldog?  I have heard just throw them in the pen, they will get it or they won't, but any specifics or other tactics would be much appreciated.  Thanks

Denton

[MrsLouisianaHogDog]

Whenever I'm starting a young one, I try to get the pig moving and making a little noise. That'll usually kick the good ol' prey drive in if they have it. Then I direct them right at the pig and if I see they're honed in, I'll cut 'em loose. I've never personally just tossed 'em in the pen, especially when some of them are seeing a pig for the first time ever.

[txsteve85]

I like putting the bulldogs in a small stock trailer with a 100lb rank pig.
theyll figure it out if they have it in em.

[justincorbell]

honestly brother, thats pretty much the gist of it for me and it has worked dang near every time. a couple things to note though, first lets not use the word "pen" as there are laws against doing this, lets call it your "training area"  

1) If it is adult bulldogs you are going to work I would put a good sized boar in your training area but not one that will absolutely wreck them their first go round but one that is salty and will make them work for it, if you use a hog to small they may tend to "play"  with it more so than catch and hold it, likewise if you put a stud hog in the training area that is ready and waiting to work them over they may get injured or nervous esp. the first time in the pen.

2) if your "training area" is substantially sized throw a good bay dog in there first, this will help fire up your bulldog and in my opinion thats what you want, you don't want him walking in front of a train without being ready to stop it, let that bay dog work the hog for a bit where your prospect can see whats going on. After a little bit of this turn him to the hog, he will do 1 of 3 things, He will either run in and catch the hog or he will run in and start baying with the bay dog (if you've never seen/ heard a bulldog bay get ready to laugh, it is amusing to say the least  ) or the 3rd option and the only negative scenario in my book is that he will freeze up and try to avoid the situation, now this can be tricky...i've seen bulldogs do this that ended up making decent cd's but they are the exception not the rule, we have to be realistic and know that regardless of breed some dogs just don't have the fire in em, thats the honest truth.

3) now if your prospect does either of the first two options I spoke about above then you are more than likely in business and the rest is all downhill. If your dog runs in and catches immediately give him time to let him figure out the best way to go about holding the hog and work the kinks out, if he doesn't catch ear go in and catch the hog then have someone remove him from the hog and replace him on its ear, eventually he will hit ear given the opportunity as he will more than likely learn that it is the easiest and best position for him to hold and gain leverage.

Ok so that leads up to option number 2, you turn him in and he goes to baying along with your other dog, now there are different ways to entice him to catch and I know people do things differently to all get the same results (this goes back to the whole "more than 1 way to skin a cat" saying) in the interest of time I will tell you what works for me and how I do it. When I or a buddy gets a new bulldog and the said dog goes to baying I will pull the dog back out of the training area leaving the bay dog in to continue working the hog, let the bay dog settle the hog into a corner of the training area, (you may laugh at first when you read wht im about to write but seriously it has worked many times for me) next I simply pick up the prospect and drop him pretty much right on top of the hog, 99.999% of the time that hog is gonna knock him around a bit and take off, now I will honestly tell you once I have never had to do this more than once because once the prospect realizes that the ol boar hog has whooped him he will get what I call "fire in his eyes" and will hit that hog with everything he's got. This has honest to God never not worked for me and my buddies in the past when trying out a new cd.


Like I said above, this is NOT the only way to do it BUT it has worked well for me and my buddies over the years and until I see/ experience a better way to get the same results this is how I will continue to try out new potential cd's in the future. Hope this little bit of info helps you out today and in the future. Best of luck to you and hope your prospects work out for you!

[Cajun]

There is option 4 to Justin's scenerio & I have seen it happen. The bulldog might run in & catch the bay dog.lol
  On a young dog or pup I will hold the hog by the hind legs & let somebody lead the bulldog up to the hog to try to get him on the ear the first time. Once he learns to catch, then I will put him in a training area with a bay dog & let him catch. This does two things. Helps teach him to know what a bay is  & gives him more experience catching. The really good ones dont need much, it is just in them.
  Back in the old days, we just threw them in the training area with a rank hog & he either caught or was run out. Now I guess in my advanced years I have gotten more sensitive.

[TexasTransplant]

Ok so here is what I did.  I took one, the younger pit, to the training area first.  He went inside and I turned a bay dog loose on the outside.  He went in and tried to make friends I guess, ran up and tried to sniff the hog, that lasted about 2 seconds, long enough for the hog to turn and put a whooping on him.  Then the pit stepped back and started baying.  I decided I would let the bay dog, half AB half cat,  he went in and caught as he did then the pit went and caught.  He got drug around a little and I pulled him off and took the bay dog out and turned the pit loose again.  He went and caught this time on his own.  I then put him back on his chain and let the hog rest.

Next came the big older dog, he looks like an AB and pit cross, tall and broad.  Turned him in the pen with a different bay dog working the out side of the training area.  He went right to the pig and latched on an ear. It was a weird catch though, he didnt rush right in and hit the hog, it was like he went in slowly and methodically to make the catch.  I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing, ideas?

[brad s]

I think ther doing just fine if u ask me. As far rushing in. I would rather them take ther time to maneuver ther way to the hog so he don't bust a bay. Seen way to many bulldogs rush in busting brush an break a bayed hog makin to much racket. That's just my take onit. Some people like them hittin them wide open but not this old boy

[justincorbell]

Ok so here is what I did.  I took one, the younger pit, to the training area first.  He went inside and I turned a bay dog loose on the outside.  He went in and tried to make friends I guess, ran up and tried to sniff the hog, that lasted about 2 seconds, long enough for the hog to turn and put a whooping on him.  Then the pit stepped back and started baying.  I decided I would let the bay dog, half AB half cat,  he went in and caught as he did then the pit went and caught.  He got drug around a little and I pulled him off and took the bay dog out and turned the pit loose again.  He went and caught this time on his own.  I then put him back on his chain and let the hog rest.

Next came the big older dog, he looks like an AB and pit cross, tall and broad.  Turned him in the pen with a different bay dog working the out side of the training area.  He went right to the pig and latched on an ear. It was a weird catch though, he didnt rush right in and hit the hog, it was like he went in slowly and methodically to make the catch.  I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing, ideas?

Sounds like the older dog is gonna make a great dog to me. I like a cd that assess's the situation as opposed to just runnin in 100mph and catchin blindly.

[TexasTransplant]

Can't beat the animal shelter specials I guess, he is a huge good looking dog.  Leads real well, doesn't pull bad at all and is not bad at coming off with a tug and a voice command, smart I guess.

[LAhogger84]

Get some bay dogs n there baying. Tie catch dog up till he's wanting to go over there n then him loose. Or get another catch dog to catch then turn yours loose to catch after hog is caught. Then take em off and see if he will catch alone.