Starting out

[Ptw2012]

What is the best way to go about starting a pack?
Buy finished dogs? Start new dogs? I was thinkin I'd buy finished dogs to hunt, then get pups that the older dogs can help me reach. What do you look for in a pup? I have the time to spend with the dogs so I don't mind using it. Any help and advice is welcome

[Slim9797]

I bought pups and a older dog that would bay a hog but didn't hunt much. Spent all weekend every weekend in the woods. Finally that old dog started striking and the 7 month old pups would go with her. Caught a few hogs and the older dog kept getting better. Met some good guys with good dogs that have given me a few dogs and now I don't have any of the original dogs but I have a lot better dogs... In my opinion you cannot buy your way into this sport.


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[preacher1]

To me, the first thing you need is someone to go with. Hoghunting with dogs is next to impossible alone. Of course there are guys who do that, but it is a dangerous sport and two are better than one. Then you need to decide what you want i.e. what type dog you want. There are good ones of all breeds don't let the bsers tell you different. By type I mean things like silent or open on track, long range or short range, handling, etc. If I were you, I'd try to find someone who you could learn from and listen to them. From personal experience, you'll have a hard time finding a dog that suits you that is for sale. If you start with the  best young dog you can find and by that I mean the best well-bred pup you can find, the whole process will be simpler. Don't waste your time on junk. If you can't find anyone to run with at first, get you some small pigs and get the pup to barking at it. I like to get pigs that are big enough to keep the pup baying instead of catching. After that get a pig and tie a drag on it and turn it loose then let the pup find it. Make it easy at first then start making it harder as you go. If you do this enough, he'll learn to find his own and hopefully continue to get better. Shortcuts are costly and usually set you back time and money. Of course this is just my opinion and I'll be the first to admit I don't know everything. I'm 52 and still learning.   

[Slim9797]

Preacher is Forsure right on find somebody to go with. If I could have learned a few things before I went and got my own dogs and had to learn the hard way I'd probably have saved a lot of money. A lot of the guys I've met off the forum are awesome, Stand up gentlemen. And it's my experience that if you can get them to believe your serious about wanting to get into dogs that it's not just a "phase" , and if you shut your mouth, open your ears, and make a decent hand in the woods. They'll 9 times out of 10 invite you back. And they'll go out of their way to help you out with getting your own pup or 2 or maybe even a dog that'll put you on a pig or too. Everyone I've met in the dog world that was worth their salt. Has spared everything they could to help me out whether it was just some tricks of the trade, trading me some decent cut gear for a case of beer, giving me a pup, and giving me the best dog I own.... Put a post up on here. Give your location, and a Little story about what's got you interested in dogs and that your looking to learn the ropes. I'd be willing to bet you'd have more than a guy or 2 extend a helping hand. That's how I got in with a group of great guys in north Texas


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[redriverslim]

ABSOLUTE WORST THING YOU CAN DO IS START BUYING UP CHEAP DOGS.  CHEAP HOG DOGS ARE USUALLY CHEAP FOR A REASON.  AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT NOBODY CULLS FROM THE TOP OF THEIR PACK.  WHEN THEY DECIDE TO SELL ONE, IT IS USUALLY GONNA BE THE ONE THAT THEY CAN LIVE WITHOUT.  IT DOESN'T HAVE ENOUGH HUNT, IT OPENS ON TRACK, CAN'T STOP RUNNERS, IT'S TOO ROUGH, ETC. ETC.  I ALWAYS LOOKED AT WHAT THE MAN WAS KEEPING VS. WHAT HE WAS GETTING RID OF.  THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU CAN CATCH SOMEONE WHO IS "GETTING OUT TOTALLY".  THIS GIVES YOU A BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE CREAM OF THE CROP.  I LIKE IT WHEN THE MAN SAYS "EVERYTHING MUST GO, DOGS, GARMIN COLLARS, BARRELLS, VESTS, ETC."  THIS MEANS HE'S NOT KEEPING THE GOOD ONES FOR HIMSEF AND SELLING THE CULLS.  WHEN I STARTED GATHERING HOG DOGS, I TRIED TO GET OUT CHEAP AND BUY A BUNCH OF $300 - $400 DOGS.  AND WHAT I GOT WAS A BUNCH OF CULLS.  I PROBABLY HAD $2,000 IN 5 DOGS THAT COULDN'T FIND A HOG.  I HAD 5 "HELP DOGS" ACTUALLY.  I FINALLY FIGURED OUT I WAS $$$ AHEAD TO JUST BREAK DOWN AND BUY ONE REAL GOOD TOP NOTCH DOG THAT WILL LEAVE OUT AND GO HUNTING AND FIND A HOG.  THEN YOU CAN GATHER A COUPLE OF HELP DOGS THAT WILL PACK UP AND STAY BAYED.  THEY DON'T NEED TO HAVE A WHOLE LOT OF HUNT TO THEM, AS LONG AS THEY WILL STAY STEP-FOR-STEP WITH YOUR GOOD DOG AND STAY BAYED.   

I THINK THE BEST THING TO DO IS DETERMINE WHAT STYLE OF HUNTING THAT FITS YOU.  SOME GUYS LIKE DOGS THAT WILL RANGE A MILE IN NO SIGN, AND OTHERS WANT MEDIUM DOGS THAT GO OUT 400 - 500 YARDS AND MAKE A LOOP AND COME BACK TO THE ATV IN 30 MINUTES.  AND THERE ARE SOME THAT LIKE DOGS THAT GO OUT 200 YARDS AND THEY CAN WALK BEHIND THEM.  ALL STYLES WILL CATCH HOGS, ITS JUST HOW DO YOU WANT TO HUNT?  YOU CAN EXPECT TO SPEND $1,500 - $2,500 FOR A STRIKE DOG THAT WILL LEAVE OUT AND FIND HIS OWN HOG, NOT RUN TRASH, BE BROKE OFF CATTLE, STOP A HOG AND STAY BAYED.  ALL DOGS HAVE FLAWS TO SOME DEGREE, YOU JUST HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHICH FLAWS YOU'RE WILLING TO PUT UP WITH, AND WHICH ONES YOU WON'T TOLERATE.

I TALKED TO A FRIEND THE OTHER DAY WHO HAD A DOG FOR SALE.  THE DOG WAS 4 YEARS OLD, SUPER FAST, PLENTY OF STOPPING POWER AND WOULD STAY BAYED.  THE FLAW HE PLACED ON THIS PARTICULAR DOG WAS THAT HE LACKED HUNT.  WHEN CASTED ON HIS OWN, HE WOULD RANGE ABOUT 250 YARDS AND MAKE A LOOP, AND COME BACK TO THE ATV IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES.  IF HE GOT IN SIGN, HE WOULD ROLL AND HUNT, BUT HE WASN'T A LONG RANGE DOG.  THIS FELLA ONLY LIKES "GO YONDER" LONG RANGE DOGS SO HE DIDN'T FIT THIS PARTICULAR PERSON.  A DOG LIKE THIS WOULD MAKE A GOOD HELP DOG IF HE STAYED PACKED UP WITH A RANGIER TYPE DOG.  HE WANTED $500 AND ANOTHER BUDDY OF MINE BOUGHT HIM, BECAUSE HE FIT HIS SHORTER STYLE OF HUNTING PERFECTLY. 

FIGURE OUT HOW YOU WANT TO HUNT, THEN GO FROM THERE.  I ENDED UP WITH DOGS THAT WOULD ROLL A MILE AND A HALF OR MORE IN "NO SIGN".  ITS IMPRESSIVE AND ADMIRABLE TO HAVE DOGS WITH THIS KIND OF HUNT, BUT I FINALLY DECIDED THAT THEY DIDN'T SUIT ME.  I GOT TIRED OF GETTING OFF LEASES, SPENDING THE WHOLE FRICKIN DAY GETTING PERMISSION TO CROSS PROPERTY LINES, HAVING PEOPLE COME OPEN GATES FOR YOU, ETC, ETC.  AT THE END OF THE DAY, I LIKE HOG HUNTING, BUT WHEN I'M READY TO GO HOME, I WANT TO GO HOME RIGHT THEN.  NOT 2 HOURS LATER AFTER I'VE GATHERED ALL MY DOGS IN THE NEXT COUNTY.   

   

                                 

[redriverslim]

AND ON ANOTHER NOTE . . . ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT A SURE-NUFF GOOD DOG IS ALOT EASIER TO SELL IF YOU GET IN A BIND, OR DECIDE YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING ELSE.  DON'T BE AFRAID TO PAY FOR GOOD DOG.  IF ITS A LEGIT GOOD DOG, YOU CAN GET RID OF HIM NO PROBLEM.  EVERYBODY WANTS A "REAL DEAL" STRIKE DOG.  NOT ALOT OF FOLKS LOOKING FOR A BELOW AVERAGE DOG.

EXAMPLE:  WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW SOMEBODY POST THE FOLLOWING:  "I'M LOOKING FOR A VERY AVERAGE STARTED DOG THAT MIGHT FIND A HOG IF I PUT HIM RIGHT ON ONE.  I WANT THE DOG TO HANG AROUND THE ATV, TRASH ON EVERYTHING, NOT STAY BAYED, OPEN ON TRACK AND HAVE ABSOLUTLEY NO HANDLE.  I WILL PAY $200 WITH NO TRIAL". 

IF YOU BUY A $200 DOG, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO GET.  GOOD LUCK.   

   

[Goose87]

Get out now while your ahead and you still have sanity, hair on your head, lots of free time, extra money in your pocket, friends outside of dog hunting,  the list goes on.....



Just kidding, what everybody says is a good way to start.

[jmaroon]

Get out now while your ahead and you still have sanity, hair on your head, lots of free time, extra money in your pocket, friends outside of dog hunting,  the list goes on.....



Just kidding, what everybody says is a good way to start.

take about 5 grand, throw it in a metal trash can.. and burn it.. you'll be about where I am after doing it for 6 or 7 years..

[TheRednose]

I am still starting out too. Just starting to build my own pack. The one thing that has served me best and my best advice I could give is find a successful hunter/hunters near you and start talking with them. Hopefully at least one will let you tag along with them on a few hunts and you can see good dogs hunt. Because what you think you want now in a dog might change after seeing a couple of good packs run. That might also give you a source to get decent dogs from.

The first thing I learned in the dog game is the statement "you get what you pay for" is 100% untrue. Sometimes you might but that is a big maybe. My second piece of advice would be if you are determined to spend big money on dogs never pay for one without watching it hunt first with your own two eyes. I'll take someones word on a dog if they are giving it to me or its not costing me much, but if I'm going to shell out big money no offense to them but I want to see it go.

Good luck in your hog doggin journey!

[Georgia-Hawgs]

Lots of good info here.  The main things I can tell you from personal experience is to be VERY serious about the dogs you get. Unless you know the person....dont believe a word of what is said. Its real easy to have 10 or 15 dogs on the yard that aint worth a crap. I was one of the guys that got every cheap dog I ever came across and 95 percent of them were culls.  Here I am a few years later with 4 dogs on the yard that I like, 2 of them I raised from pups, and 2 of them were given to me free.

[Judge peel]

I have always said and I will say it again find a dog that's going decent watch it hunt few times and get you a real good catch dog spend the money on this cuz it will pay off when your young pac finds and bays a hog. Good dogs can be found on the cheap if you grind out with some one that has been beating the bush for a while and like stated there are many styles and methods to this game. Best advise I know is keep your check book closed and your eyes open don't rush in on getting a dog put in your home work on where the dog comes from. more can be said be the man that owns the dog then the dog its self just keep that in mind 


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[Reuben]

it takes a while to get good dogs...you can buy a good catch dog, vest him up and start tagging along...there are doggers that will carry you if you help and have a good catch dog to tag along...

getting a good pack of hog dogs...

buy 4 or six pups out of sure enough hog dogs...dogs that not only are good in the woods but have been linebred for 3 or more generations of hog dogs close up in the pedigree...

or...buy or lease an old brood gyp from the same type of breeding I just covered and breed her to a good dog of the same caliber and you will have a top line of dogs in a few years...you will not only have dogs that hunt well but dogs that can reproduce more of the same as well...

or...if you have plenty of money go buy some dogs that are good hog dogs...if you don't care to breed don't worry about the pedigree...if you want to breed hog dogs look more into the bloodline than at the dog...

[hoghunter71409]

Ptw2012- where you located at?

[hoghunter71409]

I know your question was about starting a pack of dogs, but I think having a place to hunt and people to hunt with is equally as important.  For example, a couple years ago I had a pack of dogs that I really thought was top shelf; I thought I had as good as a pack of dogs as anyone.  Unfortunately, I had one sorry place to hunt with not many hogs on it.  It was my belief that I knew other guys with dogs half as good as mine that were catching more hogs- just because they had really good spots to hunt.

I think another thing that is as important is having a couple good guys to hunt with.  It seems like the dynamics of hunting buddies change sometimes as members within the group start getting better or different dogs.  Maybe it is greed or a territory thing, I don't know.

So, before you decide on shelling out cash for good dogs, make sure you have good spots to hunt them.