Bulldog trainers

[joshg223]

Is there any way to get your bulldog to ease into the bay like a gentleman after you unsnapped them? I have a really good bulldog that I like but he barrels in the bay 100 mph and misses that first shot and has to run them down to catch.

[K-Bar]

Interesting question. Anxious to hear the responses from some experienced bulldog men. Personally I think it’s all about the natural motor and brain of the dog itself. I think age and experience may play a part too.

[gary fuller]

try walkin him right up to some hogs and let him grab the ear. try this a few times in a row and then let him go maybe 5 or ten feet away.hten a little further. i think you get the idea. i had 2 bulldogs ( father and son abs) that both hit like a freight train and they basically kept goin. but they also hit and hung on the ear first thing and their body kept goin.  so it may just be an issue of targetting.

[jsh]

I don’t allow my dogs to pull on the leash at all. They have to put their nose on the back of my knee and follow me step for step.  It helps when you’re weaving your way through saplings and keeps them from pulling you down when you’re traveling downhill. If he doesn’t already act like this maybe some leash training would help keep him calm on the way in and use his head a little better.

[joshg223]

I don’t allow my dogs to pull on the leash at all. They have to put their nose on the back of my knee and follow me step for step.  It helps when you’re weaving your way through saplings and keeps them from pulling you down when you’re traveling downhill. If he doesn’t already act like this maybe some leash training would help keep him calm on the way in and use his head a little better.

He has decent handle on lead. When he gets unsnapped is where his brain goes full throttle.


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[joshg223]

try walkin him right up to some hogs and let him grab the ear. try this a few times in a row and then let him go maybe 5 or ten feet away.hten a little further. i think you get the idea. i had 2 bulldogs ( father and son abs) that both hit like a freight train and they basically kept goin. but they also hit and hung on the ear first thing and their body kept goin.  so it may just be an issue of targetting.

I think you are right about targeting. The few times I’ve got to see him hit he misses the ear completely. 


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[cajunl]

Not sure how to teach it.

Every pit I have owned or seen went 1000 mph to the hog. Even ones with great handle after the hog and almost never needing a lead at all.

They ones I have owned crossed with dogo or full dogo seem to pick there spots and ease in to a bay. Even the ones with terrible handle and maniacs after a hog.

So I think its hard wired in them. Like an open dog vs silent dog. You might be able to change the behavior but I think they will revert back to what they want.

[cajunl]

I am a Long, Long, LONG way by any means a bulldog trainer! LOL

[t-dog]

There are so many variables. I have seen young catch dogs that settled down the more they were hunted and did a better job of going in under control. I have seen them get better from the start of a hunt to end of the same hunt just because they were tired and it slowed them down. For me disposition has a ton to do with their style. Knowing what their mark is before they ever go in is a big deal. Groom to the ear if they don't have a mark yet. If they don't have a mark and they are going in out of control you will continue to miss hogs. You most likely aren't going to regulate how fast he goes in. You can do things like taking extra time to position him to where he is on a trail going in and not being too far away when you release him. Some dogs get what I call an adrenaline block. By that I mean that they can't think, adjust, or improvise once the switch is turned on. I have culled several recently that had that very problem. If he can't think on his feet then make a pet out of him because he's only going to cost hogs and possibly other dogs. Hopefully learning his mark and experience will teach him patience and how to adapt. This is a trait I look for in my catch dogs. Thinkers excell and make catches that the normal dog doesn't. They also catch lots of hogs in a hunt because they aren't overly excited and are regrouping while you are sticking or tying as opposed to fighting the air or chewing tree limbs and leashes or snapping at anything coming by, etc. Out of control is not the same thing as being a hard dog and being under control does not mean non aggressive or cold. Don't get all that confused. Teach him his mark and put him in position. That's my best advise but I'm by no means the best or brightest lol

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[Myles Man]

Real good responses. Many variables in your question. Over time a catch dog will gain experience and possibly slow down to the bay.  Time in the woods will help our dogs evolve into what they are bred for (catch dog, strike dog, bay dog etc.)

 I watched our foundational stud George ease in (even walk around thick brush to avoid busting the bay) that’s the key - time & experience - he retired of old age and passed away at like 11 yrs old if I remember correctly- Bob caught over 1000 hogs with him.

To me, it all begins with handle in the early years of owning a smart  catch dog. It’s hard to find now days.

 I hope you achieve the goal your looking for.  Patience and time is the key in my opinion, especially dealing with an excited CD that wants to work.

[Judge peel]

Let em go from farther out so that he has time to open his eyes and calm down a bit after that burst right out of the gate


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[Cajun]

I think it is either in them oir it is not on how they respond going to a bay. Most of the bulldogs I have go in like a rocket. A buddy of mine had one that would just trot in and when he would be about 8' from the hog accelerate and catch the hog. Dont think I ever saw him miss. You might try a heavy vest on him that will slow him up just enough where he can pick his shot. Not to bad mouth your dog but some bulldogs do miss a lot and some very seldom miss. jmo.

[TheRednose]

I think both T-Dog and Cajun were on the money from my experience.

There are many variables that determine this but two main ones in my opinion;
- The dogs natural disposition
- The dogs intelligence

With the first one being a bigger determining factor, as you can have really smart dogs who still only have one speed. Experience plays a role too but not as big as the two mentioned above and if they are not smart and don't have the right disposition all the experience in the world will not help.

I think it is already hardwired in them what they are you can only change things somewhat with good handling and know how. So just like with bay dogs and their hunting styles it is mostly in the breeding. This is why I don't like certain lines of gamedogs or certain types of other dogs in my catchdogs.

[Goose87]

Like Cajun said, and not to be a smart A$$ at all or put down on your dog, some have it and stick every time, and some don’t and can’t, and like T-Dog said their early disposition can show a lot early on and intelligence, intelligence is the key thing I breed for in both catch dogs and bay dogs, I don’t care how good they are at one certain thing, if they’re not problem solvers and constantly repeat their same mistakes then they don’t stay here, will your dog work a flirt pole, I like to start my bulldog pups on a flirt pole as soon as they’ll go after one, this teaches and conditions them to use their mouth wisely and catch things on the fly and how to move and maneuver to catch something, not to mention the physical conditioning it gives them, there are so many variables to consider like T dog mentioned that play a part in separating catch dogs from dogs that catch, we are catching with a male we raised off one of our males, HTB Gr Ch Big Whiskey that’s as game and hot bred as one can be but was cold and level headed from birth and flies to a bay like he’s shot out of a cannon and nails the ear every time and I can count on one hand how many times he’s missed, with time and experience he’s slowed down a bit and is making a catch dog for sure, we’ve figured out the times he missed was when we unsnapped him with another catch dog at the same time and he was more worried about racing and beating the other dog there, now we’ll send him and wait 3-5 seconds later and send the other giving him a 10 yd head start or so, since we started doing that we haven’t missed one yet with him, if you have access to watch him catch in a pen then I’d utilize it and really be honest with yourself and evaluate he’s catching style, if he repeatedly misses in an open pen chances are he is going to bust a lot of bays, some settle down and learn the tricks over time and some never will, not all Indians were good hunters, some had to stay at camp and gather fire wood, I hope he turns around and figures it out for you...

[joshg223]

Thank y’all for the input. I totally agree with the intelligence. The thought of having to find one with some sense is exhausting though.   I’ve had this dog for almost a year and have caught maybe close to 100 hd with him. He has caught 90% of the hogs I have bayed but only about 10% were caught at the bay, the rest were caught on the run. I haven’t seen him miss the same hog twice. The second shot he gets he smashes it. But those 10% that get away create problems as they get real wise to the whole situation and are very hard to get get caught. The thought of getting another bulldog going makes me want to beat my head against a wall lol. 


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[Rough curs]

Maybe grittier bay dogs is your answer, sounds like the bay dogs aren't keeping him bayed tight enough to catch.   Not an expert,but all other previous advice sounds viable as well.

[LoftinCattleCo]

As bad as we all hate to send a bulldog without a vest sometimes it will aid in teaching one to make better shots and to get against the hog better rather than being wild with their actions... I’ve had one in particular that for several years you could bet a paycheck no matter the situation when you cut a snap you was going to tie that hog and randomly 1 summer she started picking bad shots and missing some hogs she had no business missing. I take the vest from them start back from basics with catching some hogs in the open that are pretty rank with no teeth then to the woods and earn the vest back... May try a different style of vest as well. I use wild boar USA guardians and I’ve got a gyp that is super nice and when I stepped her up from a smaller bay type vest to the guardian she had trouble getting caught it seemed like so I went back to an old style catch best without the throat flap and right back to being accurate and solid.

[t-dog]

Loftin, I've had the mentality for years that we can go too far with vests and collars trying to protect our dogs. At some point we limit their mobility and flexibility and its likely different for each dog.

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[CalebKirkland]

Loftin I have a older bulldog right now that will not catch worth a flip with a vest on but catches like a champ without. I get questioned all the time why I don’t run a vest on him but to me the risk is higher of injury to multiple bay dogs if the bulldog misses vs the bulldog getting a cut from lack of a vest.

As far as getting a catchdog to take time going to a bay the only thing I have found to work is time and experience. Some dogs slow down with experience and some dogs never do.