EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

I got a young BMC male about a week and a half ago. i have had him in the woods probably 4 or 5 times. He is suppose to be medium ranged ( 300 to 700 yards ) and rough on smaller hogs. During the time he has been out, the farthest he will go is about 75 yards or just follows me around. He just wants to piss on everything. If he hears a bay, he will act like he is going to it, but turn around and come back. Out of about 6 hogs we have been on,  he has only went and been at one bay, and he had it caught before the bulldogs got there. Most of the other dogs i have only took about 2 or 3 hunts or catching a hog before they started to turn back on.

I know dogs take time to adjust to new owners and packs, but how long is too long? I dont think i got screwed over with the dog, I have bought a couple other dogs from the same guy, and am more than happy with them. Is there anything else i can do to try to get him going again? Should i give him more time or should i try to sell him and see if he does better with someone elses pack?

t.wilbanks,

It's really hard to say as all dogs can be different.  I have some dogs in my kennel that anyone could pull out and go hunt, others wouldn't get out of the box.  In fact, one of the best dogs on my yard I had seen hunt prior to me getting him.  When I first started hunting him he would do like you say...MAYBE 50 yards.  It took this particular dog about 2 - 3 months, but one day he decided he trusted me and immediately went back to his old self.  This is a dog that consistantly makes 1 - 1.5 mile loops.

Although I don't buy or sell dogs, this is the very reason I don't like trial periods.  To me you can see much more of a dog by hunting with him (alone) and his owner in their own environment.  Even then, some dogs are just one-owner dogs and won't adapt.

Bryant,

Thanks for the help. Hopefully he turns on pretty quick. Everytime I tell my wife how he did after we get done hunting, i have to put up with her " I told you not to buy another dog" attitude.  rolleyes

I wish i would have got into hog doggin before i got married, and didnt have as many bills, and was just looking for something to blow my money on. But then i would probably still be single, and be like a old single lady with a bunch of cats, except i would have dogs.  :D

Bryant you pretty well told it right. The dogs I raise are pretty much that way.They will work for me any place any time. But want work for anyone else. It takes a while for them to get use to new things. This could be a good thing or not. To me it means that they are more sensitive and loyal to their owners than we think. So with that said that is why I only let pups leave my yard. But dont judge the dog too hard if you like him, Spend some time with him one on one. He may not know where he is in the pecking order yet also.

Most my dogs took 2 weeks. To a month.   But I had one that.  Took close to three months. To cone around now she is a dang good nut dog.  I was glad I didn't send her down the road

Yeah, i really dont want to get rid of him, i think he would make a great addition to the pack if he starts hunting like he is suppose to.

Just be patiant,, The best dog I have ever owned took 8 wks and 16 hunts before he ever did anything!! Then he didnt even really peak until 6 wks after that, most of my freinds made fun of me every hunt but not any more.  ;)

jmo
  the dog is looking to you for direction and trust spend more time around the dog not just hunting so it know when it make you
 happy and then they will  get on out and hunt  and make ya happy
      like i said jmo plus what they ^^ said
    Dexter

I agree with all other post. Give him all the time and patience you can muster. For some dogs it can take months.
Allow him some house time and yard time with you if the wife dont mind. It definitely helps.

I agree with giving the dog some time to adjust.  Some dogs are just quirky in this way.

The same can be said of catchdogs.  I bought a gyp not long ago and I thought she was crap when I first got her.  She wouldn't catch at all and I was lucky if she even showed interest in a hog.  After we got past that she would just nip and sometimes chew and she didn't seem to care where she bit a hog.  I almost gave her away for free but decided to give her more time because something about her movements kept telling me she just was uncomfortable and not settled in.  Well after a month and a half of work she is the straight truth now and I love her to death.  Just something to consider....

I'm in the same situation I bought a dog thats the same way.I dont think the guy screwed me over,I'm just wonderin how long its
gonna take before he comes around. I take him out every time out,but he does different every singe time, I wanted to just give up
on him but I still believe he's gonna wake up one day & surprize me w/a hog.My wife nags the old {told u so}routine also,even more
reason to keep giving him another chance.