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Have a small 40 lb. hound thinking about trying on bear with some friends and there hounds. She is small but gritty. Just wondering if any one else has any luck running small hounds on bear.

I prefer a smaller hound 40-45 lb female 50-60 lb male for bear and coon.Smaller dogs seem to handle the rough crap better than a big dog plus they don't cost as much to feed.

Glynn Holmes
www.tellsblueticks.webs.com

We like the smaller dogs here too. They get through the laurel thickets better here

if she has it in her to be a bearhound those little dogs will surprise you .ill take a pack of those size hounds that perform to my expectations over large hounds anytime .that being said a big hound can eat my dogfood if it is a bear catching machine.

X2 kordog

Just cause small dogs get around good and are gritty doesn't always work on bears. You start running some mean ones that don't tree and one swipe or seat can do alotta damage to a smaller dog rather than a bigger dog that can take a hit and keep going better. I'm not saying one is nesessarily better than another its just my opinion.

I think if a dog get hit by a bear its going t do damage regardless of its size. They just need hart and no quit.

Not really no. I got some big dogs I run on bear and seen them get smacked and keep going where as a smaller dog might have gotten hurt worse. Has nothing to do with grit and how mean a dog is. You want done size in your pack if your gonna run bears cause you will come across mean ones on the ground not always in tree. Both dogs have a place in a pack. Jmo

Well I guess I better start running bloodhounds

Funny thing is i noticed big dogs will get hit when a smaller faster dog will get in and chew some ass sometimes without getting touched. I believe MOST not all but most of the time a smaller dogs will put more pressure on a bear to climb or stop. Don't get me wrong ill feed a big dog cuz a great hound is a great hound no matter the size.

Like I said they all have a spot in a pack big or small. This is just my opinion so don't take it the wrong way. I've seen my smaller dogs get in get hit and have to wait a sec before they get back up goin again where as my bigger bodied dogs take it and keep nailin.

I talked to a few bear hounders and tey liked the smaller faster hpunds.. makes sense.

I will take a small (and real small) hound over a bigger one anyday. Out here they are the fastest, toughest dogs, and work the best (in my area, not the whole world) I have a few who are too big IMO. I have a female that's 45 lbs and one male who will top out at about 55 lbs. The rest are females around 55-60 lbs and males around 60-65 lbs. I can feed less, clean up less, and fit more in the dogbox and kennels. In the winter more than one can fit in the same doghouse to stay warm, in the summer when its hot they don't have a stroke in the dogbox.

Bigger dogs tend to get hurt worse IMO, cause they do need more room to get out of the way. My littlest female is the grittiest and gets hurt alot, and she hasn't quit or died yet.

A bigger heavier dog will absorb more impact than a smaller lighter dog, and are slower thats a fact.
It don't matter what size they are. if their in the wrong place at the wrong time,it dont really matter what size they are.
If it will run, bay and tree a bear ill feed it.

I guess Oscar my 35 lb male is to small to run bear. I will have to tell him that!

For me a big bear dog is 70lbs. Even at 70 they can't get around the thick stuff.