Protective vests

[tomtom]

Is it pretty common sense to put vests on young dogs new to hogs? I have 3 plott/ridgeback puppies and wanna go when they are ready. Think it's best to go ahead and get them suited up?

[jkcasey]

If you are going to use them as bay dogs I wouldn't put a vest on them. That cross should be pretty rough. If they were mine I would want them to have a heathly respect for a hog and have no need for a vest. I've had dogs that we ran vest on because they were too gritty. If they had a taste of a bad hog at an earlier age without a vest I don't think they would have needed one later on. Plus a vest of any kind hinders a dogs movement. I don't even like cut collars. A loose baying dog seems to live a tick longer than a rough one. Good luck with your pups.

[tomtom]

The other part of the question I should have asked is when do you know one will catch? Does he stand out from the others and you have a chance to identify he will latch on before he gets hammered or does a catch dog grab one the first time out?

[wanchese]

sometimes they catch right out the gate, other times they get a little grittier as you hunt them. it all depends on the individual dog. get you a smaller hog in a pen, nothing builds confidence in a dog like consistant training

[jkcasey]

Most bully breeds will make catch dogs. I've seen bmc and cats make very good catch dogs, but I want mine to bay and stop one not catch. The cross you talked about will probaly be pretty catchy. It all boils down to what you want out of your dogs. If you want dogs that will find and bay a hog I wouldn't ever let them catch by themselfs. I don't mind a bay dog helping once the cd gets there but not before.

[Bucunter1983]

[coadycurbow]

I always hope the first few hogs that I put a young dog on are a little rough. I hate to get a young dog cut, but I don't mind them getting knocked around a little. I won't put a vest on any bay dog again, simply for mobility issues. If a youngster doesn't understand how bad a hog can hurt him, then you get him to where he can't move with a vest on, you might not have to worry about carrying him home.

Put those pups on some hogs and they will figure out their place. Some will bay just like you want for their lifetime. Some will get rougher the older they get. Some will come out catching and probably won't make it.

[tomtom]

Good stuff fellas. Thank you.

[stevemac]

Tom thats an interesting cross you have there Id like to see a pic. We do not collar our dogs either when they are young feel they have to earn one. my ridgeback gets right in there face when he bails I think you fellas would call him rough so he wears a chest plate. our races do not last very long before the hogs are stopped so a little restriction isnt to bad better than vet blills.



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The light coloured dog is mine the other belongs to a friend.
steve

[dogemdownsouth]

a running catch dog is a dead dog walkin. by heat or by loss of blood, still a dead dog. in my opinion you dont need a catch dog until you get to the bay, and then by all means stretch em out. www.dogemdownsouth.com

[heeler3]

Ive been hunting for about 5 years now and have had only one bay dog that i ran a bay vest on. Hes was pretty much a run bay catch dog or a stop dog if you will. He was 3/4 bmc and 1/4 plott and hed damn sure run out there and check the oil in each hog i sent him to wether it was off the hood or from the box to a bay. I dont really like to run my bay dogs with vest because like yall said its limits mobility and i want my dogs to shut down a hog and back up and bay untill i get there with the bulldogs. Now on the other hand you will never see me with a catch dog that doesnt have a vest and a cut collar on. Some people dont like the vest and just run extended cut collars but ive seen dogs get gutted because of that and run full vests and cut collars on mine and always will.

[stevemac]

[dogemdownsouth]

[tomtom]

Well I really don't know... The guys I got these dogs from run the piss out of them and the same dogs catch that run em'. The only time they turn loose the Pits is when they got one in some super tight brush or he's really big. I have heard both sides of the story though so who knows. I have ran yotes, fox, coons, and bobcats. Never had hog dogs. That's why I'm asking questions. I want more than one or two opinions so I DON'T loose a dog. Steve, here's the pics you wanted. Trying to get 4 month old pups to be still is pretty tough.

[stevemac]

Thanks Tom i look forward to hearing how they hunt.

DDS Wasnt trying to teach anyone how to suck eggs just pointing out that theres more than one way to hunt hogs or anything else for that matter. I guess the reason we do not lose dogs at the rate you seem to think we should is we get to them as quick as we can and dont stand around watching our dogs fight the hog we get in an grab a leg and get the job done.
As to how long ive been hunting well Im 53 and I started hunting went I was about 7. Ive hunted about all there is to hunt over here with a dog and hunt most weekends.