BigGameHoundsmen.com

I want to know everyone's opinion on the pro's and con's of having separate dog runs for each dog.

Does anyone give them free range of a fenced in area?

does anyone run into much trouble with dogs fighting if they are not isolated throughout the day?

What is the purpose of isolating a hunting dog to a kennel and only taking them out when its time to hunt? The dogs know its time to hunt when they get in the dog box and they are all collared up... Any other time, its just exercise.

Any input would be appreciated.

I keep my dogs seperated all the time when im not around. I havent ever had to much trouble with hounds but i have a few curs if u left them together for a extended period of time while not hunting they would fight but if seen some hounds that were just as game. My yard is fenced and i do let them out together when im out there or around the house.

Been running only males for the past 19 years and have kept them all together since then. I had single kennels for 15 years before that. One large 8' long dog box they all use when cold. Never had a single fight. They are much healthier, happier and better socialized. Sore foot problems because their feet are not conditioned goes away. Kennel barking because they are bored stiff all the time goes away completely. I would never go back to single kennels.
If you run males and females that were intact, you'd probably have to keep them separate or keep them all cut. Never tried that. I just don't keep any females around.

I have known some top bobcat hunters that always penned their dogs together in a single pen. But as Dean pointed out they were the same gender. In this case all females.

I have seen where they all had to eat out of the same pan, and I have seen where they were each tied to a short chain attached to the fence in their own spot at feeding time. They would each go to their spot to be tied at feeding time.

I like this because each dog was for sure handled and looked over every day. Also, each dog could be given the exact amount and type of food it needed. At worming time, trimming time, etc. Things were nice and orderly.

However, I love seeing a group of dogs eating out of the same pan with no sideways glances. This only comes with practice, in my experience.

I should mention that by far, most situations I have seen the dogs were chained separate, or kept in separate runs with one or two dogs per run.

I have done both. I much more enjoy having the dogs together when I have been in a situation and had the dogs that would allow it. There is a balance and order you may or may not be aware of though. So be careful about adding a strange dog to the mix.

Usually it has not been a problem. One time it was a problem though. I was transporting a dog for a Freind and had to keep her awhile in the process. She was a pain because she always wanted to fight. (A bear dog). But I did not feel like she was a danger to my dogs. Well they all got tired of it one day and I came home to find her cowering in a back corner of a dog house covered with slobber and even a little blood. I actually think everything might have been just fine after that day, but I don't know for sure, because she left for her new home.

I believe once the dogs have packed together you can pen them together I separate them when I am adding new dogs to the pack or I have a female in heat but I kennel all together male and female and never had very many problems once they got used to each other

Thanks for everyone's input. My 3 intact males have had free range of the fenced in backyard for 4 years now and only a few issues during feeding time, but only when they had been couped up with no decent exercise.

Then last week I caught them fighting 3 times, the last time was pretty bad. Needless to say they each got chained in separate corners.

This last weekend I figured out the reason. My neighbors bitch gets out every time she comes into heat and starts roaming. I caught her flaunting herself on the outside of the fence and then noticed how all 3 males were humped up. It turns out that it wasn't a personality clash between the dogs, but the randy influence of the neighbors bitch....