Looks over Ability

[twist]

I just have to ask this question. Say there are two dogs both the same breed one has looks to spare the perfect built running machine but he only catches game every now and then. Now we got the one that doesnt quit look as shiney as the other dog but is the perfect hunting machine that puts up game on a consistant basis. Which one will you pick? I am not saying you cant have the best of both worlds but if not which one is more important LOOKS or ABILITY? I know the one I would take everytime!

[pegleg]

ability. beauty is a individual thing. performance is more universal on top of that its a simple thing to improve the looks of a dog. there are currently more recognized breeds of dogs then any other domestic animal. however perfect ability is a golden egg many people have spent their entire lives breeding for.

[George Streepy]

I with you Twist. I don't go out looking for ugly dogs but they are all cute as puppies. If they develop into ugly dogs that catch game it doesn't bother me at all. If you put performance over all other aspects, you end up with better dogs. If you are culling simply because you don't like the looks of a dog your an idiot. There I said it.

[ferjr]

if your wanting a hunting dog, ability. if you are wanting a house dog, looks. JMO

[carlisle]

Thats a no brainer...definitly ability...that being said you have to like the dogs you hunt with.. I used to hunt with this black and tan thing who could catch pretty consistently but for what ever reason I just didn't like this dog's personality everything he did was just annoying. And if I had to choose between a dog that caught which also drove me crazy or an ok catch dog with a great personality I would have trouble deciding...

[Mountainhound]

Is there really such a thing as an ugly dog at the tree or bay up.

[powderhorn]

I don't want to spoil the ending but there's not a hunter out there who is going to say they'd pick looks over ability if they had to choose.. (Even if they're lying.)

At the same time, I've never met a houndman that didn't say "Man that's a good lookin dog!" with that little twinkle in their eye when they saw a dog that looked like a hound "should look". Same goes for a horse man.. My father in law has a cutting horse bred up with the best and he's a good looking horse.. but he's not the best one, and he's a gedling now because of it.. but He'll always be around cause he likes him.

I believe that there are some guys who truely could care less what a dog looks like.. And I believe there are plenty out there who care TOO much about what they look like to the point they lose some drive.. but I don't think there are very many that don't appreciate a dog that just looks like a hound or has the look the favor. That's why so many salivate over a dog that looks good AND puts the ulgier ones to shame in the woods. There's my 2 cents.

[Trueblue]

It depends on how you define....LOOKS.I wouldn't pick a dog that is a conformational disaster just because he can catch his own game.Most houndsmen know what they like, and want a dog to look a certain way.It doesn't have anything to do with the dog being pretty.It has to do with the way the hound is built.

[slowandeasy]

never did see a ugly dog slinging slober at the bottom of a tree with the meat in it!!! if you all are having this problem i will gladly take them off your hands free of charge.

[Cooch]

Here's a question.... would you breed from this bitch?


She has some excellent hunting genes behind her, you can see how she looks, (good stamina and conformation) and yet she doesn't hunt with a pack or run a scent trail for long , although she's seriously interested and has come through on deer in the past. If she puts one up in the bush, she'll bark beautifully, then come back and tell you about it.

One probable reason is that she simply lacks confidence. I class that as a temperament fault and wouldn't buy a pup of that type, but the question is whether she's worth joining to a very strong and confident dog in order to correct that fault.

Incidentally, the one litter that she has produced, all hunt and earn their keep in a pack.

Peter

[sheimer]

Andy, did sombody tell you that your dogs were ugly and had bad feet?

Cooch, I probably would not breed to her, she's a little short on that one end.

Scott

[Mike Leonard]

Get up real close and look em in the eye, you can tell a lot about a hound by their eye. Same with horses amigo!

[twist]

Andy, did sombody tell you that your dogs were ugly and had bad feet?

Cooch, I probably would not breed to her, she's a little short on that one end.

Scott

Scott, my huntin buddies always do I have just been listening to alot of talk on some guys opinions on the good and bad of what they like in a hound and just thought I would see why people believe these claims. Sounds like them ugly bad feet pups of yours are doing well

[catchaser]

Hey Andy, i got to say well i got one of the ugliest dogs around she seems to prove herself time and time again in the woods and if she wasn't so damn old i would of bred to her along time ago. And i still owe you to this day for giving that old shadow dog to me she really helped me out with them young pups of mine when i was at my wits end with them. Theres alot to be said about a dog besides its looks, so if your in the market for a dog and your shoping based on looks alone your in it for all the wrong reasons. JMO

[larry]

That's why so many salivate over a dog that looks good AND puts the ulgier ones to shame in the woods. There's my 2 cents.

It sounds like alot of you guys think you have to settle for one or the other, no thanks. If you just want to hunt it, who cares, but when you start reproducing undesirable traits instead of breeding away from them you are doin a disservice to the breed you choose to hunt and promote. Apparently alot of guys really don't care about or deal with these things when they hit the ground because alot of ugly dogs seem to be employed by those that feel the need to stick up for them, ugly is one think, but conformationally flawed creating weaknesses to be passed down is unacceptable.