hard headed top notch bear dogs.

[DC DOGGIN]

How many of you have had good luck with hard headed dogs making good bear dogs? I have a buddy who likes hard headed dogs he says they make good bear dogs. Once you get them to handle and understand that you are the pack leader and what they are supposed to do. He says Your pissin in the wind if you cant get them to handle and obey you. Im not talkin stupid crazy rattle headed idiots, im just talkin hard headed. I know he has some hard headed dogs but i also know he has some real bear dogs as well. Thoughts, opinions, stories it's all welcome, just thought id try and get something a little different going. DC

[lepcur]

I will not keep a hard headed dog, if they are not smart enough to learn I don't need them. Mike

[DC DOGGIN]

Thanks for the reply Mike. He says he can put up with it becaus eof how they hunt, Im meaning barkin in the kennel and chewin water buckets and stupid little things like that. That is also coming from a guy that does not like to raise pups he gets irritated and hates the hassle.
This kinda goes hand in hand with Jason's (Poser) post about what you can handle from a dog or tolerate. I Feel that the dogs he has are Good bear dogs that can get eaten up by a mean bear and not be effected by it mentally, and Im talkin beat up bad. Bay a bear all day untill you can get there by itself (if need be) and eventually put the pressure on it to climb. Strike off the truck and go damn near out of hearing before opening or out of hearing. At some times this could be a hassle but when there isnt much moving or you can only be in certain areas you might need a dog of that caliber to get a race going. You might get a good bear dog that's an easy keeper,( but getting rid of the hard headed ones and replace them with an easy keeper might take a while) especially if you gotta raise them from pups or get them at a real young age and raise and train them. Keep in mind that alot of guys don't have room for 10 dogs or can't with city laws. wow i just rambled way to much. So out of all the views this post had no one has had a hard headed top notch bear dog? My best bear dog was a little hard headed like barking on the chain i could go whoop him and soon as id turn around bark bark bark, it wasnt because he was bored he would get hunted regularly. Maybe they are not hard headed just stupid. DC

[Nolte]

DC,

I agree with you. Many good bear dogs I've seen are a little hard-headed or stubborn. I think it's a quality that you cuss out half the time and be thankfull for the other times. I've noticed that many good track dogs that are similiar, they just keep grinding when other dogs have had enough. Sometimes it pans out and other times you dick around all day and just get home later.

For bear, I'd rather have a dog you have to soften up a bit than one that doens't have that edge to begin with.

[shawn cole]

i like them hard headed growly little runt bastards everyone else hates that way when the shit hits the fan they are close enough to get splattered

[dwalton]

IT depends on what you consider a hard headed dog? Why would you want to put up with a dog that doesn't mind or handle well? Life is to short to waste your time. Isn't it suppose to be fun and enjoyable hunting with the hounds? Dewey

[chilcotin hillbilly]

I am not sure the cement heads are any better. No one catches 100% of the jumped bears anyways. I would rather catch 80 to 85% and not have the vet bills and the sleepless nights trying to get your dogs back. You don't need cement heads to do that you only need bear dogs. I am with Dewey on this one, hunting is supposed to be fun not fustrating.

[lepcur]

I am not sure the cement heads are any better. No one catches 100% of the jumped bears anyways. I would rather catch 80 to 85% and not have the vet bills and the sleepless nights trying to get your dogs back. You don't need cement heads to do that you only need bear dogs. I am with Dewey on this one, hunting is supposed to be fun not fustrating.

This is what I'm talking about, and why would you want to put up with all the bad manners around the house with a ( what I call hard headed ) dog. For me if a dog isn't smart enough to learn to mind, behave themselves, etc. after a little while they're gone. I enjoy my hunting too much to have 1 dog ruin my day. JMO Mike

[Nolte]

I don't disagree with you that a pleasant dog is much more enjoyable to have around and hunt. I've just haven't found a bountiful source of dogs that fit the bill and still catch critters for me. I'd sure like to, but I haven't yet. I'm always looking though.

I personally don't have enough time, money or dogs to cycle through a bunch of them to get the one I want. Then repeat the next year. I find some dogs out of stuff I like and put them on some tracks. If they do good enough for me they stick around, if they don't they are gone. If a dog is a complete idiot in the yard, it's probably gone. Now if it's got some quirks and can catch game, I'll probably give it a little slack.

A couple years ago I took 6 young dogs and worked them like bird dogs on handling. Dumped a lot of time into them. I've got one left and she is so-so and I just use her as a strike dog to line out a rig. Once more dogs get added she will most likely fall behind. The only reason she sticks around is I like her and she handles, otherwise she would be long gone. Now would she catch a guy some bears, sure. Is she going to catch a high percentage, probably not.

[Glen]

All of my dogs are somewhat hard headed in the yard , but when it comes time for hunting they are all at buisiness. But they sure arent good bear dogs , they just get lucky once in a while.lol

[kordog]

the way i see it heart ,drive is certainly welcome at my house any day for a beardog .hard headed for the wrong reasons such as barking in the dog box continuously on a hunt takes the fun out of it i dont know how some guys put up with the ignorance .thankfully there is electricity,and that alone has kept at least a couple hardheaded ones in my pack if their barking it better be cause they are rigging the game animal. also around the house it is a real pleasure owning hounds that only bark if there is a stranger or strange animal on the property.i dont encourage the behavior ,but allow it within reason the neighbors sure appreciate it as well.getting and keeping a hardheaded dogs tendencies working for you ,and not against is the name of the game.if they detract more than they add to a hunt whats there purpose.

[nuttybuddy]

I have found over the years that there is a difference in a dog being hard headed and one that has a great deal of desire. A dog that is hard headed and/or stubborn just has that trait. Not a good quality in my opinion. Having great desire and drive is key. Then you add in a fair amount of intelligence and a dog learns early which end of the critter is hot....that's when you catch game AND avoid big vet bills. Good Hunting. Greg

[Hunter]

I all but gave away the second best dog that I ever owned because he was hard headed. You could set your clock by him that at 4 pm he would start barking and didn't shut up until feeding time. Bark collar didn't even phase him or slow him down. I swithed up feeding times to try and confuse him but, if I fed him two days in a row CLOSE to the same time he would start barking an hour before the next day. I would feed him twice what I fed my other dogs (I feed my dogs a little heavy anyways) and that didn't help. I took a 3 foot piece of water hose to his back side. To this day the guy still has him and every time I go over that dog barks all the time. It doesn't seem to bother my friend thou. I got rid of another dog that was the same way but, he went to the sink hole. I don't mind some playful, excited, or the see something barking but, when I go out and say "ENOUGH" I mean just that and all the dogs I have now shut up.

[loaded4bear]

I think hard headed and drive are the same trate but foundation training when young and not confussing a dog about what you want is key. I had a yr old cameron female I tried to get barking at a caged coon around 5 times with no luck. After I sold her to another guy she blow up on the fist coon he showed her? The message is; she was smarter than me and I was the hard head!!

[alphaknl]

...I personally don't have enough time, money or dogs to cycle through a bunch of them to get the one I want. Then repeat the next year. I find some dogs out of stuff I like and put them on some tracks. If they do good enough for me they stick around, if they don't they are gone. If a dog is a complete idiot in the yard, it's probably gone. Now if it's got some quirks and can catch game, I'll probably give it a little slack...

Yup, That's how I roll.

Now, someone please explain to me how a person can put up with a dozen knuckleheads tied out back or in the truck... 3 calm dogs is plenty for me.