How many dogs

[dwalton]

How many pups or dogs do you have to go through to get a good to top cat dog? How many cat treed does it take to make a top dog? Just curious as to peoples opinion. Dewey

[CRA]

Dewey,

There are so many variables to your question, that its hard to answer. If the pups or dogs were purchased by a great bobcat hound handlers and the strains of the pups or dogs were out of proven cat dog lines, than you would stand a fair chance of getting a top cat dog. The right crosses just click and seem to only need exposure to the game they have been bred for to bring out what has been bred into them. Over the years I have seen some great cat hounds. The best pack of cat hounds I ever witnessed did not have what I considered an outstanding cat dog in it. They could together break a cat track down because they ran with each other contributing to the cat race from start to tree.

I have seen a good pack of cat hounds be purchased by a half hearted tyro hunter and within six months those same dogs that could consistently catch a high number of cats they started, had trouble catching a cat period.

I have also seen a great cat hunter take a couple of started young dogs that could run and tree and catch 2 cats in 1 hunt.

I truly believe the faith of the hounds lie in the handlers/hunters that purchase them. I know for a fact, I'm not telling you anything you dont already know. A great cat hunter can take average dogs (in my region) and catch a decent number of cats they start if the scenting conditions a favorable.

[Dads dogboy]

Mr. Dewey, a very good question that should get some good responses.

CRA, probably the BEST answer possible!

As far as Dad's Hounds and how many Trees/Catchs does it take...well as posted before in our Pack a Hound is not a CAT HOUND till it reaches 4 years of age. It might be a Hellofa Young Hound but it takes it that long to acquire the Skills needed to become a CAT Hound, all be it maybe a position player on the Team of Cat Hounds.

How many Cat has a 3 coming 4 year old seem in our Pack...well over three Hundred Races!

The 1st part of the question "How many Pups do you go through". As Posted previously in the last 10 years only two out of 60+ have not made Hounds worth feeding! Not all made SPECIAL Hounds but Solid Hounds that help their owners to sucessfully end a Cat Track.

[krk hunting]

Mr. Clay

I think you have brought up a good solid point. That in-fact to many times people consider or expect to have a dog that is a complete package by the time it has hit 2 when in-fact I believe that they do not reach their full potential till 4-5 yrs of age. i had my very best dont not become a great asset to the pack until he was 3yr old and then he really started contributing and by time he was 4 he was in total control of the situation. But if you would of asked me when he was 2 how I liked him, it would not of broke my heart to see him gone but after he was 4 you could not have pried him out of my hands.

kevin

[chilcotin hillbilly]

I am not convinced it takes 4 years to make a good cat dog in most country. Certain areas require different life lessons learned by the dogs to become successful. Swamps, ditches, tangled brush and rivers can take a dog a long time to learn how to navigate through this stuff. Cliff country is another type area which requires life lessons.

Trailing a cat is trailing a cat, drifting a track is another story. Figuring out how to pick up a loss ussually caused by mother natures road block is something trail hounds seem to never grasp. Hense these all day races.

I will never tree 50 lynx in a season but with bear, lion and lynx combined the dogs do alot of catching. I find running bear gives the dogs lots of practise drifting the track and often the dogs cross the road 20 or 30 yards down wind of the bear.
At the end of the day my trail hounds are way behind my drifting style dogs on every spcecies, but every once in a while those trail hounds will find the out track before the running dogs, just enough times to keep them around.

[South Texan]

CRA,
I've nothing to add to what you have already said. GREAT ANSWER!

[twist]

I have had a pretty high percentage of the pups I have kept for myself make dogs maybe not perfect but dogs that can catch by themselves. The amount of cats to make a bobcat dog it all depends on the dog some are born to be cat dogs others have to be steered in the right direction with alittle more help so how many cats does it take to make a good cat dog is strictly up to the hound some are naturals some need more practice. I believe if the dog is not catching by two years old alone it will not work for me but this is just my opinion. Andy

[Unreal_tk]

I had two culls so far, one didn't have hunting drive it needed. I gave her to a lady here who runs every day that wanted a partner, the other had aggressive issues that made it bad. I think that to make a top dog it just takes as much experience as you can get them, for you to trust them. Once you trust that dog that's when its a top dog. So not really a age I guess, but im a newbie so im a idiot.

[Marshall]

I had two culls so far, one didn't have hunting drive it needed. I gave her to a lady here who runs every day that wanted a partner, the other had aggressive issues that made it bad. I think that to make a top dog it just takes as much experience as you can get them, for you to trust them. Once you trust that dog that's when its a top dog. So not really a age I guess, but im a newbie so im a idiot.

Unreal in the hound world those are culls and need to be culled. What if that lady that runs accidentally has that dog get bred? People look for hounds all the time on Craigslist ect. And a pup from that cull could get passed along as a Huntin dog. Shoot those dogs as hard as it may be because what you are doing does not help anything.

[Jason wall]

Or fix them before you give them away!

[Unreal_tk]

Or fix them before you give them away!

Is what was done. Thanks