Now What????

[tjsna]

Ok here's the deal,
I just aquired two 8 yr old cat dogs that have not been hunted for three or four years.
Was told they where good cat dogs in the begining of thier career,but lack of enthusiasm for hunting sidelined the dogs the last few years(owners lack not dogs).

How do I get them ready for this falls hunting. These are the first cat dogs I have ever had.

I know they are out of shape but man is the drive still there to go and do.

Guy said to road them as far as they will go and get-em tired as often as possible.

Sound advise?

They are a little skinny and in need of worming and current shots-old owner did'nt care about them and was going to put em down but his old partner talked him into seeing if anybody wanted them for free first-So I have em now and want to let them shine again.

After getting them somewhat back in shape do I need to run them on some tracks for refresher?

Is it even legal to persue lion during summer months in wyoming?

I also have a couple b&t young dogs I am going to run with them to get them started so the whole experience will be an adventure--Can't wait to get started.

All advise will be greatly apprecieated. Tim

[Sammiller03]

If I were in your shoes I would get them in shape and take them out together on a refresher it might take some time but if they were good dogs before they prob still have it in them. I would not put the pups with them till you know if they have any bad habits. Just my two cents.

Sam

[Nolte]

Tim,

This might sound harsh but it's probably the truth. Most likely you just got a couple rejects pawned off on you that the guy didn't want to deal with. I've seen that scenario much more than a guy giving away a couple lock down finished dogs that weren't hunted. Because if they were worth much of anything, they'd be gone. Someone else would have scooped them up or he would have sold them. Now I've got NO clue on the guy, he might just be the rare salt of the earth guy trying to help out a new guy.

But you won't know until you try them. Road them a little bit, get them some exercise, and when next year comes put them down on a few tracks to see what they do. If they aren't going on them and trying, get rid of them. Find someone by you that will let you tag along and get those pups in on a few races.

The bright side if it all goes sour is you didn't get shafted by a dog jockey for big dollars. The dog buying game is littered with carcasses of new guys who ponied up big money for worthless dogs. Littered. If you don't remember a thing of what I've posted remember this. The only way to ever buy a dog is from someone with a sterling reputation that you trust OR under the tree. And even better if you can see that dog do some hunting ALONE.

Good Luck and Good Hunting. Nick

[DeVuono311]

Agree with Sam