Dewey

[Unreal_tk]

Dewey,

I was reading Warner5s post and now i have a question. At what age do you say, enough is enough if a dog has a small fault but hasnt contributed much. I am curious to see what ages, and what issues your training consist of. Being new, a guy doesn't know when its time to move on to a new prospect.

Currently none of my dogs am I unsatisfied with, I have two young uns whom are coming along yet in my book, just curious seeing how you are tough on the grade.

By all means others feel free to comment, but dewey as we know seems to be picky about his dogs.

[twist]

If one isnt picky about his dogs, a houndsmen will never have top dogs. If a dog isnt showing intrest at around a year old and wanting to try and make some races with the older dogs it wont stay to long around my place not saying this is the right way its the way I do it. If a person is to hung up on trying to make more out of a dog than what really is there they are wasting time that could be put into one that has what one is looking for. Remember that culling is a major part in training and breeding!. Andy

[dwalton]

There is no rule as to when to cull a dog, each to there own. I will usually wait until 2 years old to cull.I have to like a dog to keep it. Some just don't fit my personality. By 2 they should be able to catch there own cat or add a lot to catching cats. The pups that bark off track, bark to much, hard tree dogs At a early age[ 6 to 14 months] I will sell to some one that likes that type of dog. They usually don't make the type of cat dog that I want. This may surprise some of you but treeing is the last thing that I look for in a dog. You have to start the track, move it to jump, push it hard before you every need the tree dog. If I get what I want in a bobcat dog I will then work on treeing. I don't worry about a dogs treeing until he proves to me he has what it takes to make a bobcat dog. A good bobcat dog trees because he knows the track has ended not because he knows the cat went up. It is track smarts that make a good locating bobcat dog not tree smarts. It boils down to what are you willing to put up with. Some people put up with a lot some don't. I like to catch a lot of cats, to average at least one every trip out and to tree, hole or catch own the ground every bobcat that the dogs jump. What I like in a dog does not work for everyone. It is just what I expect from my dogs.

[Unreal_tk]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the infromation. I would have a hard time keeping a dog past 2 after seeing what my young ones can do. Even at one year i would have trouble choking keeping a dog who isn't atleast making races. My one year old I have now has been making most of the races I've had, however cold tracks he does come back sometimes. My year and half just made his first cold trail with a warm nosed dog the other night, I was happy.

[Warner5]

In my country. If started right, I expect a dog thats 2.5 to be able to be taken out alone and have it catch a cat. If the dog was started late, it might buy it some more time if its showing promise. But like Dewey said to each their own, it depends what a person wants out of this sport. John.

[al baldwin]

I too would like to have caught every cat my dogs jumped. However that was not a realistic goal in my experience. Knew about all the local cat hunters in this area for many years & considered some of darn good hunters, some better than I. Never recall one of them telling me they caught every cat they ran. Not saying it is impossible, but saying it is highly, highly unlikely. I do agree the most accurate tree dogs on cat in my experience were late to tree. Recall a female that was a touch over 3 before she located & treed on bobcat alone. She Was contributing in other ways, very good track dog. I like early starting dogs, but also agree two years old is about the time have seen vast improvement in cat hounds. Most productive years in the dogs I have experience for catching cats have been four, five & SIX. Maybe hunters in this area just never the bar high enough? To each his own. Will say if anyone can catch every jumped cat Dewey would be at the top of the list. Read his post recently where he only took two dogs to run cat in rough ground & they were tight mouthed. Smart thinking, course i would have not done that. Loved to hear a race. Good hunting & health to all. Al