The dog cheats?

[Tim Cook]

I hear people say the dog cheats and that's why they're catching cats, but if the dog is doing what it's suppose to be doing and that's putting and end or helping put an end to a bobcat race then how is that cheating. I love to see and hear a race as much as the next guy but I want the dogs to put an end to it and do it quickly and I don't really care to much how they do it if they're using brains to get it done.

[CRA]

Tim,
When I left California I had some dogs that I would call cheaters. They would go silent on a jumped cat. They caught most cats even in heavy rim rocks on the outside by not allowing them to make it into the rocks, but at the same time I never heard much of a race. They would open good on a cold track but once jumped it was mostly silent. My fur check liked them a lot, but my ears would curse them.

[slowandeasy]

Tim,


I will probably catch a lot of hell for what I am going to say. But that is OK as I'm not running for Mayor. The ONLY kind of cheating I will tolerate, is a dog that learns that when it keeps its mouth a little quieter it catches more game. Dogs that slash all over the place that some call cheaters will eat your lunch, and spoil more races then you will ever benefit from.


Now dogs that know where to look for game, and how to navigate obstacles that their quarry throws at them. Are not cheaters and can be called having Brains, Game Wise, Smarter than the game they are chasing. Or anything else we can dream up on here. But should not be confused with the ones that 99% of the time cost ya not to catch game. And 1% of the time may look like a million bucks. Them are the cheaters and anyone is welcome to have my share of any of them that come my way.


Take care, Willie

[slowandeasy]

Charlie,

WE sent them at the same time.

Take care, Willie

[LarryBeggs]

I have always called one that cheats a dog that when they have made a loose and the other dogs pick it up . Will cut cross country to get back to the front of the race rather than trail thru behind.

[al baldwin]

. Lets say you are running a four dog pack, three are quick to open when they find a lose. Dog # four is tight on track, picks up a lose and trails silent for a couple hundred yards, ( in this terrain can be out of pack hearing ) that dog is cheating & can make an good open trailer look bad at times. Dogs that cut to another hound who opens when finding a lose instead of trailing the track thru for me is something I prefer, providing the dogs have work as a pack and learned to trust each other. Al

[Tim Cook]

Al, I agree with you a dog who cuts to the other dogs when they open is what I prefer to and I don't want them to say anything when they do it! If that dog ends up in front of the pack and takes the lead that's ok for me to, I don't consider that cheating. If the dog is doing something that consistently is causing your catch rate to go up and is not taking from the pack I don't see how this is a bad thing. I was just thinking that what some of us call cheating might not be so bad and could possible help us catch more game while still getting to listen to a good race.

[LarryBeggs]

I prefer it to. I like that kind of cheating not the other kinds mentioned. Cause I think they work best as a pack and prefer they all stay together. Unless one of them was just that rare dog that can throw out the other good dogs and catch the tougher cat that the group might not be able to handle.

[Liz ODell]

I was having a conversation with a person about this and how my dogs cut tracks and go silent to catch and do things like cut ahead and run back into the race from the front to catch and he said he called that cheating to which I replied I call that catching

[cobalt]

To me a dog that cheats is a dog who gets the credit for catching the game when they did a very small part in the whole race ie., the strike, the start, the right direction, the cold trail, the medium trail, the loses, etc., yet on the jump are immediately in front and first to tree. Left to hunt alone the quality of the hunt is greatly diminished except on extremely hot tracks. In some packs they are of great importance if there is poor quality in the "jump" department in the pack.
Cheating is maybe not the best description of these dogs, but it is one of the many negative connotations attached that type of dog. Me too, tag-a-long, jump dog, hot dog, glory dog, pressure dog, meat dog and other descriptive names my also be appropriate (or inappropriate).
Even though there is always a few letters missing, I prefer all my dogs to be A-Z dogs.

[1bludawg]

I like a dog that catches cat by himself and is open on track.When they tree them by themselves no one can say they're cheating.