Using a bully breed for other game

minneguy · Post by **minneguy** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 4:52 am

Anybody use a pitbull, dogo , presa, cane mastiff or other mollosser or bully breed to hunt anything other than hogs? I always figured a pack of them would be great for hunting bearsC but the more I think about it, a dog that closes is on a bear is in danger, same with lions. I just wondered if anyone had any experience.

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Diana · Post by **Diana** » Sat Jan 18, 2014 1:13 pm

a pack of pitbulls is an oxymoron.

minneguy · Post by **minneguy** » Fri Feb 14, 2014 2:59 am

How so? Guys run multiples on hogs all the time don't they?

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Diana · Post by **Diana** » Sat Feb 15, 2014 1:07 am

Think about what a pitbull was bred for.....fighting other dogs. If you have one that won't, you have a failure of the breed and it is not really a pitbull any more than a hound that won't trail or tree is really a hound.(But, most pitbulls these days are ill-bred petbulls at best). Most guys who use decent pitbulls on hogs usually walk them in leashed to a bay up and don't turn them loose until they can see the hog.
Why is it that people always want to use pitbulls for some purpose other than what they were bred for? It is like using a sledgehammer to pound in finish nails. It is overkill.
Real pitbulls are absolutely useless for hunting. Even with 50% crosses, what you gain in hardness & drive you completely lose in control. Not a good thing in a hunting dog. 1/4 is the most you would want in any hunting dog. Real pitbulls have no "sense". They will gladly charge straight into a bear or mt lion with out regard for the consequences. Won't be hunting long with a dog like that.

Jkohnke · Post by **Jkohnke** » Sat Feb 15, 2014 1:49 am

Every pit catch dog for hogs that I have seen had to be kept leashed until you got to they bay up because they will catch anything they come across when you turn them loose. Even another catch or bay dog. Can't see them hunting together as a pack. Would be a disaster I believe.

DirtyDave · Post by **DirtyDave** » Sat Feb 15, 2014 4:26 am

They are for fighting. Thats why they make good catch dogs. They dont hesitate to put teeth on a hog. You would not want this on a Bear or Lion.

The Breeder I get my Jagdterriers from has some really nice JagdXPitt crosses and they are great for hogs on short races and make quick work of coons on the ground, but that is all they are good for.

halfbreed · Post by **halfbreed** » Sat Feb 15, 2014 4:56 pm

Jkohnke wrote:Every pit catch dog for hogs that I have seen had to be kept leashed until you got to they bay up because they will catch anything they come across when you turn them loose. Even another catch or bay dog. Can't see them hunting together as a pack. Would be a disaster I believe.

lol I hope my bulldog doesn't read this thread he will think he has been doing it all wrong . I use him as a lead in but not because I am afraid of his actions , but because I want to be right on top to help him out and handle the hog . when raised and socialized properly they have no dog aggression . my catch dog is stock broke [ raised in a cow pasture ] he might get catchy on off game if the other dogs trash .[ another reason to lead in ] . the dogs weren't actually bred to fight , but bred to catch . they use to fight all sorts of dog breeds .

off my soap box now lol to answer the question , no they shouldn't be used as running hunting dogs . if I turned my dog into a bear he would die or I would have to climb a tree and pry him off a bears behind lol .

ncmailman · Post by **ncmailman** » Sat Feb 15, 2014 11:56 pm

I had a half pit half bluetick was 1 of the best dogs I ever had. He could trail with cold nosed dogs just didn't bark much on track.He was a hard tree dog, would let dogs jump all over him on the tree .Never a fight.

nmplott · Post by **nmplott** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:28 am

I take my ab's hunting cats with me when I go. They may not start a cold track but hell they will make sure the cats don't leave the tree.

Diana · Post by **Diana** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:56 am

So if a well bred hound is raised & socialized properly it won't track or tree? If a well bred greyhound is raised & socialized properly it won't sight & chase things that move? That is the same thing as what you are saying about pitbulls. Fighting is a trait that was bred & selected for In the pitbull, just like treeing & trailing in hounds. It is not an issue of socialization like it is in other breeds. You cannot revise history to make the pitbull more PC. They were not bred to catch, they were bred to fight. What are the bloodlines on all you folks dogs that are dog friendly? I guess it all depends on the stock you start with.....

ncmailman · Post by **ncmailman** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 3:35 am

The sire of the dog I had was a very high strung dog. Never had him catch a dog but he would catch about anything else. He was probably from fighting dogs but he would probably run an hour or so.He would tree squirrels some .From my experience a lot of bulldogs have a tendency to tree if fooled with. Bulldogs usually get a bad rap about fighting other dogs because they end a fight in a bad kind of way.Most bulldogs I wouldn't trust to bear hunt, not because they will start a fight, but they will finish 1.They are just like a lot of breeds anymore though some will die with a bear but most will back up because they have been bred away from the fighting stock dogs.The boys around here that used to mix with the fighting stock dogs because they made for a nervier half.

ncmailman · Post by **ncmailman** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 3:42 am

I guess what I am saying about the original question ,when mixed right you can have a very good dog.Anybody that has fooled much with them can tell you that a little bulldog mixed in can help about anything.

Henefer-hound-hunter · Sun Feb 16, 2014 3:45 am

This is straight from Wikipedia -The Pit Bull Terrier was created by breeding Old English Terriers and Old English Bulldogs together to produce a dog that combined the gameness of the terrier with the strength and athleticism of the bulldog.[8] These dogs were bred in England, and arrived in the United States where they became the direct ancestors of the American Pitbull Terrier, pitbulls were used as catch dogs in America for semi-wild cattle and hogs, to hunt, and drive livestock, and as family companions.

That's funny I didn't see fight in the reasons it was bred for, guess it must be a mis print! The pit bull terrier was not bred to fight, it was bred to be a strong, athletic, and gamey dog. People just misused the breed for fighting and bloodsports. A lot of American cur dogs , and the dogo Argentino have pit in there breeding and they are excellent hunters that are ran in packs. And if a breed can only be used for what it was bred for then all our American bred hounds would only be able to run foxes, deer, and boars cause that's what there European lineage was bred for!
With time you can train a dog to do things it wasn't bred for, but it's easier to use a dog for what it does best probably why hog Hunter use tracking scent hounds to track the hogs and catch breeds such as pits to catch the hog! No brainer you would think but just shows some people are shit stupid, like people who think pits were originated to fight :lol:

muttman82 · Post by **muttman82** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 4:11 am

well said HHH, Im not a pit bull fan by any means but i have to agree. They are not born ready to fight other dogs. They are bred for tenacity plain and simple, just like all the terrier breeds. Look at the jadge or the jack russell enough tenacity and heart for a 200 lb dog ! Pit bulls will never give up or back down thats whats bred into them, those traits could be beneficial to any dog but there are plenty of good hounds out there that can tree bear on there own with no help from a pit.

Diana · Post by **Diana** » Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:46 pm

HHH,
FYI anyone can edit Wikipedia - it is not the ultimate authority on anything. I suggest you do a little more research. I know what I know & I guess you know what you know. I will leave it at that.