A dog that uses sight as much as its nose

[kansas0311]

People are going to wish I had never got a phone that would let me post on BGH.

What I don't like about your situation,Kansas, is that you are not in a situation to have gotten her on a few cats by this age. What I do like about it is that she is learning something in your yard. Most people won't let a dog fool with off game by the time they are old enough to seriously hunt and work hard. But if she has learned that going airborn gives her a moment of silence to listen, and gives her a better view at the same time, then she has learned how to use a hunting tool that could make all the difference in closing the gap on a bobcat.

I try really hard to keep my dogs from learning certain things. Like how much fun it can be to chase a deer. I try to have them green broke befor I ever turn them loose in the field. But I also feel so strongly that if I want a thinking dog I have to keep him learning SOMETHING as often as possible. Where as a deer chase can and has completely ruined a day of cat hunting, I have absolutely never seen a bump on rabbit destroy a day of hunting. I think that if you can not get her learning about cat right now, at least she is learning SOMETHING. And it might actually be something she can apply to cat hunting some day.

[kansas0311]

What I don't like about your situation,Kansas, is that you are not in a situation to have gotten her on a few cats by this age. What I do like about it is that she is learning something in your yard. Most people won't let a dog fool with off game by the time they are old enough to seriously hunt and work hard.

I have had her on 3 bobcats and 1 lion this year. She grubbed out the lion track, but someone else ended up running it. when crossed the road the second time, had her on a few bobcat tracks. She did real good just never got one jumped. I have a hard time not letting her run around and chase rabbits. I don't figure they will hurt anything once she gets on something bigger and better, plus I get to work on her listing to me and coming when called. I was just worried that she would break on something moving, while trailing a cat. I know her nose would correct her, but that's just time taken away from the track. I am probably just babbling, and worried about things that pups do on a daily basis.