Roy Sparks - Buying and selling trained hounds or pups.

[Roy Sparks]

An interesting topic,I read some of the questions and answers, it can be tricky.

I dont have u pup factory but since I work two hound teams we need the breeding programme to flow and pups do become available and so do some really good trained hounds when I can spare them to selected buyers.

Any weak pups I cull.Any hound that does not develope the way I want in training and work I cull.I dont sell any pups or adult trained hounds I would not keep in my teams for my own use.

When faced with a garuantee question, I ask the potential buyer if they can garuantee that they have the ability and knowlege to get the best out of the dog.Truth is most dont.

Most will not do enough justice to a well bred pup or well finnished experienced hound.Most will not have enough time in the field with their hounds.Most will not know the game intended for the hound to trail well enough to consistently deliver the hounds fair trails to run on.They may be madly passionate about the hounds, but if they got naught hunting skills and dog sense you probably selling a good hound or pup that will be wasted.

A guy I hunted with and trusted at the time stole probably the closest to the best cat true hounds I ever had.He had hunted with me for 6 years but even after that time he did not have the ability to keep those hounds true, by the time I recovered most of those hounds after a year,I had one helluva time reshaping them.The guy was simply not a houndsman and thought he had a good thing going.Oh he showed them enough leopard trails and caught a bunch, but without the dog sense he could not keep it together with the younger hounds in that team.

If it was not for the base core of well bred and finnished hounds he stole he would have been totally lost.In fact he has since tried to get himself going and he is totally lost and so are most his unfortunate hounds.

If a hunter does not have the ability to procure a good hound pup or two from the correct breeding and develope those without the help of finnished hounds into what an experienced and accomplished houndsman would judge as worthwhile hounds, then I doubt he is going to be a true houndsman.

Some guys have it others dont.Its probably easier to accept this fact than run into a brick wall.

If I did not have the ability and honestly recognised that, but still loved to hunt with hounds I would sooner partner up with someone who has those qualities, let him be what he's good at, support him and the hounds ( financially to keep in the partnership or otherwise ), and team up to enjoy the hounds on hunts.

Thats my bit on that deal if its worth anything !!

Tie the dawgs loose.

Roy Sparks.