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Do big litters or small litters produce better dogs. I know some say that there is more milk to go around when you have smaller litters but in bigger litters the drive to survive. Or does it even matter?

I don't know about the small litters cuz I've never had one. my litters are usually 13 but I have had a huge success rate on the big litters. Thanks for the new topic, wish I had some small litters so I could contrast.

i would say doesnt matter . but speaking of small litters my buddy pauls female just had one puppy thats it . the stud owner wanted a couple puppies . he said he was keeping the pup as it was the only one . i told him that he owed the puppy to the stud owner as they get first pick . his reply was there was no pick so im keeping the pup . what do you guys think?

I don't think much especially about this. Huge success with large litters?Hmm? what kind of success ?

Just in the overall turnout of all the pups mike. I know in some large litters the cull rate has the potential to be big. Out of the four litters I've had I only know of two that didn't make the cut. the two that started out as pets and at age two tried to start them. They both made great tree dogs, but they didn't trail as good as their littermates.

Interesting, and I concur on dogs that are started late. Many never develp fully their trailing behavior. There seems to be a critical window for this. Not saying they won't trail just not to their full capacity. Treeing is easier to develop in tree bred dogs.

We try to make sure our pups have full access to lots of trailing from a very early age. Not that it is possible for most but we have found some of our best trail dogs were pups that were allowed to run free on the ranch and take up trailing as a game early. Many woul d get so involved they would trail for hour and some nearly all day on rabbits and other vermin. Most of these get pretty trashy early but if they are handled properly and exposed to the right scent and then bumped off the trash they usually come around.


The largest litter I ever had was 13, and all of these save one did turn out pretty good. The one that didn't make it was put down early becasue he was born stone deaf.

Interesting topic.

Well said Mike, Trash can be a problem with those ranch raised hounds alright, but the advantages are many and with broken hounds a guy can put an end to trash in short order. What is a successful litter? Is it one that the vast majority of pups in a litter go on to trail and tree and are help with one or two of them making lead dogs? How are the pups evaluated? I know in Mike’s case they are put into the hands of guys that have the same expectation from them as he has, so how are pups being tested? Do the men that hunt them sport hunt? Or are they men whose livelihood depends on that animal’s ability to get the job done in any and all conditions presented to them? Success comes in many forms as well as hunting style, and expectations. I have past up pups from guys I know to have good hounds solely on the style of hunting dog they were hunting, not because I didn’t think they couldn’t get it done. I just felt they wouldn’t be a good fit with my program. If a female has four pups and one of those pups is culled can you say that your success rate was 75% or you have a female that has ten pups and you cull two can you say that your success rate was 80% if the three hounds from the litter of four out performed the eight pups left in the litter of ten in each and everyway?

sourdough

Litter size has nothing to do with it. Genetics, socialization, hunting and getting the pups in the right hands are the main factors.

you can argue that litter size is due to genetics, that socialization can occur differently with larger or smaller litters, or that nutrition can have a major influence on the pups as some will get more milk, or better quality milk, or that the survival instict will be hieghtened due to more pups having to fight to get their nutrition. However there is no real way to tell if any of this, really has a dramatic influence. But genetics and field experience are the common factors that make good dogs great.