Dear Shane,
Thanks again for writing. Your question seems to be "you have
a
strike dog that is long range, and your other dogs want honor him".
Some people reading this will think you dont have a problem at all,
they wish their dogs were long or longer range. Well, I know your
dilemma, believe me. But, I would ask you a question before I
answered this if you and I were speaking in person. The it would be
"is your dog open on track?" He might not be, but
if he is, I can
completely understand it. If he is open on track like most hounds or
cold nose dogs are, this is the reason most hunters cant make the
change over from silent dogs to open dogs (curs to hounds). If a dog
is colder nosed (can pick up an older track), most of them are open
trailers when ever they can smell a track. What happens is, the
stirke/find dog opens, the curs run to him to try and help him out
with the hog, but the track is so cold that there not only is no hog
for them to bay, but its so cold THEY CANT even smell it yet. So
what happens is, the curs go to the open dog a time or two and say to
them selves "Im not waisting my energy to go over there when there is
nothing to bay". So the cur dogs dont honor the dog. This
very
thing is why cur dog hunters hate hounds.
There is a solution tho. If I had a nickle for everyone that has
eiether called me or wrote me or asked me in person or even told me
"I cant stand a hound, all they do is run hogs clear out of the
country with trail barking, how can you stand to hunt with one?"
And this is a ligetimate question.
Many many times, I have given out my "two cents" on an open dog and
how to hunt one to LOTS OF other hunters. Some wont even concider
trying, BUTTTTTTT most of the ones who do try it as Ive learned, have
called me back and personally told me how great the dog is that only
a few short weeks before they were ready to shoot.
Before I give you an almost exact example, let me say first, that I
too love silent running dogs that only bark when looking at a hog,
that is my goal is to have all silent dogs. Most of the ones I do
have are silent runners. I have learned a way over the years to
increase my averages in numbers of getting hounds to run silent, but
it starts when they are pups and not after they have already
developed the habbit of running open. I wont explain how I have
done this again on your answer, but it is listed on previous answers
I have given.
EXAMPLE 1: A man wrote me back about a two plott pups he had gotten
from my stock about the middle of January 2000. The pups are about
9 months old and they are starting them in the woods. Both owners
hunt together. The one who wrote me told me how pleased both pups
were doing on hunting hogs. Then he mentioned that his was a little
mouthy but his partners was running silent. Then he went on to tell
me that his partner had used my reciept on getting them quit, but he
basically hadnt had the patience to do it. It takes patience to get
a hound pup to think hes a cur dog. He was going to try and go back
and do what I had suggested to him when he got the pups. I dont know
weither it will work or not since they are already hunting, but it
might.
now to hunting hounds/open dogs with cur dogs
Example 2
A friend of mine over in west Texas, guides hunting parties for
aliving. Not only deer and exotics but hog dog hunts too. He
contacted me that he had a plott hound that was an outstanding find
dog, but was open on track, and his long time set of curs wouldnt
honor the dog. Then asked from my memory "do you know anyone that
might want to buy this dog, shes a good one, but I just cant have a
dog that the others wont honor when I have paying clients and Im
needing to get a hog?"
Instead of telling him someones name on who might want to buy the
dog, I started asking questions instead. 1. How do you hunt the
dog? 2. do you hunt her by herself or turn all the dogs or
several
dogs out at once. 3. can you tell a difference in her bark
when
you know she is looking at or the track is getting hotter?
Questions like these lay the ground work for an answer that might not
only please him, but make him realize just how good the dog is.
Heres what he said. "I usually turn her out with a couple of other
dogs in front of the truck, keep a stop dog or two on the truck along
with a catch dog. I can tell a difference or CHANGE OVER in her bark
when shes getting close or the track is really hot." and she would go
hunting all by her self with no help from any other dog keeping her
company. (alot of dogs wont go out and hunt unless another dog is on
the ground with them)
Here is what I suggested for him to do:
Next time you go out, turn her out alone. Hold the other dogs on the
truck, Then just listen. When you hear her getting on the hot
part
of the track or you think shes looking at him, turn the other dogs to
her. But dont hunt her with several dogs on the ground.
Well, a
couple of weeks passed, he was having hog hunters about 4 or 5 days a
week. I get a phone call. He said "Jim, this is so
and so, I just
have to tell you about my plott gyp. Man, we have been catching the
tar out of em. Man, shes a good dog." I asked him
if he was still
interested in selling her and his reply was "Heck NO!"
What he had
done was he had now figured out how to hunt a hound as in comparison
to hunting the curs he had been hunting for years. He just went on
and on how happy he was to learn how to hunt the dog.
Now, will this work for everyone? Of course not, but it works alot
more than it doesnt. So I know Ive been long winded on this answer,
but If your dog IS OPEN, I hope this might have helped you understand
why the other dogs arent honoring him.
Now, if your dog is not open and just a long ranging dog and you hunt
smaller type places, theres not much you can do. The dog just likes
to go long and theres no way your going to stop him from that. So if
thats the case, you can eiether just save the dog to use as a bay dog
rather than a find dog or you can sell him or you can trade him to
someone for a shorter range dog.
Heck, who knows, I might be interested in swapping one myself with
ya....haha
I hope in some kind of way, I have helped. I didnt give you any
solutions, but maybe it will help in your understanding.
Good hunting,
Jim