Hello Eddie,
Thanks for writing. I just answered and sent to baydog an almost similar question from Mike Schraeder. Your question is different in that the dog is different. His is a fireball pup he wanted to know how to start, Your question is how to start a pup about the same age that wont leave your feet. I will first answer the part where yours is different and then post the response I sent him. I tried emailing you an answer direct, but it came back undeliverable. So here goes.. the fella "Mike" who wrote me earlier asked the following ******************* "Question For Jim Crainer: Mr. Crainer, How are you doing. Just had a couple of questions for you. I have a male catahoula who is a hell of a dog he just aims to please. He shows a lot of interest in chasing anything that runs, cows,cats, coons, other dogs anything. What is the best way to get him started? He is about 6 months old. ******************** As you can see, his question is similar in the age of the dog, and the question he asked, but thats about it. I have pasted the response I sent him following this response to you. What I have told him is what I would tell you to do also. The problem is, his dog seems to have alot of "WANT TO" in him from what he wrote. Im not so sure yours does from what you wrote. Ive been doing this along time and have trained or tried to train alot of dogs. I have always figured with a little initiative, time and a little psychology, I could train most any dog that showed an interest, to be a hog dog to do various things needed in a hunt. BUT, there is one thing I have found that I CANT TRAIN THEM TO DO, no matter how well bred they are, how much I love that particular dog, how much I paid for him, or what ever his parents did or litter mates are doing or did, and that one thing I have never ever been able to teach a dog is have in their heart --GO OUT AND HUNT. A dog has simply got to have that in him to do that. Its like when I do my coaching in football. I can teach, show, do drills, talk desire over and over each day on how a proper bone crushing form tackle is t be made--- but the bottom line is "if the player doesnt have the proper attitude and desire and heart inside to make one, IT AINT GONNA HAPPEN." Dogs are the same way, Ive had some dogs that would bay a hog like a world champion in a pen, but wouldnt leave my feet in the woods. No matter what I tried, it just couldnt be taught. It has to be a natural instinct in the dogs heart. The only times I've ever had one finally leave my feet is with time and time again hunts. Sometimes they finallyyyyyyyyyyyy figure it out. But its only about one in 100 that will in my opinion. I currently have one "main string" dog thats kinda that way. You can turn her loose and she will be gone 15 minutes and will be back on the trailer and stay there, or will follow behind the four wheeler. But you notice I said she is still on the "main string" also. So you might ask me, "Jim, why in the world would you want a dog that wont get out and hunt? and why would you say shes on your main string?" Well, the reason is this. Even tho she wont get out and hunt and find a hog like the others I have do and even tho to this day I cant stand for her to come back and get back on the trailer........she has her place in the pecking order of the pack where she shines. And that being two things----(1) I can put her behind me on the 4 wheeler or have her in the back of the truck and she can "wind a hog" wonderfully, When she smells a hog and goes crazy wanting to be turned loose, shes gone like a rocket. (2) shes a hog stopping idiot. If another dog finds the hog, I can turn her loose with another stop dog gyp I have and they are like radar going to the strike dog and are hog stopping machines. Remember in hog hunting, there are three types of dogs (1) the one who finds the hog by what ever means (2) the one that bays or stops the hog and last (3) the catch dog. Some times you can find dogs that will do all three or at least two out of the three, sometimes only one of the three. It all depends on the dog and what your wanting him/her to do for you. So I guess what Im saying is, it might be hard to get your dog to learn to go out and hunt and get away from you, but she might have another quality to aide other dogs in baying up and catching a hog or she might be able to find hogs with a different type method other than casting. I didnt ask, but if your dog is a pet, and what I mean by that is, she runs loose at the house or is handled like a pet, petted all the time, babyied, that sometimes keeps them from leaving your feet in the woods and going out and hunting. I have never liked kenneling or tieing out a dog, but the only time I take one off the chain or out of the pen other than maintence such as washing, switchin from pen to kennell or visa versa is when I go hunting. That way they know EXACTLY what we are going to do when I load them in the truck or take them off the chain. There are always dogs that are exceptions to that rule, I have one now thats a yard dog for my wife, but is making a real nice hog dog. But I have found the majority of the better dogs are kenneled or tied out. I hope in some way this might help.
Good luck with your dog,
Jim