Question AND I"M NOT TRYING TO START A FIGHT!!!

[Guest]

I'll be real honest here. I used to think I had Branko dogs and would come on here and argue over topics such as this. But the more I have thought about it... My dogs did not come from Branko and yest they have old Branko blood way back but came from another breeder. Why not give the new breeder the credit? So I no longer claim to have Branko bred dogs. If a gentelmen can take a branko dog and breed him two or three generations of solid hounds why shouldnt he get some of the credit instead of saying Branko, Branko, Branko. I dont have anything against Branko dogs whatsoever I just have came to the conclusion a lot of beaglers that have put their fair share of hard work and dedication into the sport get some credit ripped away when someone looks at their kennel and says its Branko bred dogs. I would rather give credit to the exact breeder myself because I am begining to realize how hard it is to breed, raise, train, run and feed great hounds. Just my two cents

[Guest]

whoops the above post was by smitty1233 my account isnt working again.

[Steve C.]

We don't see many dogs from Branko's kennel here in the northeast for reasons I don't know. Occasionally we see one that is doing well- usually after he's made somewhat of a name in another region. There are quite a few that go back to Branko hounds through Blue Ninja. Most hounds we see that trace back to Branko's kennel came from the early Branko breeding- seldom from more recent crosses. There just doesn't seem to be the interest in them here that there is in other parts of the country.

[GentleBen]

Let me start by saying there is more i don't know about beagling than i do know. I bought two pups from the Krpan's almost a year ago. I've hunted over them this year and am very pleased with them. They get the cotton tails back to me pretty quick. They go strong for at least 7 hours long. I think I'm the one that quits first. On the other hand, I haven't hunted them for a week straight, day after day so i don't really know their true endurance. The things i've seen them do demonstrates good intellegence. When i feed the in the barn i have to put them on a chain or they'll open the barn door and go hunting without me. When i leave them in the barn over night the male always pulls the saddle blanket of the bench to sleep on. I've hunted with several other packs and i believe if these dogs don't get any better than they are now then they are average. On the other hand, if they improve they'll be above average.

[rbinford1]

I think it just comes down to what a person likes,I have 2 dogs in my kennel that hunts good will run a rabbit good handels,I just don,t like them .
I know people go buy pups an just expect to much out of them ,thats crazy
and top it off they don,t know how to handle dogs..lol very true don,t know sh-- bout handleing dogs .
And then its the breeder fault ,i,m not taking up for anybody ,its a fact and it happens weather it be branko or blues clues.
rbinford1

[MacMaster]

I've been reading all the posts... and have another question.
Some people that have posted have said that this line, like others, have garbage . If you, as a beagler, have bought a dog that is garbage for one reason or another. WHY would you try to sell it to another beagler? A bad trait is a bad no matter if you have the dog or me. RIGHT? I mean, don't you as a beagler want to better the bred? If you have a dog that runs trash (for instance), it's going to run trash for me. Cull it! The more we cull the better the breed, right? I understand that it's hard to cull $500-600 dollars. Isn't it harder to know that you just sold a faulty dog?
I look at it this way, I never sold a car that I felt was junk, it went to the junkyard!

Hey , I'm just a kid in this game, asking questions.

[Robert W. Mccoy Jr]

The more we cull the better the breed, right? I understand that it's hard to cull $500-600 dollars. Isn't it harder to know that you just sold a faulty dog?
I look at it this way, I never sold a car that I felt was junk, it went to the junkyard!

I couldn't agree more.
I think there was little doubt about the branko line of dogs when they were producing dogs that were out of Jack. etc

I have seen a direct decendint of Jack run. I can tell you he is the best Branko breed dog that came from them I have ever seen.

I have only seen a few that have came directly from Branko.
Ceder swamp Jack is the only one I have seen that I would own.

I have seen some top notch dogs with branko blood in them.
But I have seen some duds also. Those can in no way be blammed on the branko blood any more than they can be blammed on anyother dog in there pedigree.

I have seen what I consider duds out of alot of the popular blood lines.
Paycheck, Striker, etc.

Cull the duds don't pass them on.

[DIRTYDOZENN12]

IT all comes down to the name and the akc papers....branko is just a name that you think will make you money when you sell your pups....I GOT two branko dogs and there junk...maybe bad luck or maybe the guy i got them from did not care what he was breeding or he just wanted the $250.00 a pup... IM NOT GOING TO SELL THEM TO ANYBODY ...BUT i should put them up for sale cause there A K C.............

[swing]

I have had 3 Branko dogs that came right out of Canada from Branko. None of them were what I would consider to be above average rabbit dogs. They all hunted hard but that was all they had. I have a full 15 inch son of Turbo by Prop & Branko's Bring em Home Beth, that Branko recommended the breeding, and I would sell him today if I could find a buyer. All the ones I have tried were from different backgrounds so I would say I gave them a fair shot and they failed to impress me. I have a family of grade dogs that hunt harder, start faster, stay straighter, and control the pack better. I'll stick to that.

The reason you see so many Branko dogs is because everyone is looking to add blood that will fix the faults of the dog they are breeding. They assume the solid line bred Branko dogs can help. If the dog you are going to breed has faults that need fixing don't breed it.

Rock Bottom,
What is the fault with the male you have, that you are wanting to get rid of?

[WSRandy]

All I can say is some of the finest beagles I see run a rabbit at this time have Branko in them, some are 1/16 and others full Branko.......that sold me on the direction I am breeding in the future

I dont think Branko needs anyone defending him........his past Champions and current Champs speak for themselves! You dont get 20-30 great FC by being lucky and guessing. Branko has forgotten more then most of us will ever know about breeding beagles in our lifetime His dogs have shown time and time again that they can produce, in the field under a gun on snow and in competition trials. I think what Branko has done for beagles is above and beyond what most of us will ever understand. Yes he breeds a lot, but heck....every good chemist must perform many different mixes to hit the perfect one, I wouldnt think of dogs as being much different then any other important mixture. I am sure what he calls a cull is what many of us would call a nice dog, meaning I am sure Branko has very high standards for his personal dogs.

Geeze, I am a babbler........I am off to bed

Randy

[blackdirt beagles]

the branko line is way too watered down to breed for any kind of consistancy. you get faster dogs, slower ones, big ones, small ones, LP style, pp style etc etc. ive owned a few and they were the trashiest things i ever saw. also seen a few shy ones and talked to a few guys who had shyness troubles also. maybe some of the older blood from Brankos is still producing good consistant dogs, but i havent seen or heard of much id keep.
and someone mentioned that brankos wouldnt disclose how many pups they turn out each year...thats true because i used to do a few interviews for one of the mags and when i was interviewing mrs branko, i asked her that as i thought it was a really important question and she did get very mad about that question and told me it was no ones business and never finished my interview. to me that says they have to breed a huge amount of dogs to get what they have. it also says that their % of keepers vs culls is not good. thats my opinion/experience with branko dogs and thats as far as it will go. im sure there are plenty good branko dogs out there, but i sure aint seen many.

[beaglebill]

Just curious would you folks call Turbo a Branko bred dog. I think anything with Gay Baker in the pedigree means it has some of Franks blood but not Frank Reese bred.

[beaglehandler]

I read in one reply that some people do not know how to handle or train dogs. That statement makes me totally against cull. I have had dogs that did not fit my needs, wants or expectations but found a home for the dog that was the perfect fit. My uncle has a dog that was to cold nosed and hunted to wide for the previous owner. He worked with the dog and made it into the type of dog he wanted to hunt over. The key word being worked. I wonder how many faults we lay on the dogs that are really our own ? Do we give the dog the amount of time it deserves or needs ? Do we expect more from the dog then we should ? I run my dogs everyday execept Sudanys and enjoy every minute in the field. Yes, I get mad at things they do or don't do, but that time in the field in alot better than anytime at work.

[S.R.Patch]

Few know the time, work and numbers of hounds it takes to build and maintain a "line" of hounds. The performers and producers are rarely one in the same. The more people involved with the breeding and having different ideas pulls the threads apart. We are constantly fighting the "pull" toward the average hound to develop a line and gain consistency in the offspring.
In todays "Politically Correct" world test breedings are frowned upon and if a failure, to put down hounds is not a "correct" option. You want good hounds but are not willing to do what is necessary to get them. If a breeder sells or gives his culls away, he's labeled a puppy mill or contributing to the over-population of the animal. If he puts them down, he may go to jail, it's no wonder some go into hiding. Hell if you do & hell if you don't.

Sorry, had to vent ...Patch

[Guest]

I have stated before , that I dont have anything I consider or would call branko in my pen at this time. I do have dogs that go back to the some old branko stuff. When anyone can turn out numerous champions and place in Canda and all over the U.S. from the nationals to small pack to large pack write an article because you have a hell of a good line and I will buy one from you also. I dont know what it is that turns people off to Branko bred dogs if you have had your bad luck with them I understand but man lay off the " the trashiest thing I ever saw statements" Just say they dont fit your bill. Anyone who is not willing to admit that the Krpans have left their mark on beagling is sorley mistaking. I dont even know the Krpans and have never spoke to them. But just take a stroll through some of the dogs placing all over Canada and the U.S. search some pedigree's and I think you will see what the Branko dogs have produced. I started getting registered dogs just over a year ago now. I started by going back through all the old Better Beagling Mag and others and seeing what lines produced what. I think I found what I was looking for. A lot of you will claim titles dont run rabbits and that is true. But I bet you drop down with one of Branko's own you better bring your best. Never seen one run but I bet they dont stand and pee on the truck tire.