Solo, The Amazing Cure

[madcatter]

i agree eddy,but i havent seen a dog soloed "lose" the undesirable trait that some think soloing fixes,helps,cures.
it shows what the dog is and does,but i like to see them in a small pack also....show me how it reacts to packmates and all the goofy stuff that one or more dogs can cause.

[NorWester1]

To each his own but you dont know what you really have unless he does it alone . imo

See...... I look at it the other way. You don't know what you have until he is packed consistently and performs the same. And if he does how he should and how you like in a pack.... and you run a pack, who cares what he does on his own?

[DIXIEDOG]

A lot of talk of dogs running down hare....the only way I've seen hare get run down by dogs with any consistency is if they are run by a big pack in hot weather or you get a sly ol' dog that goes silent running it or if they wait in the trail and ambush it when other dogs are running the hare.


What type of conditions are all these hare being caught in? Are the hare sick? Covered in ticks? I've seen screaming fast dogs chase a hare and the thing will run a few circles, pull out a couple tricks and then be sitting there on the edge of the trail cleaning his ears off and taking it easy.....I'm surprised by how many folks online have clean hounds that catch hare so regularly

[powerstroke85]

mine catch every one of them after i shoot them

[JCM]

To each his own but you dont know what you really have unless he does it alone . imo

See...... I look at it the other way. You don't know what you have until he is packed consistently and performs the same. And if he does how he should and how you like in a pack.... and you run a pack, who cares what he does on his own?

I sooooo agree. And really, I can't imagine anyone that has run dogs for any length of time that can't tell what dogs are doing unless they run them alone. If you take your pack out for a day's hunt, and you don't know what each dog has contributed by the end of the day you should trade in your pickup for a short bus.

[JCM]

I been reading this thread and knew I better stay out of it as I'm over twenty, thirty, fourty or fifty and never made a field champion in my life so I don't know a thing about hounds. I do however agree with Bunnyblaster and never did understand why rabbit dogs had to be ran behind to know what your dog was doing. I never have done that when rabbit hunting nor did I do so when I competition coon hunted when the hounds couldn't be seen but only heard!

I think years and years of experience makes your comment worth reading. That is the biggest problem with Internet beagling--guys with a few years of experience can sound like experts. And far too often, guys with years and years of experience are reluctant to share. Thanks for sharing from your years with hounds.

[JCM]

I would really appreciate hearing from anyone that runs in AKC SPO trials that doesn't solo. I know there are dogs that have been soloed that have had amazing success in the Midwest Federation. Are here any dogs that have been packed and not soloed that have done well?

[S.R.Patch]

I don't think Swampman ever solo's, I'm pretty sure his come right off the teat into the pack...

[chapkosbeagles]

Dont get me wrong I love to pack the dogs but without the solo time alot of dog that could of made it. Will just turn into race horses.

Norwester that hound has cought to many to keep track of over the years. He cought well over 50 cottontail in his day also

[NorWester1]

You've personally run down so many hare with that hound you've lost count?? Where was this? How's that hound bred?

[chapkosbeagles]

Norwester
Everywhere from caddillac to harrison,to the u.p. to drummond island ext. Most were cought in deepsnow. not that it makes a diffrence as he has cought them on bare ground also he is starting to show his age as he has been ran at least 4 days a week his whole life,but can still lead a pack of youngsters.

He is line breed lake ogemaw,snapps, paycheck, coby hill in there too

I have had went thew many hare catchers most just couldent run with gears an were culled or sold.
I have also went thew several 17 inch males with in this line of beagles(snapps stuff)

If u find it so hard to believe u can breed to him

[Swampman]

I've been avoiding this thread like the plague.
Since my name has been brought up though, I will say what works for me.

I strictly solo pups until they are 1 year old, I want them to handle and be able to run their own rabbit without any outside influences or help.
The 13th month I begin to put them with the pack and rarely solo after that except for the occasional injury or females in heat.

I do believe that soloing is beneficial, but with the amount of hours I work plus the farm, I just don't have that luxury.
I run by myself most of the time except for the occasional runs with Marty, Chad and the HH gang, annual Island trip and a trial or two when time permits.
Maybe running just my own pack most of the time is similiar to soloing and if I trialed with strange hounds every weekend like some do, my hounds would need more solo time, who knows?

I have had hounds since I was a kid on the farm, but what the h*ll do I know?
To each his own, if it works for you, that's all that matters.

Hope all had a Merry Christmas and have a safe and Happy New Year.

[briarhopper]

I read up there somewhere it said if you solo a dog and put him in a pack he wont honor the other dogs?? I have yet to have that problem. I dont solo a dog to fix or cure anything. I do it occasionally just to see the dog run itself. Id rather brace em up. I ran at the club the other day and got to split my pack up and brace two braces at one time. Each in their own enclosure, after a couple hours put em back together for the last few hours. I like to see how many times i can see the rabbit come back but will sometimes follow em briefly just , well just cus i feal like it. Usually just listen and watch ole mr cottontail come by. I dont see what the big deal is, everyone has to either bash a mans hounds or his training/running preferances. I run with guys who solo and guys that dont. I run with guys that have faster dogs, i run with guys have slower dogs. All differant bloodlines s.and styles,akc(spo),arha,ukc,pkc. It isnt a competition to me, i just want to see the rabbit.

[S.R.Patch]

Gotta respect a man who will stand on his own two feet.
Can I call you "Bro"...
And a very Happy & Prosperous New Year to you and yours...

[Full Throttle]

I agree with Jim about the pack and the solo 100%. I like to have dogs that don't need solo to be at their best. I also understand that most people don't have 10 to 20 dogs to pack at one time and don't have the time to run them hard enough and long enough to find out which dogs Can hang with the big boys and which ones can't. So if you have a dog that needs solo to be at its best then by all means Solo your dog,but If you find your self soloing to be Better there's always going to be better out there.