I post this in defense of both sides of the shock collar issue. Over the last couple of years, I've had the opportunity to travel a bit - usually to some of the largest field trials and largest gatherings of houndfolk to cover the event for the magazine. I've gotten the opportunity to sit in on many discussions among beaglers of all walks. Some mostly trial and hunt a little, some mostly hunt and trial a little, but one thing is for certain, from talking to the different folks that have been in hounds a while, I've learned that Joe is not a freak because he doesn't use the shock collar to break his dogs from deer. There are many more folks out there like him in that likewise don't use collars. You won't get a good cross-section of who trains how on this computer, because only a tiny fraction of us beaglers get on the computer. Most folks do use the collars for training and breaking, but there are still many well-respected breeders than continue to break hounds by hand. No one gives them grief over it, and they don't begrudge the folks that use them. There are many ways to ruin a hound and I think that's just common sense.
Different deer breaking methods are no more news than any other hound topic. I'm always surprised why folks get their knickers in such a twist over it. Like dog food, or the best age to start a pup, what someone else does is no skin off our backs. To discredit anyone because their methods are different is pompous to say the least. None of us are qualified to claim the title 'Keeper of the Breed'.
When I feel like I've learned all I need to know about something, my most embarrassing moment is sure to follow shortly. I know for certain that my opinions on various things will be ever-evolving and changing as the years go by and I will listen to others so that I may have a crude map as to where I am in my journey.
When I'm at these big trials and gatherings, and walking past all the tie-outs, I notice that the kibble in the bowls vary from camp to camp, some use slipcheck collars/others use dayglo, some keep big hounds/others keep nothing but small, some drive Fords/some drive Chevys, etc. When the day is over and the camp chairs and coolers come out, these deer-breaking discussions are as common as 'what type feed' discussions are. When someone explains how they break hounds from deer with or without a collar, no one jumps up and hollers "Idiot!", and no one rolls around on the ground laughing either. They might go home later and say "that guy's full of crap" but around the campfire, a certain level of professional courtesy is given right alongside the fun off busting each other's chops in fun. We can be brutal in our teasing, but most folks know it's just that - teasing. I sure wouldn't let any of that baloney wreck my day or make me sell my line of hounds, lol!
Now, leaving the dogs out of it, around these 'campfires/events' is every different kind of personality that you can think of. Some are known nation-wide to be a real jerk, or a royal pain (maybe I'm one of them) but the beaglers mostly take them with a grain of salt and brush it off because all we really want to do is run our dogs anyway. I've never seen anyone go up to Mr. Jerk and say "Did you know you're the biggest butt-hole east of the Mississippi?", pack their gear and leave.
I've noticed the confident people quietly discard the chaff from the wheat in their personal dealings and just go on.
Just my $.02
