The American Beagler Forum

Will someone please give me the definition of an SPO Hound?
Speed?Drive and Hunt?Line Controll?
Thanx In Advance.

Medium to Medium fast

supposed to have hunt although most trials don't require it for some reason

Better have line control or else.

Look at it this way, most are a step slower than ARHA PP dogs on the norm. Not always but something close to that.

From what I have seen I would consider most SPO hounds in our area much slower than PP hounds.

I agree the ones I have seen have extrem line controll.

Not saying anything bad about them there just a differant from what I run.

Just from my observations.

Depends on what Federation you run in. Mid-West Gun Dog Federation promotes a faster, harder-hitting hound than most federations. From what I understand, PBGA promotes a clean but energetic sort of hound, and there are federations that promote them cleaner and closer than PP.

If you put your hounds on the ground for someone who is familiar with the different feds. and assocs., they can tell you where you will most likely be competitive.

Sorry

I was only speaking of the hounds I have seen that run UBGF

It all depends on where your at. Here in the north east they're faster then PP.

The local Midwest club is holding several SPO and Large Pack hunts here in the next few months so I was inerested in them and thought I aght to ask?Thanx

Mid-West SPO does indeed run a footier dog. If you have some fairly quick in foot dogs, they should be OK.

Robert, I have ran in UBGF and like you stated, they do run a medium to medium-slow speed dog with straight-on line control. If one breaks away from the pack with some foot, better be prepared to be picked up!

I guess I'm having trouble understanding this. Is there a SPO Mid-west gun dog trial, I had always thought it was just AKC Mid-west gundog. It sounds like SPO is the hub and the mid west, ubgf, lp,pbga, ect. are divisions of it, is this correct? So a SPO hound can be many different things?
Thanks...Patch

Exactly Patch...the varying federations run differing styles of dogs...at least that has been my findings!

Since the begining of the SPO movement in early 80's I have seen the type of hounds winning change in the Deep South change drastically. Take Louisiana for example. At Acadiana's first trials you sure had to stay in the race which usually had anything that could have competed in Michigan Large Pack. Today, the trend has gone to a very conservative hound of strictly medium speed. It could compete with the Mid West 20 years ago but not today. Change seems to be constant in some parts of the country. The "pendulum" movement or "fads" has hindered SPO to some extent. See lots of pedigree chasers today. Not that the use of a pedigree is bad though. some use them to breed better hounds and some use them to chase ribbons...

Can someone please explain to me how Midwest SPO and UBGF SPO trials are run under the same rule book? These dogs are night and day different.

Sounds like I ain't the only one that wants to know that answer. I tried to get the answer on ESPO board and it was a mess. Don't make no sense and maybe I am missing something.

Rob, to answer your question on the ubgf AKC small pack option v/s Mid-West gundog association akc small pack option . The two organizations are different, because of INTERPRETATION of the akc spo rule book.
I have judged in the Midwest association and the ubgf federation. they use the same rules out of the same rule book. nobody changes the rules ,but one is basicaly more conservative over all. backtracking is still backtracking, quiting is still quiting, ect, ect....but you will see the midwest dogs run a faster track. I know what the next question is, so I will already answer it. YES with a good knowledgable akc spo judge ,you will see dogs that run the front be picked up for not being able to hold the line ,but if they can hold the line, they can run as fast as there nose can handle it.
In both formats ,if that middle of the pack dog can hold that line when all others go on check,and he can drive on thru with forward progress ,you bet in both formats that dog will be recieving a HI evaluation.

Alabama Swamper: The AKC standard for judgeing is being disregarded. That is, different trials disregard different sections to suit their own purpose; (let their hounds be able to win. ) If you didn't get at least that from the spo board I've failed misserably and I appologize for my short comings. My lack of ability to communicate is vary frustraiting at times.

Drive-on Kennels: A good knowledgeable and honest judge finds the hound who accomplishes the most as is called for in the standard.