Cull the Superstar?
Moderators: Pike Ridge Beagles, Aaron Bartlett
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oldschool
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BJK
What is the definition of a pack?
How can one hound doing all the work, fill the requirement to be defined as a pack?
Which ever is your choice, something must be done. Hounds, like people, are a jealous lot and will revert to what ever methods will get them in on the action if there is not balance in the group or, they may drop out to find their own diversion.
If the super star has others in his family that display the same ability, gather them up for your use as a pack.
If he is the odd one that pops up once in a great while, using him in the trial system that rewards the individual more than the group as a whole, might be putting him to his best use...Patch
How can one hound doing all the work, fill the requirement to be defined as a pack?
Which ever is your choice, something must be done. Hounds, like people, are a jealous lot and will revert to what ever methods will get them in on the action if there is not balance in the group or, they may drop out to find their own diversion.
If the super star has others in his family that display the same ability, gather them up for your use as a pack.
If he is the odd one that pops up once in a great while, using him in the trial system that rewards the individual more than the group as a whole, might be putting him to his best use...Patch
An Example:
A guy has a pack of let's say 5 dogs. He is a hardcore rabbit hunter and takes in an occasional field trial. He has 5 dogs that pack up together and compliment each other nicely, all of closely the same speed. They run the rabbit right and suit him to a T. He introduces a 6th dog to the pack. This dog is much footier (notice not faulty, just footier) and the new dog starts stretching his smooth running out. One or two of his steady-pack dogs suddenly start swinging and skirting to catch up with the faster dog. Soon he has dogs stretched out all over. All this was caused by 1 dog, the new inductee. What must give to get a smooth running pack back?
I surely know what I'd do! The faster dog would go! No fault to the faster dog, but the work of the pack is disrupted and the race is no longer clean and right (as a pack). He would go down the road no question for me, to someone who kept a faster pack. And for most of us, a small PACK of dogs that compliment each other and put rabbits in our game bags is what we're after, right? If not, then why not just keep one dog?
Now all this I guess is determined by what a fella likes in his dogs. No right or wrong over the board, just opinions. All this could work just the opposite as well with a faster pack and 1 slower dog to some degree. It's all in style and what you like to see in your dogs and how the account for their game. There's more than 1 way to an end, and neither needs be wrong (if it's done clean and right!).
Just my $0.02
A guy has a pack of let's say 5 dogs. He is a hardcore rabbit hunter and takes in an occasional field trial. He has 5 dogs that pack up together and compliment each other nicely, all of closely the same speed. They run the rabbit right and suit him to a T. He introduces a 6th dog to the pack. This dog is much footier (notice not faulty, just footier) and the new dog starts stretching his smooth running out. One or two of his steady-pack dogs suddenly start swinging and skirting to catch up with the faster dog. Soon he has dogs stretched out all over. All this was caused by 1 dog, the new inductee. What must give to get a smooth running pack back?
I surely know what I'd do! The faster dog would go! No fault to the faster dog, but the work of the pack is disrupted and the race is no longer clean and right (as a pack). He would go down the road no question for me, to someone who kept a faster pack. And for most of us, a small PACK of dogs that compliment each other and put rabbits in our game bags is what we're after, right? If not, then why not just keep one dog?
Now all this I guess is determined by what a fella likes in his dogs. No right or wrong over the board, just opinions. All this could work just the opposite as well with a faster pack and 1 slower dog to some degree. It's all in style and what you like to see in your dogs and how the account for their game. There's more than 1 way to an end, and neither needs be wrong (if it's done clean and right!).
Just my $0.02
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He's coming....are you ready?
He's coming....are you ready?
I agree with Darrin. Unless you bring your pack up to fit the faster hound, you will sacrifice the quality of your races. Ralph and I have our own dogs, per se. He likes a faster hound - the faster, the better and long as they aren't wild. I prefer a medium, upper-medium speed hound. That's why we have 17 daggone biscuit-eaters in the backyard. If we try to run his dogs with my dogs it always ends in disaster. My dogs either pull his back or his dogs string mine out, depending on their age and experience. If we're running seasoned dogs that won't be pulled up or back, then they do as others have stated and split off to work their own rabbits. I might as well have gone to the running grounds by myself because we will be split off with our respective packs.