why solo?

[JCM]

I bought a young LP champion from Crabby a while back. Crabby told me, "he is not ready to win, he needs solo work." I soloed the puddin out of him and he became one of the best jump dogs I ever put down. I sold him to a friend because he had something I really needed. The first trial he went to he won the champions. Crabby knew what he was talking about and we solo as much as we can now or at least couple. Like a lot of you, Johnny and I are hindered by time limitations but we believe in soloing. We run packs of 5 to 10 but we want every dog in the pack to be able to hunt, jump, check, and circle. With out that why run them? Thanks Crabby for steering me in the right direction. Bobby

OK, so he is doing well and you breed him to a female just like him. Then you raise a pup, and solo it until it is good and breed it. You keep doing this and then, three or four generations later, will every single dog have to be soloed extensively to reach its potential? It sounds like you got the most out of this one dog, but do you want to base a kennel on dogs that need all of that special attention just to learn to jump a rabbit and run decent?

You said, "I soloed the puddin out of him." Did you consider that it just might be endless hours of running that made him? And deep down, wouldn't you like to know what he would have been like without all of the special treatment? Then you would know if he was worth building a breeding program around.

I have rabbit hunted my whole life and I have never seen a true jump dog that needed to be run by itself to learn to jump a rabbit.

Thanks Crabby for steering me in the right direction. Bobby

I'm scared to even say anything about this. Look at what he has done to hounddog.

[hounddog]

What's your thoughts on this Mr. McGuire?

OK, I'll bite. I just can't stay away (call it the toldyouso sindrome).

As someone who has rabbit hunted for over 40 years, and run dogs nonstop during this entire time, I have never soloed a dog. This includes 5 ARHA World Hunt winner, 4 ARHA World Hunt Runnerups, several ARHA Hound of the Year and Runnerups, Big 5 winners, State Hunt winners in ARHA and PKC, many Champions, and Grand Champions, AKC SPO winners, all of which were rabbit hunted and run hard their whole life.

I have said this many times before, and I will say it again, if you have to solo your dog for it to reach its potential, it doesn't have the mental toughness to be worth breeding. I hate dogs that can't stand pressure and get faulty when they run with superior packmates. I would never breed a dog that has to cheat, or loses its mind if it doesn't get special treatment.

If you solo a dog, and it turns out to be a good one, and then you breed it to another dog that was soloed, and you continue this for generation after generation, you are promoting a line of dogs that can't take pressure. Down the road you will have a kennel of weak minded junk. On the other hand, if you throw the kitchen sink at a young dog, and it turns out good and you keep doing this, down the road you will have strong-minded, superior performing hounds.

Besides, listening to one dog run is BORING! Give me a pack screaming after a rabbit trying to catch him and eat him. That is what running rabbit hounds is all about!

I don't have the resume that Mr. McGuire has but I have been doing this for a very long time. I have never soloed a hound and never will for the same reason as him.
If you think it helps, do it. If not, throw them to the lions and see what happens. Only the strong will survive.


hounddog
Jim Umbarger

[deerhost]

I don't think anyone really talked about soloing to keep pressure off a young dog or to make a poor dog into a great one. I solo a dog when it's a pup so that it will learn to hunt, Jump and circle a rabbit on it's own. Thats all! It learns to run sooner because it has to do it's own work. Then it joins the pack and runs with the other dogs. How many packs have you seen that has one good jump dog, one good check dog, one good track dog, ect. Soloing at a young dog allows the dog to get a chance to do it all and reach it's full potential. What a dog will become is breed into it, when they are born it either has the tools or not. Your not going to solo a dog that does not have the tools or can't take pressure and make it a great dog by soloing it. Soloing It will just make reach it's potential sooner and learn to pull it's own weight sooner in a pack instead of just trying to keep up with the pack at a young age. The quote about being afraid to breed cull later on that needed to be soloed to turn into a good dog is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. Sorry, I mean no disrespect. If I was going to breed to a male I would want to see it run solo First, then in a pack. I wouldn't just want to see the dog running with ten other dogs........Safe hunting...Thats about all I am going to say on this thread.

[Lee Cockman]

I run 12 head if he can not run with a big pack I dont need him or her. But that is me.

The cream will rise to the top after 3 days of 8 hour runs.

[littlewoody]

I don't think anyone really talked about soloing to keep pressure off a young dog or to make a poor dog into a great one. I solo a dog when it's a pup so that it will learn to hunt, Jump and circle a rabbit on it's own. Thats all! It learns to run sooner because it has to do it's own work. Then it joins the pack and runs with the other dogs. How many packs have you seen that has one good jump dog, one good check dog, one good track dog, ect. Soloing at a young dog allows the dog to get a chance to do it all and reach it's full potential. What a dog will become is breed into it, when they are born it either has the tools or not. Your not going to solo a dog that does not have the tools or can't take pressure and make it a great dog by soloing it. Soloing It will just make reach it's potential sooner and learn to pull it's own weight sooner in a pack instead of just trying to keep up with the pack at a young age. The quote about being afraid to breed cull later on that needed to be soloed to turn into a good dog is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read. Sorry, I mean no disrespect. If I was going to breed to a male I would want to see it run solo First, then in a pack. I wouldn't just want to see the dog running with ten other dogs........Safe hunting...Thats about all I am going to say on this thread.

+1

[Joeyman]

hmmmmmm

[lebro]

i may never solo a dog agin . i thought it helped and it does but i may just be hiding faults. thanks jcm for the insight with a background to back it up.

[PABeagler]

What is a Houndsman? If all you have to do is to run all the dogs together and see which one is best, then there is no such thing as a Houndsman.

[deerhost]

What is a Houndsman? If all you have to do is to run all the dogs together and see which one is best, then there is no such thing as a Houndsman.

[RunninHard]

This is some good reading here

[a-dog]

Hard to argue with the success Jim and frank have had.think the most important thing is to just put miles and miles an hours an hours on a dog an with different dogs they learn to run in any condition . Personally I don't like to keep to many but always end up feeding more than I like because i like beagles.I turn one or two loose every night at the house then when I go run I take em all an switch them out.

[golden acres]

No offence to Jim and other world hunt winners. The question is not directed at Jim. I enjoy both solo and pack. I really enjoy listening to a dog solo a rabbit with very few checks with authority. (Not that this happens a lot for me, but when it does wow.) GRCH Larsens native girl was a world champion 2 time little world champion North american and grand national champion and I am here to tell ya she was totally different after she was soloed for a mnth and was always soloed hard before a big hunt. It got here to drive out of the check a lot harder with out hesitation and it cleaned up here mouth. Not all dogs need this. Back to the question do we believe there are big hunt winners that could solo a rabbit concistenly. I heard Reggy was soloed a bunch before a big hunt. I also heard the same about Cookie. Kenny Lewis told me FC honeybee could solo for hours I believe she has 13 AKC wins in one year. i believe every dog or line of dogs is different and it is up to the handler to make the right choices to get the most out the dogs.

[bucks better beagles]

JCM: Absolutely correct. Although I have a lot more woods time than you, I couldn't agree more. Soloing is a complete waste of time if you ever plan to run a dog with a pack or in competition. It is illogical. Think about this; you solo a dog and he can run his own rabbit then you put him with other dogs, if he doesn't have the speed and talent, he is still just another dog in the pack. I have owned more dogs than post people would believe. Raised hundreds of pups and never soloed one of them. The keepers made it and the others didn't no matter how good they could run a rabbit on their own. The keepers are the ones who want to compete and try for the front end of a rabbit chase. The others are just back up singers. JMO

[littlewoody]

I guess I'm in trouble I have solo one dog 7 months because thats all I had. 90 % of the time I take him he jumps a rabbit and has good hunt. I just got another dog that I will start in a month. BTW I like soloing a dog it's been hard and fun.

[golden acres]

Buck old friend you may not have had to own so many dogs if you would have soloed.LOL And Again Reggie comes to mind just imagine how good he would have been if not soloed like he was