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- UKC Coonhounds (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=4)
-- i think the quality of dogs would improve 10 fold (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=132177)

Why would you want to keep wannabe's out of the loop? Why would you want to keep anyone out? You really think titles mean nothing? Think again. Titles mean everything. Spend your life savings advertiseing a PR no-titled stud in every magazine out there and see how many bitches you breed. But please don't hold your breath waiting for the phone calls. We don't wanna lose yah.

Let's simplify this!

If I'm looking at papers, I like to see titles!

If I'm coonhunting, I like to see a dog that can do the job right and well!

I guess it all depends on your objectives!

Titles : Nite Ch./Gr. Nite Ch. don't even seem like real titles anymore, with the size of the local hunts! But, winning in major events still has some credibility!!!

PEOPLE ARE LAZY. INSTEAD OF GOING HUNTING WITH A DOG TO SEE IF THEY WOULD WAN'T A PUP OUT OF THEM. THEY LOOK AT PED AT SEE GRAND OR NITE AND THEY FIGURE THEY MUST BE A COONDOG THAT WILL REPOURDUCE COONDOGS. JUST A LAZY WAY TO SAVE SOME GAS MONEY AND TIME.

Bottomline!

Dogs would be better dogs if people did not pay attention to the titles and papers to begin with. Hunts and titles should not or should have never become an influence on what crosses to make. Crosses should be made strictly on performance of said hound and by what improvements people would like to make in their lines. Breed the best to the best and hope for the best. If everyone would go by this little saying the world of coonhounds would be a better place. As far as the hunts go, leave them alone. After all its all for fun.

__________________
Shinbone Ridge English Kennels
Owner:
Shane Wade
Gadsden, AL
Home (256)546-4464
Cell (256)504-7235
Reference:
Chris Broyles
Home:1-(706)368-9589
Cell:1-(770)324-9737
Home of 2005 & 2006 U.K.C. Performance Sire CH NITECH 'PR' Webbs Hobo
'PR' Wade's Shinbone Ridge Hot Cocoa
'PR' Wade's Shinbone Ridge Fat Boy

If all coonhunters were forced to eat nothing but the coon their dog treed, you'd see better dogs....and less coonhunters lol.

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I'm saving up dimes for a rainy day
I got about a dollar laid away
Mama turns the left-overs into hash
so I'm doing pretty good for country trash

The only way to improve hounds is to breed an honest coonhound to another honest coonhound. Dogs that continuously slick, run off-game, or are ill should be culled. I've seen many ads on here for females sold as "only" a brood dog; because she showed no interest in coons or hunting. We need to cull dogs that lack these abilites. You don't have to kill the dog to cull it spay or neuter it and give it to a kid for a pet if it don't hunt. Remove it from the gene pool no matter what their papers look like. If we continually do this then you can't help but improve the breed. It would also be nice if some of the hunts were hide hunts. Think how things would look differently; especially if hounds were graded on how may hides he produced at the end of a hunt. No circles and no excuses. Just the meat at the end. Amy

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"The scientific name for an animal that refuses to run from or fight its enemies is lunch." Michael Friedman

Just my opinion here. I do think it's pretty easy most times to make a nite champion in the local club hunts. Not usually enough dogs to make a hunt. Several me too dogs out there that don't get minus and will end up winning. All the dogs should be able to tree there own coon. Again JMO

__________________
Bryan J.

SAVE THE COON, HUNT WITH A HOUND!

Just my two cents on the subject. I say yes to hunting with the studs and ****s before buying the pup. The only problem is you drive all the way there, and then they tell you it's to cold or another excuse. But, just as much our fault as theirs, I guess. Also, if there was no circle, you would see a instant change in the dogs that are consistently put in the hunts. The only thing that you would have to change is that a dogs total score would have to reach 400 minus (minus and plus combined). Den trees happen, but it's not always that often, escpecially with a fast track dog. And, you would be really suprised how many coon you can find in those leafy trees if you are positive it is up there somewhere. Plus, if people got frustrated with not being able to find the coon because of the leaves, they would go to more hunts when the leaves were off (perfect). I know the scores would drop as an average, by the hounds would improve as a whole. The only way things will change is if the format of the hunt changes. Hound hunting is like everything else. First impressions make a big impact. Most young hunters open the coonhound magazines, read the big ads, and buy into the system that is already in place. Change the way these system's work, and you change the sport. In addition, for 98 percent of us, this will always be a sport, not a career. Focus on having more fun, and good honest coondogs are a lot more fun.