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-- Dogs Feet. (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=928521260)

Dogs Feet.

Have a question for the show dog people. What should a naturally good foot on a dog look like? Over the years I have seen conversation about the cat foot. Up on their toes? Some say they can't run with those type of feet and others say the run like the wind. LOL

The point I am trying to get to is this. I have a litter here 12 weeks old. Raised in the same conditions other pups have been raised in. The are on concrete and also a fair size grass area to run in. All of them have real short nails. I know the concrete keeps the nails short on some of my other hounds. But not this short.

Is there a foot shape that keeps the nails short over a different foot shape.

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It’s hot I got gravel in my pens my dogs are digging their nails are really short.



Tar

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It is hot here and my dogs must be stupid and digging the concrete. LOL

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I’m not a show person but here’s my 2 cents. It’s been my experience that a cat footed dog will run circles around a duck footed dog. Both in raw speed and in durability of the foot/pad over several consecutive days of hard hunting. My dogs nails are the size of #2 pencils and stay worn down to nubs. I’ve seen dogs with long Freddy Krueger nails be a lot more sore after a long day/night of hunting, than a dog with a foot that has seen consistent hunting and therefore conditioned to it. This applies to big game hunting and putting several miles on a dog everyday for a couple weeks straight. For people that coonhunt, tree a couple 500 yards, load up and go home, 3-4 nights a week, foot structure probably makes no difference.

To try to help answer your question, you said raised in same conditions as other pups. Are these pups out of the same dogs or bloodline as the previous pups? Maybe some lines have harder toenails and would therefore wear slower than a softer nail? I’m not sure if dogs nails get softer after soaking in water like ours do, but if you’ve had a lot of wet weather in recent weeks, would that make any difference?

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Plywood bred not hardwood bred ! Bruce can you do the bench show girl tiddley trot lol ?



Tar

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Tar, I was just curious. For some reason these pups are keeping their nails short. Digging the concrete, different structure or shape of their feet. I don't know, probably don't care. As long at they don't start bleeding.

The pup this morning when I put her on this work bench seemed to like it. Might be some special times we can share together. I can experiment on what type of music makes her stand better on the bench. Then sell some bench show music, guaranteed to make them stand tall with their tails up. I am thinking I might start with some bag pipe music. By the time the dog has it figured out what it is. I will have her solid as a rock on the bench.

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Mr barnescreek

I'm not sure where you live/hunt but here in MN I like a foot that is shaped like a coyote's foot. The center 2 toes a little longer then the outside toes. Here a cat foot will wear the meat off the toes running in crusty snow were the coyote foot gives the hound more spring and a little more endurance for the long runs we get sometimes here. I also have a friend in Utah that was a Government hunter after cats and bears and he found that the cat footed hounds couldn't get around in the rocks and ruff ground without coming up lame. He too liked a hound with a foot that could grab the ground better then a tight cat foot.

I'm sure the cat foot works fine in different parts of the country, and if I had only 2 choices, cat vs "duck/coon" footed, I would take the cat but my number 1 choice is a foot like I said above-

As far as wearing the nails down? I have 2 that I have never had to trim their nails and they are kennel the same as those that I do and come from the same family genes?? (and their feet are like those of a coyotes)

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I don’t know Bruce some people got long flowing hair while their brothers are bald. They will wear them down on concrete if they are active some dogs just lay around so they won’t wear them off.


Tar

The foot on the top left of the comparison has been the best for me in the mountains of NC.

Yes the length of a nail can and will affect the structure of the foot. Short kept nails are a good thing.

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Another thing that is important is hair coverage on the feet especially if you run on snow covered ground much. Obviously, most coon hunters that live in the North, depending on how far North, won't be running coon much for at least 3-4 mos. of the year. I like my Snowshoe Hare hounds to have big strong legs, big rounded feet, no splayed toes and well covered with hair.







Wouldn't care if every hound I ever own from this day forward was built just like this guy. He floats on bare ground and slides through the snow while pursuing the Snowshoe Hare! I really enjoy him.

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dogs feet

I f your dog fell through ice to thin for you to walk on you might wish it had a little more toenail to help it out.

quote:

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Originally posted by DL NH
Another thing that is important is hair coverage on the feet especially if you run on snow covered ground much. Obviously, most coon hunters that live in the North, depending on how far North, won't be running coon much for at least 3-4 mos. of the year. I like my Snowshoe Hare hounds to have big strong legs, big rounded feet, no splayed toes and well covered with hair.







Wouldn't care if every hound I ever own from this day forward was built just like this guy. He floats on bare ground and slides through the snow while pursuing the Snowshoe Hare! I really enjoy him.

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Training dogs is not so much about quantity, it's more about timing, and the right situations...After that it's up to the dog....A hunting dog is born...

Yes. He is AKC Reg. but measures out of standard (15") @ 17". I like a big hare hound height wise so he was a perfect fit for me.

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Dan

Yea that’s a good looking dog.

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Tar you hit the nail on the head with the short nails. The pups found a spot out in their play pen where I had put some gravel along a fence several years ago. The grass had grown over it and I had forgot about it. I saw them laying out there yesterday and walked out to the spot. They had dug into the gravel and seemed to be having fun doing it. I have their normal 1/4 acre pen and they have another 4 acre area. If a pup can find something to get into no matter how much room you give them to play. They will.
Several months ago we had plenty of squirrels. Now they seem to have left the area. Just when I need on to sick the pups on.

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Bruce you know I like a challenge. A freind gave me a female will be 3 next month she had never been hunted she hates cats. Showed her her first coon yesterday at noon she ran and treed it with a huge mouth. She is out of bone and a hardwood Cornell female she is about 45 pounds of cat footed twisted steel I think this fall I will really enjoy her. I will get Corey to post a picture she is a looker.



I put lime rock in my kennels don’t have Oder or flea and tick problems I soak them with spray about twice a year and I wet them a spot to lay when it is hot.


Tar

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I like them Bone Dogs.

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Re: .

quote:

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Originally posted by Bruce m. Conkey


I like them Bone Dogs.

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Nice looking hound Mr. Bruce! 1 or 2 yrs. old maybe? Looks young.

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Dan

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about 2 1/2

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