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The power of one dog

I haven't been playing on the computer much over the holidays so i am playing catch up on many post this morning. I have to say I definately am noticing a trend.

Has anyone else noticed the power of one dog??????

You know the dog that we hunted with one night that was a world beater. Or the dog that looked so sorry that we now label its entire family as no accounts. Or even the dog of yesterday that no dog could ever possibly match today.

Yep, the power of one dog ...
it can keep us from fairly judging our current dogs today due to distorted memories; it can keep us from trying a new dog that just may offer us many new opportunities; or it can keep us heading down a road to mediocrity.

Maybe we as a group should be more analytical. Maybe we should only form opinions after hunting with 100 or more dogs from a particular line. Maybe we should just be a little slower to judge.

Maybe we should consider there just might be a forest hiding behind that tree.

__________________
Larry Atherton

Aim small miss small

Very good Larry! We are all a bit color/strain blind sometimes.
This is just great advice for life in general also.

__________________
"Drive a red truck, hunt a blue dog, and take plenty of extra clothes"
Or be really different
ON A MISSION
"Drive a blue truck, hunt a striped dog, and still take plenty of extra clothes."

quote:

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Originally posted by Long Ears
Very good Larry! We are all a bit color/strain blind sometimes.
This is just great advice for life in general also.

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__________________
The fun is over once you pull the trigger

Ron Ashbaugh
CROOKED FOOT KENNELS

Good advice Larry,

Im as guilty as anyone.

However I think hunting with 100 dogs out of a line is a bit extreme...

I try to judge a dog by the way it operates, not # of slicks, or deer ran...lol
If I hunt with 3-4 dogs out of a line and they exhibit the same styles and tendencies, It will take a lot to change my opinion of that line.

Larry,

You really hit the nail on the head! We can all be alittle color blind or strain blind. We should all be able to look at a dog and try to really see the dog. Can you do that on one hunt, or two? Just how many does it take. Quite a few in my opinion. Now just because we all love our breeds, nothing wrong with that, when you are looking for a dog in your breed, look hard. Big names aren't what make a coondog. Those big names did get there by having good dogs, but they might not be your style. HUNT! Ya gotta get out there and see what they are made of.
Personally, I love my Englishdogs. But, in the past year or so, if I was going to buy an "off-color" dog, it would be blue. After hunting with Dan Rons and Brett Bissell's dogs, I have been very impressed.
So, like you say, take time and try not to be judgemental, look closely, you may like what you see!

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Chris Baker
Timber Ridge English/feist
Lawrence, Michigan