Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Chattanooga, Tn
Posts: 22462

Dan, you are exactly right. Only half of the "enjoyment" comes after dark. I am getting a lot of enjoyment from watching some pups in my laundry room right now that are only 3 days old. One even has a name, Romeo, because he roams all over and I have to keep finding him and put him back in the pile. But with pups sometimes half of the aggravation comes before dark also.
And Mr Conkey, I tell someone almost weekly that you can't just go by the papers or genetics. You have to look at the dogs also. Just because a dog is nice or a great reproducer doesn't necessarily mean that their littermate or half brother/sister will be. Of course, they should be but oftentimes they are not.

Last edited by Richard Lambert on 08-06-2019 at 03:27 PM

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Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
Posts: 5106

Watching these pups also allow me to see at an early age. If they favor their Sire or Dam with their actions. Dogs all do things a little differently and us being human. What our dogs do we put a spin on it and find a way to like it. The Sire likes to wind things and comes into a lot of trees with his head up and will almost make you think he sees the coon in the tree. I noticed two pups this morning throwing their heads up just like their dad does. What will that mean a year from now. Probably nothing. But today it reminds me of a characteristic I like in the Sire. I will say that in what I see in the yard. These pups favor their Sire in actions slightly more than the Dam. They favor the Dam slightly more than the sire in their color pattern even though the sire is close the the same pattern. The one pup laying with its mom if you notice has almost the exact same color pattern down to how it is shaped on her side. Again color means nothing to me unless it has a lot of mud on it from being in the swamps. But while sitting around the house waiting to hit the swamps. A lot of things can be noticed and enjoyed.

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Registered: Jan 2004
Location: Northwest Georgia
Posts: 1621

I am allot like Bruce in watching the pups, and seeing what traits come from the sire or dam, and if you know the parents good enough you can tell who marked who.
I know longer have to go outside my own breeding unless i want to, so i am able to only add traits that i like
Also being able to let them run loose in a wooded environment absolutely does wonders!
We have a litter that is about a yr old and are spread out in a couple states and when the men give me updates i can tell who marked their pup, that helps me in breeding.
Having smarts to me is #1 thing i look for in a pup.

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Striving to breed balanced Treeing Walkers.

"Life is short boys, Hunt an intelligent hound"

Born in sin, convicted by the Word, saved by Grace.

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Registered: Nov 2011
Location: Freeport,TX
Posts: 1911

quote:

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Originally posted by DL NH
You guys who have raised several litters, do you find that there are certain things you see in your pups before they're started that provide indicators that they have a good chance of being special that helps you choose what you want to keep?

I have heard and read where some who have raised several litters say they simply wait until all but one are sold and they keep that one! Nothing to scientific 'bout that method I guess!😆

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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...

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