Boars in Oz

[ratkilla 35]

Pleased to see you posting again Ned! Ive a question for you i live in the US now and keep Bull X Stags, both are hairy i went on a 5 day hog hunting trip with them to South Texas, before the trip i shaved their long shaggy winter coats to give them an edge on the heat down there. My question is why do so many keep hairy dogs in Aus where its hot, id of thought smooth coated dogs would be the preferred choice??

[Ned Makim 116]

Heat tolerance is not a function of hair. It's a function of fitness and genetics so the hairy dogs used here that are bred over time tend to be the ones that handle the heat. If you keep long hair from becoming matted it can act as insulation from direct heat as well. The worst issue here with long haired dogs is matting from grass seeds.

[Ned Makim 116]

The other factor is avoiding hunting in the extreme heat. Where I live it can be 40c in the summer and -10c in the winter so it's not all hot, dry work.

[skycat 6,173]

I'd only have one dog that big. Most of mine are around 3o kgs. As for getting them upset...be almost impossible mate. The whole concept of pig dogs is to have them determined but manageable. You can't have dogs in a volatile situation like stopping a pig that get too excited. The standard pig dog in Oz lives with kids, cats, other dogs without an issue. It's one of the things they are slected for in breeding. The vets here love them because they are calm, used to being handled and submit to all sorts of things. The on switch is flicked when dealing with a pig but flicked off again when not.

 

So good to read a post that explains prey drive and temperament so clearly. All too often people tend to equate aggression with prey drive.

[Ned Makim 116]

Yep aggression is definitely not wanted. The dogs are like good soldiers. They don't have to be aggressive, just trained, equipped and with a clear understanding of the objective. It's about efficiency and effectiveness not drama. There's enough potential drama dealing with a live boar close up without the dog adding to it.

[bird 9,887]

Yep aggression is definitely not wanted. The dogs are like good soldiers. They don't have to be aggressive, just trained, equipped and with a clear understanding of the objective. It's about efficiency and effectiveness not drama. There's enough potential drama dealing with a live boar close up without the dog adding to it.

yeh makes sense that Ned, how they bred , I know you said a line of proven good dogs, just wanted to know what breeds you used in there mix, that worked well for you. I know, some hunters have used ,stags, I/w/h bullmastiffs,pits,ebt, just wonder what was in your dogs.?

[Ned Makim 116]

We have wolfhound, English bull, English mastiff, dane and probably more. It's inexact because it's not the breeds that matter so much rather how they express themselves in the dog's performance. If I was starting again from scratch I would use wolfhound, English bully and deerhound. English bully when crossed produces a good nose. Maybe not a pointer nose but a good nose and the will to follow it.

[alaunte 12]

Love your hunting write up's Ned. Good to see your back.

[Lid 194]

I just found this thread, but I can't see any of the photos posted. They all simply say 'posted image'! I tried clicking one and it takes me to imageshack and expext me to log in. Surely I don't have to set up an account there to see these pics do I?

[Ned Makim 116]

You can't see any pix? Not even the ones on the last page or so? Some if not all pix are missing from the thread prior to my return recently so I will work my way backward and attempt to replace them. But it seemed the most recent ones were intact. Go back a page or two and tell me what you see.

Edited August 17, 2014 by Ned Makim

[Lid 194]

Yes I can see the pics a couple of pages back. It's the ones at the start I couldn't see. Thanks.

[Ned Makim 116]

Now if this breaches forum rules, mods please delete.

 

The book has been rocking along. It's still only in PDF file but I have been sending a few emails overseas with copies thanks to PayPal. It's 13 pounds emailed. If you want to know the details just send me a PM and away we go.

 

 

Edited August 18, 2014 by Ned Makim

[skycat 6,173]

I know that your book is primarily for pig hunters, but I think it would be very useful for all hunters as an aid to understanding how their dogs' minds work, and how to get the best from them too. Look forward to reading it!

[forest of dean redneck 11,597]

How are you finding breeding replacements ned,is the butters blood getting rare now,what outcrosses have you been thinking of,suitable workers or pure blood?

[Ned Makim 116]

The Butters blood is effectively gone. We've been working within the existing family but I have three other people who breed based on my breeding but do their own thing with crosses. I trust them absolutely when it comes to judgement of a working dog and we get together once a year to look at what's been going on. (One bloke lives 15 hours from me so that's why it's only once a year.) They try other dogs or variations on mine and occassionally breed so our get together involves a few beers, a few barbecues and a few pig hunts to test things out. I have one of my mates dogs here now, Geoff. He's by a dog produced from an Ian Colley dog over one of my bitches (Gina...Russell x Kelly). That dog went back over Kelly to produce Geoff.

 

 

He's a big, rough dog of about 12 months. Can find them, will tackle a rough pig without hesitation and let go on command. But he is bloody ignorant, not as easy to fine tune as mine but well worth the experiment.