Life's a boar pig dog training program

Life's a boar pig dog training program training costs 1k plus 20kg sack dog biscuts paid up front, which gets you 2 hours per day, 5 days a week, 4 weeks( 40hrs ).

training includes, big boar confidence, mob bailing, leave small pigs alone, goat and stock proofing, bird aversion training with out a good pig dog to bring home the bacon, you may as well be a tramper, if you want to catch pigs, you need a decent dog. every one has a different opinion of what a good dog is based on experience, in my experience with hunting with well known hunters from all over n

ew zealand, i have formed my own opinion of what a good dog is, ive hunted behind some exceptional individual dogs( you only needed the one dog) and some exceptional packs of dogs, and some useless dogs, and with every dog i train, im still learning and evolving with what i believe a top dog is, my passion is training top dogs, and its not easy. the biggest thing i see most hunters doing wrong, is lack of training,the all blacks dont just play one game of rugby each weekend and keep at top level, no way, its hard work, regular practice and coaching that keeps them at there best, and its the same for pig dogs, they need regular work, correct coaching and guidance. i believe it takes 3 years to get a dog to a top level, yes some may exceed as young dogs more than others, but an average dog that sees a lot of work, will always be better than a great up and coming dog with lots of potential, that does not get much time and work put into it. i have come up with an intense program that i believe puts your dog on the right track, so what time you do spend with your dog out in the bush, gives it the best chance to reach its potential, and save you time, money and frustration when out in the field. my program is designed to bring out the best in each individual dog, not all dogs are capable of catching pigs on there own, some are better suited to hunting in a pack, each dog has its own individual style and technique, and if matched with the right dog or dogs can make a great team, if matched wrong, poor results will be achieved. my personal opinion of what a top individual dog is, is a dog that does not catch small pigs, does not harm a pig any more than it needs to to catch it, does not get hurt itself, and is under good command and can not be corrupted by others. its the same for a good pack of dogs, my personal preference is a dog that works for me and does what i trained it to do, than a dog that does its own thing. i spend hours training my dogs what not to do, probably more so than teaching it what to do, every dog is different, some will find pigs better than others, some can stop pigs better than others, there is no point having a top finder, if it cant stop pigs and keep them there till you arrive, and you can have the best stopping dog around, but you aint going to catch many pigs if it cant find them, so the best dogs are the ones who can find, catch and contain a pig by itself without getting hurt and costing you expensive vet bills. i have trained or re trained a lot of dogs that people have had problems with, usually due to poor tuition or lack of work, im not claiming to be new zealands best dog trainer, far from it, but i love the challenge of correcting a dogs faults so it stands the best chance of reaching its potential as a pig dog.

15/03/2026

Heres a session I enjoyed with some new dogs iv been training, stine the young black dog, who had been going pretty good for first couple weeks, got his first rip which happens as the dogs progress through my course, and gain more confidence, but once I assessed it wasnt to bad, could sit there encouraging him back into the bail so he didn't leave with less confidence.
In this session I also had emey, tan and white hairy bitch, shed had about 5 training sessions and given the odd bark, but she ramped up in this session., so was good to see, she's showed no fear and even made an mistake I've seen a few dogs do in this type situation, going above the boar and falling into the bail.
young dogs make many mistakes , none target species etc, if a young dog does this, a quick shock to discourage, then end the day bailing a boar.
walking away from bails etc, playing when should be working, lots of things, hence its important to be right there to guide them and encourage them etc,
Training young dogs is very frustrating in that sense, but I can help dogs overcome these mistakes so much quicker in my semi controlled situation, multiple times in one session, which most just can't do out in the feild on an actual hunt.
I used my main dog suey to find and stop this boar, he run about 200m to this wallow safe spot he's used lots of times before, and backs himself into, if I think some the young dogs are up to it, ill pull my main off, and sit there for an hour either praising encouraging, or discouraging , the young dogs as they do certain things, and they respond to it, and progress is made.
Also having multiple young dogs in training they can put each other crook etc in the early stages, distracting each other or one blushes the other follows etc, out in the feild young dogs would just walk away or give up, but I can sit there, managing the situation etc, this all helps develop there confidence and skills, doing it every day over the month long course while minimizing risks and injurys .

11/03/2026

TRAINING PIG DOGS:

The 3-Winter Rule

​Training pig dogs is a topic many hunters spend hours talking about and even more hours doing. It is something I am still learning to this day with each new dog I encounter, and it remains a massive passion of mine. I certainly do not claim to be an expert; however, I’ve been at it for about 35 years now.
​
UN LEARNING THE MYTHS

​It took me the first seven of those years just to get my first "main dog." Back in the beginning, I actually had to put down my first two dogs about four years into my journey. I was taught back then that if a dog got a taste for sheep blood, they could never be trusted. So, when they caught a wild hermit sheep, I applied that bad advice and put them down. That was just one of many myths or "wives' tales" I’ve grown to learn were not true.
​After that, I got three more dogs and started again. It was one of those three that would eventually become my first true main dog—a bitch called May. She was a small Border Collie x Bull Cattle cross who featured in the first three movies we made in the Life’s a Boar video days.
​
THE STORY OF MAY

​To this day, May was one of the most intelligent dogs I’ve ever had—way too clever for me at that time. After owning her for a year from an eight-week-old pup, I was in my "young know-it-all" phase and concluded she’d never amount to being a pig dog. I’d shown her 20 pigs with a mate’s dogs, and she wasn’t even thinking of barking at one.
​I actually had thoughts of putting her down, but my mate thankfully talked me out of it (but that’s a whole other story). To this day, I believe it takes at least three winters of hunting to train a "main dog."
​
THE REALITIES OF TRAINING A DOG

​I’ve seen one person online claim they can train a main dog in two weeks and charge $600 to do it. I certainly cannot do that; I’m just not that good. Credit to them if they can, but I just don’t think there is any way a dog can learn everything it needs to in that timeframe. It takes three winters for an average hunter who hits the bush once or twice a week and catches a pig often enough for the new dog to see.
​Most hunters don’t have blocks loaded with pigs or farms ploughed from rooting, so it’s hard-yards hunting. A dog can only develop at the rate it’s hunted and the success it sees on those hunts. There is so much that can go wrong which sets a dog back or stops it from ever reaching its potential. Training a main dog in two weeks is certainly beyond me.

​THE RUGBY ANALOGY

​I’ve also seen people claim you can only train good dogs on big, dangerous, true wild boars, and that if they survive their training, they will be a good dog. I find that to be a rather ego-driven comment, and I feel sorry for any dog that has to endure that start to their career.
​I describe it like this to people who send their mates to me for training:
​A 1-Year-Old Dog: Equivalent to a 7-year-old human. You wouldn’t ask a 7-year-old to tackle an All Black prop running at them at full speed.

​The 2-Year-Old Dog: Like a 14-year-old. You might get the odd giant kid who flukes a tackle, but most won't achieve it.

​The 3-Year-Old Dog: Like a 21-year-old who has had plenty of experience tackling through the grades—he’s got a real chance.

​I would never tell my son to jump in the ring with Mike Tyson for three rounds and tell him, "If you survive, you’ll make a good boxer." That’s just nuts.
​
THE ART OF THE BAIL

​When I start my young dogs, I like to ease them into things. I watch, observe, and put them up against pigs I know aren’t hell-bent on killing them. I run them with experienced dogs to get them off to the best start, teaching them that pigs are the target—not sheep, goats, or pheasants.
​Getting them ripped up badly early on just risks putting them off completely. I like to teach young dogs to bail, which is an art in itself. A well-bailed boar is actually "boring" to watch; it’s even a bit boring for the dogs. As their confidence grows, they start trying to nip the pig to make it run because the real fun is in the chase, but none of that helps catch a pig. That just forces it to run or fight.
​The number of dogs most hunters use is often the main reason for their vet bills. If your pack doesn’t work well together, you will either lose pork or fund your local vets

​MAYS LEGACY AND SKYS FUTURE

​Back to May: she didn’t start catching her own pigs until she was three. She passed away at 13 years old after being hit by a car, but she never once needed a stitch from a boar. She caught close to 1,000 pigs in her time, but more importantly, she taught me things I still think about today. She wasn’t the "best" dog out there, but for a wee 17kg dog, she fed a lot of people pork in her ten years of hunting.

​I apply everything she taught me to the dogs I train today. I have high hopes for my young dog, Sky, who has featured in my recent training videos. She's had no special breeding, accidental jack Russell over a heading dog, She just had her first litter of pups at 18 months (accidentally conceived at a bail-up on a mob of boars!), and I hope that when she’s three, she might finally "make the grade" too.
​The truth is, I don't hunt enough these days to give her the best opportunity to be all she can be. I’m not the keen hunter I once was, so maybe I’ll eventually hand her over to someone who is, once she’s ready, it would only be fair as its what I'm.training her to be.

25/02/2026

Few new trainees I've been starting off, stine,( black pup) winney, (tan pup)plus a couple partly trained dogs, savage,( dark brown and white) and ziggy, (tan and white) using dolly and Maui, (trainess I been working with for few weeks) to show them the ropes

22/02/2026

Sorry folks, been bit slack with posting lately, between loosing a phone, and other things going on, I've not been getting a lot of footage, but here's some of the young dogs I been working on in last couple weeks, just got some new dogs in to, so will show there progress etc as we go.
This is only a fraction of what I see or get on camera, always having to mix and match dogs to make sure injuries are kept to minimum. And dogs learn to bail better, and in case a few of yous want to comment dogs are useless etc, they are all young dogs, at different stages and levels, from just starting out, to main dogs, its called training for a reason.
Have a couple spots left for march if you want to get ya young dogs warmed up for the coming winter, and couple spots for April left too, things get busy from here on in

14/02/2026

PUPS NEEDING NEW POST CODES, 4 months old, 3 bi***es, and one male, farm raised, all ready good in bush etc, mothers a Patterson x gsp, fathers a hunter way greyhound x, pups have had there 3 vaxes, bred to find stop and bail. Parents are ass enders. Pups are in waikato region, individual pics in comments.

UPDATE, MALE AND FEMALE SOLD, 2 BI***ES REMAINING

02/02/2026
02/02/2026

A typical training session , crack as the main dog at the mo, as dukes on compo, Maui and dolly are the back up.
Started off making sure no interest in sheep, followed by a swoop round the goats, while trying find the pigs.
Eventually found the mob, a wild took off, so I was left waiting for them to return, eventually did, dogs were not the keenest, until mob scattered, shocked crack off a couple suckers, before she found herself a boar, lacked bit of confidence until Maui turned up, then they were into it bailing hard.

Me and dolly got ourselves bit closer, it broke, but they pulled it up in a wallow, had to give the dogs couple light shocks for trying hold, dolly is a bit confused, but with repetition ill get her back into it.

02/02/2026

Friend wanted some time out, so we took the dogs out for bit of a wander, and a couple of nice 4 month old pups, I declined the horse offer, instead for my daughters bike, as I wanted to see after the floods we had few months back if it could still get up there, so can take ma daughter next time.
Sam's young dogs ( 2 black dogs, parents of pups ) found us a pig, my main dog star hadn't been out for while, shes not ment to get involved on young pigs, so she needed be told off, but my other young male was pretty keen to get in on action, its his first pig ever seen killed, I dont usually let them do now what I dont want them doing later, but I let him have bit of fun.
The 2 pups really impressed me, first time out bush, swimming rivers etc, trying follow there parents everywhere. If anyone's looking for a nice pup to start training for winter, I think they will go well, parents are mongrel pig dogs, but got all the right traits I like in dogs, so pretty sure pups with good training will make the grade to, sams looking for homes for 4 of the litter if anyone's interested.
All in all a great day out with dogs and friend

28/01/2026
28/01/2026

Love sessions like this, watching young dogs progressing and learning. took a new dog crack out today, shes 2yrs old been finding, but loosing pigs, so ive been asked to pump some pigs into her to boost her confidence. for back up I took Maui and dolly, who i have been getting started, Maui the red dog has been going well, dolly has activated now also, I dont like taking to many older dogs together, but I added my dog paua who's done bu**er all up to today,he finally activated as well.
Thankfully no dogs were hurt, lots of action as there were to many dogs, had to shock them off holding a few times,its not good for pig or dogs , but yeah loved this session and the progress by all

19/01/2026

Heres dukes( brown and white dog) training session today, client wanted me to get him off small pigs, and bail not hold, plus stock proofing work, so im fine tuning his bailing and probably turning him into a boar dog.
Cause he can find all ready he gets onto the wild boars more often, which is great, but in today's case puts the 2 new trainees a clients asked me to start in the deepend so to speak.
Id assessed dolly( white bitch) and maui, the redy brown dog the day prior, with a soft bailer , just to make sure they were not going to try hold , and concluded they were safe to hunt with Duke, as he doesn't need encouragement to hold.
We started off duke grabbing a pig which I think was a sow he held, so I shocked him off, and sooled him away again, and he went caught one the wild boars, there's not much to see as it stayed in the thick s**t and would break each time I got to close, but Maui backed duke up nicely for bout half hour, and multiple breaks as I was trying to get Dolly close, but Maui got hit, no injury , but stopped backing duke up eventually.
After that workout dogs were pretty hot, but we carried on and Maui took interest in the sheep since he has now been activated, which made duke show interest, I shocked them both, before they got themselves into trouble, and they quickly returned.
Now If something like a sheep or goat gets dogs keen, I like to try end the session on a positive note, so I continued on, eventually seeing the dogs bolt and bail up one my boars.
Maui did really well, and after a good half hour bail up I called them off, dolly even had a few barks so I expect shell activate in the next session or 2.

15/01/2026

This session was before previous one posted, I just had duke as the main, and 2 my un started young dogs paua and leaf, but duke got to learn small pigs are not for him , im hoping he'll be a boar dog once I finish with him, duke was bit unfit and I got out a bit late in the morning, hot work this time of year, but its great in a controlled environment, cause I can get dogs off pigs if I ever think they getting to hot, no big chases for miles or holding going on to risk heat exhaustion

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Mokau
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