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.
