Best Hog Dog Breed

OleCountryBoy

Senior Member
If your wanting a pet/ hunting dog, You might look into a squirrel dog. Lots of people keep their feist in the house. Those and labs are about the only dogs that come with a on & off switch. Your not going to be successful hog hunting with a single dog, squirrels on the other hand are plentiful and a safer to hunt with just you and the one dog. Nobody gets cut.....unless you pick up a HOT one. Ask me how I know.:biggrin2: And its about the most fun you can have with your britches on.:banana:

Great idea! I wouldn't put any of my loved family mutts in a position to run into a wild boar.
 

Chrisco6

Senior Member
Malenois. Great family dog, Jill has plenty of sense, good manners inside, can turn it on in the woods with grit to spare. She has caught more than one squirrel before he could tree. Good nose too. Mal. Or Black mouth cur would suit your needs.
 

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dtala

Senior Member
I have got TWO Mals currently , a four year old female and a 1 year old male. They are not regular dogs and require a different hand than any other dog I have trained. They are not called Malingators for nothing. I would not advise most folks to get one.

My female is a pet and very sweet. The male is more normal Malinois and is being protection trained. At 75 pounds he is a handful. He is impressive in his bite work.
 

Hillbilly stalker

Senior Member
Very few people need or can handle a Belgian Malinois as a pet. I’ve trained between 50-60. You better really really do your research. They have the highest prey and play drive of any dog I’ve trained or been around. They love to play...but they play VERY ruff. They require way more exercise than most people can give them. Without it they will become destructive and express their high level energy in ways you cannot imagine, and none of it good. They are a herding dog/ working dog and must be worked hard. There is always an exception to the rule, but talk to any breeder or trainer before you commit to one. I often tell people they are like a 65 lb. Jack Russel terrier, on Red Bull , that love to bite, and are good at it. Often a ten foot chain link fence won’t keep one contained in a yard.
 

dtala

Senior Member
I'm on my fifth Mal right now My first was a working K-9 when I was a GW in Alabama. Absolutely the smartest dog I have ever been around. She did everything, and did it excellently....drug detection, game detection, tracking men or wounded deer, finding guns hidden or thrown out of a truck, bite work including handler protection and apprehension of criminals. She didn't allow ANYONE to raise their voice to me or get too close to me, had a 70 or so word human vocabulary. She went to work EVERY day with me and saved my bacon several times.
 

Hoss78

Senior Member
IMO the hunt has been bred out of MOST of the pure bred curs nowadays thanks to the bay pens. A lot of the dogs now seem to look for a hog rather than use their nose. The best pair of dogs I had the pleasure to hunt were a plot and pit cross that you did not hunt on a night that you had to work the next day. This was pre garmin days. With that said the last hog dogs I had was a redtick a plot and a jagd terrier that all barked on track but were very fast for hounds and handled good. I used a black mouth/pit cross to catch with that handled good too.
 

Chrisco6

Senior Member
Hillbilly and dtala I agree with the things you say.Not a dog for everyone, they cannot take a heavy hand. I believe they are smarter than thier handlers in most cases. Loves work and and can run all day.Jill understands many of our words and is a joy to be around inside or in the woods.
I gave my opinion to the author based on my experience. She caught and killed a small pig while tracking a deer for me. Brought it to me, got her praise and ear rubs and the finished her track job on the deer. Also loves to go for a jog. Once we figured out how to train each other she has been one of the best dogs I have owned.
 

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dtala

Senior Member
good looking dog Chris.

My first Mal, Taz, would track wounded deer and didn't hesitate to mix it up with a live wounded deer. She grabbed a huge 220 pound seven year old she bayed. He slung her 20 feet and she hammered right back on him. I had to out her to take a finishing shot.

She worked seven year s as my K-9. In those seven years no one raised their voice to me or ran when we approached..no matter how much dove bait they had out.:eek:

R.I.P. Taz...
 

Son

Gone But Not Forgotten
Had hog dogs and hounds in the 1960's, early 70's. All kinds, but the best hog catch dog was an airdale, how ever you spell it. Best bay dogs were mixed hounds.
 
If I was going to have only 1 dog to do both it would be a running catch dog not a bay dog unless u plan on shooting around the dog that’s just my opinion run a decent cut vest that is light but just like human they have to be conditioned with it. I’ve ran cut vest on every dog in central Florida all year and never had a dog over heat and haven’t had any problem in ga either
 

Blackston

Senior Member
Breed would be a lean 40 or 50lb game pit
Pale face was double bred Eli if he could smell him or see his but was caught , my cousin would let me borrow him , early in my hog hunting career. I caught a rank bo hog with him and tied the hog to close to the box ripped both top canines out . I still regret that mistake !!!
 
Pale face was double bred Eli if he could smell him or see his but was caught , my cousin would let me borrow him , early in my hog hunting career. I caught a rank bo hog with him and tied the hog to close to the box ripped both top canines out . I still regret that mistake !!!
Right I got a 3/4 inch wood divider in my box and 1 of mine chewed a hole in it just to get to 1 when that kind of stuff happens it’s a mess
 

Woodshound

Member
Been around a lot of dog breeds for a lot of reasons over the years and I'm really struggling with the family pet and hog hunting dog... I've never hunted hogs with dogs but I've been around people who breed hog dogs and they aren't pets.

Now .. setting aside hog hunting, I'm a long time rhodesian ridgeback guy myself and they'll hit most of your criteria - marathon running wife can run with them, they're wonderful with families and kids, protective but not aggressive, sleep for long stretches, fantastic wilderness companions, tough as nails, intelligent ... and they certainly would be capable of hunting hogs. I would never do it because they're family pets and I love them way too much to see them gored open by a boar, but rhodesians are physical monsters capable of unbelievable things.

They are also not for everyone, are difficult to train, and require a firm, steady, loving, consistent, gentle hand as if you lose their trust, they are done with you. For something so ruthlessly tough that will unconditionally jump between you and danger, they have sensitive souls.

If you do want to try to hit both criteria, i think your best bet is a blackmouth cur or a treeing walker - friend of mine swears by them as bay dogs and you could conceivably have one as a pet. Got some Elvis in 'em though, so hope you appreciate a bit of crooning.

Good luck!
 

Joe Brandon

Senior Member
Been around a lot of dog breeds for a lot of reasons over the years and I'm really struggling with the family pet and hog hunting dog... I've never hunted hogs with dogs but I've been around people who breed hog dogs and they aren't pets.

Now .. setting aside hog hunting, I'm a long time rhodesian ridgeback guy myself and they'll hit most of your criteria - marathon running wife can run with them, they're wonderful with families and kids, protective but not aggressive, sleep for long stretches, fantastic wilderness companions, tough as nails, intelligent ... and they certainly would be capable of hunting hogs. I would never do it because they're family pets and I love them way too much to see them gored open by a boar, but rhodesians are physical monsters capable of unbelievable things.

They are also not for everyone, are difficult to train, and require a firm, steady, loving, consistent, gentle hand as if you lose their trust, they are done with you. For something so ruthlessly tough that will unconditionally jump between you and danger, they have sensitive souls.

If you do want to try to hit both criteria, i think your best bet is a blackmouth cur or a treeing walker - friend of mine swears by them as bay dogs and you could conceivably have one as a pet. Got some Elvis in 'em though, so hope you appreciate a bit of crooning.

Good luck!
Man walks a fine line with a dog. To me the dog is everything to the man. The dog works, protects, and loves, he is loved and needed. He puts himself in danger, and sometimes with our own primitive nature we put him in danger engaging in our hobbies. Its a strong relationship that goes way back in the friendships dna I believe.
 

Hillbilly stalker

Senior Member
A true dogman knows every single time he cuts a dog loose....that may be the very last time they see them alive. It’s a grim reality. But to keep one shut up in a fenced in yard or pen is worse....it’s what their bred to do.
 

splatek

UAEC
A true dogman knows every single time he cuts a dog loose....that may be the very last time they see them alive. It’s a grim reality. But to keep one shut up in a fenced in yard or pen is worse....it’s what their bred to do.

Man, thinking about getting a new working dog and this is one of the things that gets me everytime.
I am a catahoula man, but never worked them outside of runs and household stuff. Time to get a woods dog... but that paragraph is a real fear.
 
I would do anything for the ones I had if they bayed or caught I was going in without hesitation I have even crosses water between them and a pretty good gator because I knew he was there. But that being said I knew every time the box open they might not be back but they would go out with there boots on. That's why I would put a 300 dollar GPS collar on a 200 dollar dog.
Yes sir I very much agree that is the way the game goes I didn’t pay a penny for any of the 4 I have but they all catch and have 5-600 on them every time they hit the woods seen me get hit by gators snakes hogs cars had em drown picked me up from a race and had me fall over dead . U are right every time u put 1 out could be the last time
 
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