2013 Has Been A Great Year For Man's Best Friend

I have so many stories to tell about this past year and hunting season, I wish I had a secretary to dictate...but wait, isn't there a voice dictation program in the computer??? OK, does it understand Cajun, Ok, here we go...






Any way, my dogs have a lot of scars on the head from fighting with wounded bucks, 2 displaced hips, but no broken legs, like last year when we had like 5 broken legs, no joke, 2 on one dog in two separate incidents 6 weeks apart!






But all that being said, understand it is a testament to the dogs incredible working abilities, and question not if they will work, but at this point in the game, one big thing I learned about selling blood tracking dogs this past year is that most people want to pick the dog, but when it comes to a de la Houssaye's Catahoula, unless they PICK YOU, don't waste your time trying to merely buy them,  and fail to connect on a deeper level as a friend, because they will never be your working dog.






I like to advise people who ask if it is my dog, that no, it is not my dog, I am their man.




At this point, I have come to a place where I will not jump through hoops trying to impress a potential dog buyer, because I could say everything you want to hear, and still isn't it the dog THAT YOU,  need to qualify as a working dog, not what I SAY over the phone?






You see I have nothing to prove to you in a phone conversation regarding these dogs working abilities, because it doesn't matter what I say, and furthermore, I am not trying to sell these dogs, you are trying to buy them. And as far as I am concerned, I do not need to sell them.


 Now, I know they will they work for me, but the real question that you must face as a potential dog buyer is: will they work for you? And that means that they must WANT to work for AND with you, because YOU want to work WITH THEM, starting as a pet for the kids, or as a fishing partner or just BEING your best friend. And that relationship takes time to build, and you as the buyer bear the burden, not me! So,if you want them to hunt FOR YOU come hunting season in October or November, you need to buy them now, so they can get to know you.


and that being said I generally do not sell blood tracking dogs during the hunting season because most people who just shot and lost a deer, think they can call me last minute, buy a dog, haul it away from my driveway expecting it to work for them the next morning to find their lost deer, and that is an absolutely ridiculous expectation of a new dog! But you should hear the critisism of those who don't listen to the plan and try it.






However much a Catahoula may make a great pet(with the right people), you ain't gonna make them do anything they don't WANT to do, and when it comes to hunting, they will never hunt for someone they don't know and generally they don't hunt for people who don't integrate the dog into the family as a pet or into an active outdoor lifestyle, and treat them as a respected member of the team on a regular basis.






 Call her a pet if you like, but Catahoulas are very unforgiving of people who think the Catahoula is "just a dog" and incapable of intellect and compassion, and just because you do not understand dog, do not presume that she does not understand English!


And don't make the mistake of  presuming it is OK that she be tied up in the back yard, and is only fed on a chain, never petted, and ONLY feels a human hand IF THEY GET TO GO HUNTING.


OK, THAT SYSTEM WORKS FOR SOME PEOPLE with certain breeds of curs and hounds, but for these elite, high performance, pure bred, de la Houssaye's Catahoulas that are bred to hunt, you cannot take credit for "training" them to hunt, because if YOU are not THIER best friend, most likely, they will not hunt for you!




Here is where I have to say if you want them to be your best friend in the woods, but not at home, it is very important that they be part of the family and that could mean being the KID'S pet, or some one else's best friend.


All that being said, when a man makes a dog his best friend, that dog has a problem!