Well here we go, it is that time of the year
where everyone wants a finished blood tracking dog and I mean they want it now because they have
a big deer down somewhere that they shot and can't find.
And they can't find the deer because they didn't want to feed a dog all year long and now that they did not plan on maintaining one all year long, and having one ready to go, and a dog is needed, they want to act like it is sitting on the shelf at the convienence store ready to go! Well, actually it is there waiting on you, but in the short term it comes with a handler or driver, like when you hire a taxi or a delivery truck!
So yes, blood trail dogs are available "for hire", but they come with me to handle them. Why? Because no matter how well bred or trained and experienced they are, a blood tracking dog, like most working dogs, is part of a team, and unless you are accepted as a team player that dog won't work for you no matter how much money you spend on them, because they don't measure things monetarily the way we do!
That's right let's go to the blood trail dog convienence store and get one ready to go!
Well as much as I wish it was that simple, I am here to report that unless you put time AND invest money in that dog, what makes you think it will work for you now that you need one? The point I am trying to make here is that dogs do not work just because they are bred OR TRAINED TO WORK! They are motivated to hunt by their desire to please the master AND they hunt harder when they are hungry, but more on the blood trail dog diet later.
Unbeknownst to most people, they work because they are eager to please thier master, and if their master is ALSO their best friend, a Catahoula and I suppose most breeds also, will actually work harder to help find the deer.
I am available to travel and track for you if you are close to Lafayette, La., but why are you hunting deer and do not have a dog lined up yet? I will be glad to sell you a finished dog, but I need to know that you understand that the dog is trained, but the potential buyer needs to go to school to learn how to handle it.
OK, I have puppies, started dogs AND finished dogs, and if you call me to ask the price of my dogs, like it is a generic price across the board, I will most likely ask you to tell me what this hypothetical dog you have never seen is worth to you.
Also, I need to know what you expect this dog to do, and you better be specific if it is a finished dog.
I also train dogs for other people, but most people want me to do ALL the work, and then they "buy" something that can only be earned as far as the dog is concerned. What I am getting at here is what motivates a dog to hunt is a relationship with the owner, not the training or the breeding. Sorry if this is not what you want to hear, but I have been doing this for years, and most people come to buy a dog with unreasonable expectations that I AND the dog cannot fulfill.
I can be reached at 337 298 2630 if you need to discuss blood tracking dogs.
I am Marcus de la Houssaye, and I breed Catahoulas as working dogs.
