Registered: Aug 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 1522

It would seem that most of us agree on the importance of Athletic Ability in our Hounds. I thought it would be interesting to see pic's of the most athletic hound you have ever owned, We all use the same wording <Athletic> let's see if we are speaking of the same body style of hound. There is no right or wrong here Just each person's Ideal hound.

Due to a house fire I lost many of my Pic's. This is a young hound that I own. Light Foot Black Bird is a littermate to Dustin's Thunder dog. I think with age this dog will rank with the Best I have ever had as far as athletic ability.

Jess

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Light Foot English

"They are often imitated but never duplicated"

Last edited by hellcat on 06-09-2007 at 04:37 PM

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Registered: May 2006
Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 1344

This little female so far ranks number 1 in athletic ability that I have hunted with... She is very quick on her feet and has some serious hops too for something so little....



I don't think it really has much to do with the fact that she is so small, just the way she is built, real racey but she has just enough muscle mass where she needs it and she has a good set of lungs in a deep chest cavity.... You can't tell so much in this picture as she is pretty soft in it... The male pup I kept out of her is built just like her and when he turns the crank on... He is a star athlete also.

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Registered: Aug 2006
Location: Northern California
Posts: 800

This is the most athletic dog we have, and have owned. 23" and 53lbs at two years old... He's light, fast, put together right, but still looks like a male, and is houndy. My ideal so far.

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UKC Bench Show Judge & Master of Hounds

REDWOOD'S TREEING WALKER COONHOUNDS
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NITECH CGRCH FCH GRCH 'PR' Redwood's All Night Aspen
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Registered: Aug 2006
Location: USA
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None of these Hound's look like Big Time Bench show dog's. I guess that I am not alone in thinking athletic hound's should be the standard all breeder's strive for.
Jess

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Jess
Light Foot English

"They are often imitated but never duplicated"

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Registered: Jun 2005
Location: Vermont
Posts: 15

This is a picture of the Most Athletic hound I have owned. He has always been a super fast track dog that make catching bears look easy.

Rebel:

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Registered: Oct 2006
Location: Bonners Ferry, ID
Posts: 776

This is the type I like.

Idaho Lightfoot Gambler


I've noticed that the type of dogs that are winning in the bench shows lately are often pretty dogs, but are becoming less athletic and angular. They have super straight legs and tiny little cat feet, but the angulation of their bone structure makes me question if the dogs could handle running hard in tough conditions. I think that the bench shows should be rewarding the hound that has the best conformation to perform the tasks it was bred for. My personal opinion is that many of the winningest bench show dogs have to light of a bone structure and aren't built for toughness and endurance.

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Registered: Dec 2006
Location: Sandy Hook, KY
Posts: 1009

wat kind of huntting do you do with your dogs,,just cureous,,big game or coon

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Registered: Dec 2006
Location: Sandy Hook, KY
Posts: 1009

dont think no hound is verry athletic just some get around better than others is all,but to see a true athletic dog come to my home and i will show you wat the word realiey means,i have trained dobies that are verry athletic and no hound can do the things they do,,,,,keep the dogs breed standard and they will even live longer,,happy huntting to all

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: kellogg mn
Posts: 846

Hellcat, I think it kinda depends on your personal definition of athletic. For agility and quickness I would think it would be hard to beat a smaller dog. For me strength, toughness , and speed are important. My old dog goes 70 to75 pounds and that is my ideal size. Speed enough to catch a coon that thinks he doesn't have to climb, strength enough to pick up a thirty pound coon and shake it like a rag doll, and toughness to fight any coon on land or in water. Water is where I see smaller dogs comming up short, seen a few come close to buying the farm. I don't bear hunt but I would think a smaller dog might have an advantage there, seems a lot of guys like that. Guess agility and quickness will keep them alive to fight another day.

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Registered: Aug 2006
Location: USA
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I hunt Coon much of the year and Big Game as often as I can. I enjoy Cat hunting more than any other game. Coon hunting is my 2d choice and Bear hunting 3d. To me Cat hunting is like a game of chess I love the complexity of the chase.
I disagree about a hound having athletic ability. I feel that many hound's are very athletic. I would agree that Great athletic ability is not something a hound Has to have to tree game. However in most case's for a hound to be Great the hound must have at least Good athletic abilities.
Jess

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Light Foot English

"They are often imitated but never duplicated"

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Registered: Dec 2006
Location: Montana
Posts: 934

My buddy showed his dual grand dog in a show in Oregon a couple years ago against a show dog and the judge told him that they were both very nice looking dogs but his was a hunting type dog so she picked the other dog because it was a show type dog. We were under the impression that hounds are supposed to look like hunting dogs. The dog that won had never seen a coon or been in the woods. It was a fine boned, fragile looking dog. My buddy's dog is solid yet athletic and wears many battle scars. I believe a dog should have to have a cast win or at least plus points on a cast before they can be titled a show champion. I believe a dog should have great conformation so it can run all day and night but my idea of a well built dog is different than a show person's idea of a well built dog.

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Rosman, North Carolina
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quote:

---

Originally posted by Kevin Jackson
My buddy showed his dual grand dog in a show in Oregon a couple years ago against a show dog and the judge told him that they were both very nice looking dogs but his was a hunting type dog so she picked the other dog because it was a show type dog. We were under the impression that hounds are supposed to look like hunting dogs. The dog that won had never seen a coon or been in the woods. It was a fine boned, fragile looking dog. My buddy's dog is solid yet athletic and wears many battle scars. I believe a dog should have to have a cast win or at least plus points on a cast before they can be titled a show champion. I believe a dog should have great conformation so it can run all day and night but my idea of a well built dog is different than a show person's idea of a well built dog.

---

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quote:

---

Originally posted by P.W. Chapman
It's a sad state of affairs when something like that happens.

---

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quote:

---

Originally posted by Redwood Hounds
This is the most athletic dog we have, and have owned. 23" and 53lbs at two years old... He's light, fast, put together right, but still looks like a male, and is houndy. My ideal so far.

---

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Registered: May 2006
Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 1344

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kevin Jackson
My buddy showed his dual grand dog in a show in Oregon a couple years ago against a show dog and the judge told him that they were both very nice looking dogs but his was a hunting type dog so she picked the other dog because it was a show type dog. We were under the impression that hounds are supposed to look like hunting dogs. The dog that won had never seen a coon or been in the woods. It was a fine boned, fragile looking dog. My buddy's dog is solid yet athletic and wears many battle scars. I believe a dog should have to have a cast win or at least plus points on a cast before they can be titled a show champion. I believe a dog should have great conformation so it can run all day and night but my idea of a well built dog is different than a show person's idea of a well built dog.

---

I am also going to say BS on that. I myself have just started getting into bench shows and going to try nite hunting. When bobcat season closes in March and your not supposed to have hounds in the woods until Sept 1st (unless it is a damage control) then the UKC events are fun to do, But I don't care how pretty it stands on the bench. If it isn't worth it's feed in the hunting department then it is not in our kennel.

Here is the May UKC even held in North Ca.. Look at our show dogs LOL. I don't know the gal in front but second up is Redwood Hounds with her Crash dog (pictured above) then her sister and a littermate brother to her dog and then I am bringing up the rear with my Brisco dog,, who doesn't like to hold still on the bench But I don't think we are going to be accused of having bench show only dogs, these dogs are made for hunting!


Here is another picture of Brisco. He is an athletic hound. Maybe not the prettiest dog in the woods but we're not looking at pretty, we are too busy looking at what's above their head.

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Last edited by Melanie H. on 06-12-2007 at 07:09 PM

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Registered: May 2006
Location: Gauley Bridge,Wv
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i wouldnt say hes realo fast but he can work a track nicely and has a head full of brains nice spped not to fast and not to slow he but he does good for me

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Registered: Aug 2006
Location: Northern California
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Thanks Sam... I think he's a good built dog. Those pictures really don't do him much justice. In the movement shot he don't look as houndy as he really is. He's got a real nice head. In the other shot, he was dead out of shape...

I've shown him 4 times. He's gotten two class wins. One judge loved him, but he wasn't behaving... Two of them put up dogs based on color. They thought having a white face was against the standard... I guess they never read. As long as it's a tri color, don't say where the colors gotta be! If you read the standard right, they don't even have to be Tri, it says that can be Tan and White or Balck and White too... Oh well. I think he's built right, and I'll keep showing him... I'm not afraid to show him on either wood, cause I'm proud of what I have. I take him to the Nite Hunt and put him on the bench the next morning. I also put him in the FT and WR's. He does good at times, but he thinks he's too smart for the fake stuff, and cheats if he can...

Down here, I think the show dogs are all built right, most (if not all) of them all tree game. Every dog in the picture Melanie posted from the show, hunt.

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UKC Bench Show Judge & Master of Hounds

REDWOOD'S TREEING WALKER COONHOUNDS
& LOUISIANA CATAHOULA LEOPARD DOGS
http://www.RedwoodCoonhounds.net/

NITECH CGRCH FCH GRCH 'PR' Redwood's All Night Aspen
(2014 #1 UKC Top Ten All-Breed Conformation Treeing Walker)
NITECH CCH GRFCH GRWCH GRCH 'PR' Redwood's Wild Gamble

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Location: Northern California
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Here's a little better picture. When he was in shape, and doing what he does best. Hunt.

You can see his head pretty good too, and he's got a nice ear. One of the only shots without his mouth open. I took the picture right after they shot the coon. He was listening for it to come out.



On the only wood that matters.

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Cassandra Davis
UKC Bench Show Judge & Master of Hounds

REDWOOD'S TREEING WALKER COONHOUNDS
& LOUISIANA CATAHOULA LEOPARD DOGS
http://www.RedwoodCoonhounds.net/

NITECH CGRCH FCH GRCH 'PR' Redwood's All Night Aspen
(2014 #1 UKC Top Ten All-Breed Conformation Treeing Walker)
NITECH CCH GRFCH GRWCH GRCH 'PR' Redwood's Wild Gamble

Last edited by Redwood Hounds on 06-12-2007 at 07:29 PM

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Registered: Aug 2006
Location: USA
Posts: 1522

How so many of us see things the same when it come's to the Bench Show's. I think the show's Could be a Good thing, But they are more of a Showing Contest than anything.
Jess

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Light Foot English

"They are often imitated but never duplicated"

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Registered: Dec 2006
Location: Montana
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I would like to see the Ch. and Gr. Ch. titles go out the window and be replaced by a conformation award or something to that effect. Basically once a dog is phisically mature it would be inspected by a certified inspector ( we already have a bunch of show judges throughout the U.S. who should be qualified) and if the dog meets breed standards it is given a conformation award. This would be a one time deal. No more this dog is prettier than that dog and I believe it would be an asset to all breeds by helping to eliminate people breeding strictly for show dogs. This is just one of my polliticaly incorrect ideas.

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Gr.Nt.Ch.Gr.Ch. 'PR' MT Red's Bobcat Bustin Billy

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Gr.Nt.Ch.Gr.Ch. 'PR' MT Red's Tree Bangin Buddy

Gr.Ch. 'PR' MT Red's Kim's Cat Crazy Maci

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Registered: Aug 2006
Location: USA
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Sounds like a tool that would help breeders and hunters alike.
Jess

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Light Foot English

"They are often imitated but never duplicated"

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Registered: Dec 2006
Location: Sandy Hook, KY
Posts: 1009

where do you hunt bobcat at,in wat states,,,here where i live they are plenty of bobcat and i mean plenty,,but there is no one with cat dogs here,,i live in kentuckey i wood love to find some one to cat hunt with,,i have plenty of good spots to hunt them,,privat land,,,,if you ever wount to hunt cat here just let me know i would be glad to guied you aney time,,long as i can go here the rase,,david boggs

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Registered: Jun 2006
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 93

redwood that is nice looking dog reminds me of some my buddies dogs he had if you dont mind what is he out of and who did you get him from , just curious , his markings are a spitting image of one of my buddies dogs he used to own and he was also a very good hound a fine bear dog his name was mikey and he was owned by charlie guffie ... just curious , happy hunting....

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Registered: Sep 2006
Location: bluefield,wv
Posts: 2936

is the most athletic hounds i've ever followed, deep wide chest,
plenty of lung capacity. all night every night type dog. buck is
a 65lb hound.

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