Quote Originally Posted by BIGFLA73
HOW WOULD YOU FIND OUT "FOR YOURSELF" IF YOU SHOULD CULL OR USE IF NOT FOR A HARD TEST?
What do I personally do?

I see if the dog has the style, the skills, the smarts, and the intensity that I have come to recognize as "the stamp" of the good dogs in my line ... and if they never once show any sign of diminished interest. Me personally, if a dog slacks-off at all, I lose confidence in the dog right there and have no more interest in the animal, and don't need to see things play-out any further: I've already made up my mind I don't want that dog.

I do understand that dogs get tired, but tired dogs can still exhibit single-minded purpose and intensity, even while they're tired, and if I ever see them lose "that" then I want no part of the animal. And I don't have to beat them all to hell to see it (or its lack)




Quote Originally Posted by bolero
that may be true, but gameness is what sets this breed apart, so what he may do the next time out is irrelevant, if they show game when you ask then that is all that need to be done from that point you decide whether to take them out again or be satisfied without you saw
I agree with you. I absolutely believe gameness is the #1 trait in these dogs, and I have repeatedly sought (and produced) extreme gameness, not just in single individuals but in making sure they come from high-percentage litters.

My point is not to suggest people not evaluate their animals, they should! My point is to suggest that saying a dog is "tested hard" is not necessarily as meaningful as people like to think it is.

I also believe that a dog who shows extreme gameness to one dog, might not show anywhere near that level of gameness to another dog ... based on dealing with levels of skill/style that they've never seen before.

I guess what I am saying is the expression "tested hard" means different things out of different mouths. It is only an IDEA, but it is not an absolutely definitive statement.

What I was trying to do was have people think about all of the given variables that can (and do) happen, within different situations.

Jack


.