Finishers

[Officially Retired]

My concept of what a finisher is has to do with the will of the dog to finish the race weather he is ahead or behind. Is that moment when the dog digs deep and decides this ends now. There are hard biting dogs with the capacity to finish a race with one hold True but that does not qualify him to be called a finisher. I have seen many hard biting dogs that when they get outsmart and frustrated they simply fade away and don't have the WILL to finish it even when they have the CAPACITY to finish.

First of all, thank you for joining and welcome aboard, it is very nice to have you here.

Regarding what you describe as a finisher, I understand what you're saying, and I agree dogs who do not fade away and continuously try to win display the key trait of a truly good dog. However, I myself would call a dog like you described a "game" finisher, with gameness being the will to win no matter what ... while another dog who "can" finish ... but who fades away ... would be just a dangerous cur to my way of thinking. (Not saying my way of thinking is right, this is just how I view things.)

I also don't think mouth and finish are the same. For example, I have seen devastating dogs that would break legs and crush shoulders, these dogs could cripple a dog if they got on him ... but yet they would not go to kill spots (throat/kidneys/gut). And (on the other side) I have seen average-mouth dogs go for nothing but deep holds in the throat, or in the kidneys, that I would say are looking to finish their opponent, not just to brawl him.

It is very very rare to see a dog finish the race with one hold and even two holds. If I was to calculate the percentage of dogs that I have seen in the last 23 years finishing the race with just one or two holds, it will be less than 1%. Actually, I have seen more dogs that impose their will to win than dogs finishing a race with 1 or 2 holds.

I agree with you. Of all the dogs I have ever owned in my life during the same amount of years, I have only had 3 who could do this ever, which would be less than 1%.

And then, How many times does a dog needs to do this to be consider a finisher? 1, 2 all the time?
If he does it one time and never again, Is he a finisher?

That is an extremely important distinction you just made. If a dog does it "once," but never again, then I would say he "finished" one, but he never replicated the effort. However, if every single time that dog gets put in there he is looking for that spot, then his intent is to finish ... which makes him a finisher at heart to me ... but how often he is able to get there determines his TALENT at accomplishing his goal. If he has no talent, and can't get his spots, then he may never get there when facing more talented dogs who can keep him out and break him down. However, if he is supremely talented at getting to his spots, then at some point he will get there and immediately try to close the deal.

If in your lifetime you ever found a dog that can finish a race with one or two holds consistently, try hard to get it.....That's an ACE....

I agree with you 100%.

Jack


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