the right weight

[CYJ]

Scary, Old timers or Young timers unless the dog is active and kept lean on the chain. One cannot generally guess the right pulling weight of a dog by just looking at it.

Once you have a dog properly schooled, and in good health. The dog should be put into a four week pre keep. Depending on the time of year and weather, being hot or cold. The dog is slowly worked down to where it is reasonably reduced but still has it full strength.

It is not a exact science, if you have a big boned deep game dog with average mouth etc. Best go in the hot weather, hoping someone brings a hard charging dog that pulls itself off it's feet. Runs hot and quits.

Not everyone believes the same. Usually a good hot weather dog will have four ribs showing and the tip of the hip bones showing, only if the dog is still strong. That is the bottom weight.

I would not recommend pulling a dog as tight as D. Mayfield pulled Tombstone. Only a expert seasoned dog man can pull that off. Note that was also done in the hot weather and in that Texas desert climate. Don Mayfield knew beyond a doubt that Tombstone was a deep game dog. Tombstone was also a big boned, tough hided, rugged type dog. Tombstone was like a Timex Watch, able to take a licking and keep on ticking. LOL

Bobby Hall and friends let Don sucker them into that event and I believe more than once at other times. The only other dog man known in his hey day, able to pull dogs that tight and keep their strength was Mr. Howard Teal. Mr. Teal and Don Mayfield were good friends in their hey days. When I had taken Mr. Teal and Mr. Skinner to a major dog show years back. A few of those dog men called me to the side at the concessions, bought me a hot dog/coke etc. Talking real friendly, finally they got around to asking me how I thought Mr. Teal was pulling those dogs so tight and keeping them strong. Which I really did not know,and told them best just go ask Mr. Teal. LOL

A hard mouth, fast fighting all out charging dog, is best shown in the colder cooler weather. This type dog can be showed with more weight. Around three ribs showing and no hip bones showing. Providing the dog is strong and is working cool. Still want a big boned dog for the weight. You have to get that from the dogs you select and the brood pen.

To get it right over time, do a 4 week pre keep for the dog you plan to show. If you have the best weight figured out. If possible try to get your dog entered into the next weight pulling dog show. You just proceed right into the main keep of around 8 weeks. The next show is to far off, put the dog back on the chain or pen. Depending on the weather and activity of the dog. Can put back on up to three pounds to keep dog in good health.

By doing pre keeps on dogs you plan to have a last schooling look at. Do enough of these, you will learn how to properly condition and find the best pulling weight for your dogs. All the problems and things one needs to learn about making weight and conditioning a dog will usually crop up during those first four weeks of a dedicated work keep.

You try to glean the best information you can. Figure out according to your location and how much land you live on, the type climate you live in generally. That will probably dictate the best choice of equipment you can use.

One will learn best by just doing. I had lots of books with articles back then on feeding and conditioning keeps. I learned to glean out what worked for me. I had a very good dog conditioner as my dog partner. He helped me out a lot. But over time I found out I could not just do things his way 100%. I had to develop a system that worked for me and my time schedule. Plus the type dogs I had and were dealing with. Cheers