Originally Posted by FrostyPaws
I see this type of sentence over and over. It's not directed at the owner of any particular dog.
"He is consistently throwing dogs that are extremely game, smart, and know how to finish."
As someone who may be, at times, borderline nutty about what an extremely game dog is, I sure would like to know what that means to people when they say such things. When I read that, it makes me think of other folks who are borderline nutty about extremely game dogs, but I just don't have that feeling about 98% of the posts that have those words.
Know how to finish. So, does that mean that a high percentage of dogs off a particular dog have killed an opponent? Know how to finish in the backend? Goes to the guts?
I guess for me, a dog that knows how to finish is one that HAS finished or has been stopped just short of completing the deal. Again, there are not many dogs that will flat out kill an opponent, and I've never seen a dog consistently produce that over and over.
Maybe I'm just making a mountain out of a mole hill, or maybe I'm just irritable today for any number of reasons. Thanks for allowing me to vent just a little.
I understand what you mean.
To me, unless someone is repeatedly and consistently producing dogs that win in open competition, their "opinion" on their dog means nothing to me.
However, if a person is breeding dogs that can (and do) seriously compete anywhere, repeatedly, then I simply take their word on their assessments.
Regarding the subject of finish, this is another element where few really know what they're talking about. The Old Man once said, "Jack, what most people call a 'finisher' is a dog that just happened to kill another one accidentally." Meaning the opponent 'happened to die' after the fight, but in no way was the dog a casualty in the pit by a true assassin.
There is a major difference between two dog that fight, both get banged-up, and one 'happens to die' from the injuries afterward ... and a fight where one dog is absolutely going after a kill spot, with the knowledge and intent on killing his foe with that hold. These are typically throat dogs, and gut dogs, and there is no mistaking they know what they're doing, and are hell-bent on doing it. (Many dogs that "like the throat" or "like the stifles" are not even close to being true finishers. When you see a true finisher, there is no mistaking what you're seeing.)
I know all lines differ, but in all honestly I have only owned two 100% finishers in 25 years of owning dogs ... though I have had scores of game, determined dogs "that would kill something" if it went on long enough. The two dogs I am referring to knew exactly what they were doing, and would immediately go for that spot when they had the opportunity, and could DOA a dog with that one hold, if they got it right.
Jack
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