Normally I like to start a new pup each two years but three years ago I lost two dogs so started two new dogs Rastus and Tig so have been holding off for the right pup this time. It was a friend of mine Richard Hand who breed a litter out of two of his dogs, Cuz the father and Kiwa the mother. My wife Janice came up with the new pups name, Bro. He is a very solid dog and will grow very big. His father Cuz I have known since he was a pup and when he was young he just loved catching any pigs yet as he grew up and matured he started targeting the bigger pigs. Kiwa is of collie breeding.
With any new pup it pays to spend a bit of time with them to build a bond. When I did collect Bro I also collected one of his sister’s Stormy for another friend Corey Rose and had her at home for the first week. I had to keep an eye on them both around the chickens at first and discourage their behaviors when they wanted to have a piece of them. Next was Buddy the pet lamb as the two pups loved team up on him.
Most days I was working away clearing scrub with all of the dogs, pups and Buddy. Twice Tig tracked away onto the opposite face and bailed a young grey boar that was only about 50 pounds so was let go each time however I did not take the pups across to the bail as it was a bit too far for them.
Each day they got to see pigs when I was feeding them and Rastus and Tig normally bail pigs a couple of times during the day if they are off.
Something I find good for pups is feeding them the trotters off a boar. I don’t feed them the trotters off a sow as this will be a different smell and the trotters are the one thing that the dogs need to know the smell of to track.
The boar that I took for the Bro to get the trotter off I had caught six weeks previously and let him go that day even though the dogs brought him right down to the bike but I had no need for him that day. Next time I caught him Tig put in a nice find, the pig was resting up in the native 100 meters above a track and when he opened up both Rastus and Fog arrived and bailed for a minute or two before breaking him down onto the track making it a lot easier for me.