I think it also depends in the way in which the dog is taught to hunt. If it is taught to hunt and kill then no I agree it is not suitable. If it is taught to pick, bail (and maybe even hold) the pig, I personally think that this is different.
Sorry I should also have pointed out that it was an older article but it gives you an idea.
Maybe if your DH is interested in hunting with a dog he could contact a humane and ethical hunting association and have a chat?
Lulu - I have been known for loving ugly things When I chose my first cabbage patch doll I HAD to have bald one with a scruff of hair, because I felt sorry for it everyone/thing deserves a little love, even the ugly!
DD - google pigdogs and you will see what I mean, they are trained to crawl through the bush and JUMP on the boars. They usually wear armor to do so - feral pigs have massive tusks. It's a bloodsport. Literally (ick).
In order to be a good pigdog, they must be bred big and sometimes bulky, so we are talking mastiff X's and staghounds etc.
My brother had a litter of pups stolen once and he was shattered as they were the culmination of years of breeding. He went to the neighbours and let them know the dogs were piggers, not suitable to be sold and not much use to anyone else. They reappeared magically in the backyard 2 days later......
I understand were you are coming from Lulu, thats what I mean by it depends on the way the dog is raised to hunt. It can be raised in order to hunt and kill which I agree is horrible and I believe these dogs are in no way suitable as a family and then there are dogs that are raised to hunt in a humane and ethical way - these dogs, of course depending on the owner and lifesytle in and out of hunting can be loving family pets.
I personally believe that not all hunting dogs are feral.
I hate hearing of animals being used to hunt and fight in ways which are cruel and inhumane to themselves and other animals. I hate that the repution of some breeds are scarred because of such people.
I am passionate about bull terriers in particular but also other so called dangerous breeds as I have personally been touched by them in a loving way.
WRT to having them around kids though, it make little difference in my mind that they are taught to pick and bail anyway. A small child or baby even is lot more fragile than a wild pig. It takes a hell of a lot less to break its neck or tear into its jugular than a boar. The applied pressure to achieve an undesired result is much less than to acheive the desired result for hunting iykwim.
The fact remains that it doesnt matter how you train it to hunt, it hunts. You dont need a hunting dog around babies, particularly if the child arrives in the pack AFTER the dog.
Yeah, I'm coming from a place where my bro didn't trust his dog around people and it was penned accordingly. He was Rambo on the weekends, crawling through the bush, would 'air out' his clothes so they didn't smell like washing powder (DEAD giveaway apparently), and you were often confronted with a bug, tusky head in the freezer when you went to get ice.....
As ugly as Bull was, he was very loyal and adored my bro.
Gawd, I'm glad DF was stirring you!
Dp just said that some breeders do things like that but to watch out for your rights regarding any pups produced from your OWN dog.
Just to add some mud to the mix. I love, love, love animals. We had a bull mastiff x rod ridgeback dog, that my ex used to take pig hunting, and he was the most loverble, placid dog, you could ever meet, everyone loved him. (he died of cancer) my burmese used to cuddle and go to sleep against his stomach.
Some dogs just know home is home, and work is work. It's all about the dog and their environment.
I better add, Dr Hugh Worth from RSPCA says, no dog should be left alone with children.
Thanks everyone. I was more interested in hearing from people who had actual experiences with them, their personallity's, if they got on with other dogs etcetc. And not just opinions based on what kind of breed they are (hunting dogs etc, because at the end of the day, evey dog was a hunting dog at one stage, before they were domesticated by people). Obviously every dog to some extent is "dangerous", and should never be left un attended with a child and I have a healthy respect for that. German Shepherds used to have a bit of a reputation for themselves, and I still frequently have people making a wide birth around us when I take my pup out for walks, but I know he wouldn't hurt a soul.
Thanks heaps for everyone's stories about their bullies! They do sound like gorgeous but complex creatures.
I have just spoken with DF and he's since told me he was just giving me crap about the hunting part, because he knows how much I hate that kind of blood gore thing. It would purely be a family pet. We are on quite a bit of land that would have plenty of space for the pups to run around so that wouldn't be a problem. I'm going to have some fun having alook into these creatures I think!
If we were to get one we were aiming for a femail as our GSD is male, and we would have her de-sexed. I spoke with a breeder today just to feel my way around in regards to termperment (we probably won't actually get one for another 12 months or so yet) and she pretty much said she would refuse to sell me one because I'd have her de-sexed. Apparently alot of breeders sell them with the right to take them back off you to breed from them at least once, becuse there are limits of how many you are allowed to keep on your property at the one time, and without having this right they just wouldn't be able to keep up with breeding. Seems a bit odd to me, personally!
When I chose my first cabbage patch doll I HAD to have bald one with a scruff of hair, because I felt sorry for it
everyone/thing deserves a little love, even the ugly!
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