Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Way It Was...Again in 2011!

Hi, I am Marcus de la Houssaye, owner of de la Houssaye's Catahoulas in Lafayette, Louisiana, USA.

Catahoulas are becoming world renowned as the ultimate hog dog. Because the population explosion of wild hogs is reaching epidemic proportions, many new people are getting into hog hunting and operate under the assumption that all they need to do is get a finished hog dog and they are hunting hogs! I have watched a great many people struggle to get started and get good dogs to hunt for them.

Catahoulas are great hog dogs, but require proper breeding, raising, and handling to do what they have done so well for decades here in the southern USA.

Here is an old post from 2009 which I re-edited and I am reposting because a lot of people liked it so much.

Enjoy the article, and learn from your dog after reading it. I have learned a great deal from my dogs, after listening to the old timers who helped me to better understand how a Catahoula functions.


In the old days, the Catahoula, was often the only dog on the homestead because that was all people could afford to feed.



To understand how to handle an elite hog dog today, you must have a fundamental understanding of the pack instinct in wolves which is still a strong motivating factor in dog behavior at present.

Now...I just read somewhere that someone was claiming there was no Red Wolf in the genetics of the Catahoula breed.

Bullshit!

I don't know about his bloodline, but I can assure you, the old bloodline bred dogs that I am breeding, do exhibit the instincts, behavior, and look of wolves too much to be denied. And yes, the Bulldog and Greyhound is in there too, but the focus here is to understand the pack instinct that is in most domestic Catahoula dogs today, so we can work within the natural instincts that have enabled wolves to hunt, survive and operate as a pack in the wild.

The alpha male or lead dog, does not lead by location, but by dominance. Meaning in a hunting situation he is not in front, the scouts are. He is none the less the boss of his pack because no one can challenge his authority and win.




When the scouts located a hog, they chase, stop and bay to alert the rest of the pack as to the location. A trailing wolf is always silent on the track in order to close in on the hog as quickly as possible, and conserve energy.

When the dominate alpha male arrives at the bay, often he stays back awhile to evaluate the strenghth of the prey, and let the scouts weaken the hog. When the time is right, the alpha male, who is well rested, powerful and skilled at killing, rushes in and catches the hog by the ear, throat or neck. The scouts help in the catch after the alpha male is caught. Being caught off guard, the hog is until now, convinced that HE could not be caught.



Once the hog is caught, he either bleeds to death or suffocates from choking or maybe dies of exhaustion and heat stroke.

Here are several points to consider in a Catahoula hog dog of the old days.


1.)In the old days, a family living off the land could most often only afford to feed one dog.

2.)Not only that, the dog had better be bringing home the bacon or he wouldn't live there long.

3.)Also an important consideration is, if he wasn't social towards other dogs, children and domestic livestock, and then be gritty, smart and fast enough to survive a wild boar, he didn't live long enough to reproduce.

Here is the problem today.

1.)We can easily feed more than one dog, so a lot of people keep a pack of dogs, or worse they join up with the buddies and turn all the dogs loose at the same time. The problem is, many people are running a pack of dogs and don't realize that the best dogs are getting killed first because they catch as soon as enough help arrives(meaning the rest of the pack). The pack instinct in a well breed Catahoula often has a high degree of wolf in the genes and thus causes the dog to be a find and stop expert. But, because the pack instinct also causes the dog to want to catch as soon as help arrives, if the help is other dogs in the pack, good chance somebody is gonna get killed or seriously injured, before the man with the gun, knife, and rope gets there. If the catch does not occur until the man arrives to throw the hog and disarm the hog quickly, the chance of serious injury is greatly diminished. Don't get me wrong, in the real world things do go wrong, and hog dogs are serious injured or killed sometimes. But, in a one dog situation, the injuries are dramatically reduced, and a Catahoula can survive and die of old age if properly handled by the hunter.



So, if it is only one dog, or an old and young dog situation, chances are the dogs won't catch until the men arrive. The reason the Catahoula dog waits until the man gets there is, he knows help is on the way, and he can't catch by his self, so he won't. Another benefit of a dog who can do it all in a one dog situation, is there is less pressure on the hog, so it doesn't bust and run from the bay.

All this translates into less time chasing, fewer injuries, and more hogs are caught! If you have the right dog, one good experienced dog, all by his self, can make hog hunting so simple, and effective.

So many people are calling me and telling me they want to buy a finished dog who will go to the bay and "help" their dogs. Of course, I have pissed off most of them when I ask "Have you ever had a dog that didn't need help?" or "Have you ever considered "getting" a dog that doesn't need any help, and then try running them by their self?"

Gus at 12 weeks old.

Today, too many people are letting the best dog get killed before it can reproduce. So what happens when the bitch comes in heat? She breeds to a male who needs help at the bay, not the one dog wonder, because he is already dead.

This is called genetic selectivity. A.K.A. only the strong survive. But in the case of the strongest is getting killed first, because we are mistakenly running too many at one time, and in hog hunting you are dealing with the second most dangerous mammal in North America after the grizzly. If we are causing the weak to survive and be the breeding male, we are producing the exact opposite of what we should ultimatly want. An elite, high performance, army of one, who doesn't need any help,




who is also a survivor and a hunter/provider. If a dog is not strong, fast, gritty, and smart, he won't be hunting hogs for long or even live long enough to reproduce. This dog must be handled properly, and that involves being raised right as a puppy.

Unfortunately, too many people are just getting into hog hunting, don't know better, or worse, they are being "taught" by their buddies to run dogs in a pack, as I was when I first started hunting hogs.

So.. many of us don't know that some dogs should be hunted by themself, otherwise they get killed. The result of the best dogs getting killed is, it usually happens early on in a dogs life and he does not even reach a mature age to reproduce.

This is not rabbit or deer hunting!





When stopped, a boar fights back, and he is a formidible warrior. This is war, and sometimes the hog wins. When it comes to hog hunting, the old fashion way, more dogs is not better.

Remenber, in the old days one dog had to do it all, and do it all by their self

2.)We often keep dogs that are not bringing home the bacon. This could be because we are soft-hearted. Or because our best dog got killed from improper handling by running too many at one time or we ran them too early in life and they did not survive to maturity and all we got left to hunt and breed are dogs that need help. I am sympathetic to many dogs that are not elite, and could be put down for business purposes if I were only breeding for hog dogs.

But, I am in the dog business. And, I am a breeder and a trainer and I spend a lot of time with my dogs and have ample opportunity to analyze a dogs performance abilities early on. If a dog is not an elite high performance, hog dog I don't put them down, I look for another job for him such as a cowdog, blood trail dog, or companion/security, maybe even just some kids pet.




3.)I could breed only the elite high performance dog for hog hunting, but I would have nothing to sell to the farms where they need something to lay around on the porch all day waiting for the kids to get home.

Because I breed a lot of dogs, I can compare one bloodline to another as I raise the pups. I try to keep 5 to 10 dogs from every breeding season, so I can monitor the cross. If it is not a good cross, I won't breed those two again. I train hog dogs, cowdogs and bloodtrail dogs. I am personally breeding for hog dogs, because that is my passion, but most of my pups are sold as companion/cowdogs to farms and ranches with children.


Here is a four month old, how you like her attitude?


Many of these pups would go on to be great hog dogs if I could find the right people to buy them as hog hunters. But most hog hunters are looking for an experienced, finished hog dog. What is my definition of a finished dog? He is dead, because based on my observations, they keep getting better and better the older they get. In my opinion, the best hog dog you will ever have is the one you raise as a pup.




Spoil your pup rotten, and then give 'em two years, and watch what happens when you take 'em to the woods!


So if you are looking to buy a finished hog dog, keep looking and good luck. Considering the demand for dogs at present and the poor quality offered, think about it; why would anyone sell a good dog for $200 or $300? Fifteen years ago, I was getting $400 for my pups at weaning, and I had a waiting list.




I have found some of my pups are the right cross for elite hog dogs, but they must be raised right and then handled properly as a working dog. I am breeding some bitches who are not my elite stock, but make great pets and cow dogs. But, the focus here is on hog dogs who can do it all by their self, what some people are calling the "one dog wonder".

The benefit for me as a breeder, to be breeding and raising a lot of dogs every year is partly financial, but mostly experimental, in that I can try many new crosses and look for elite performance. If I think you are right as a hog hunter I will sell you an elite dog as a puppy. What I mean here is that you must qualify to buy my dogs. I have seen too many peole bring a six month old started dog home and it is gone the next day because it was not properly secured. They dig, climb, open latches, bolt as soon as a gate is opened and I have seen a number of Catahoula unravel chain link fencing.





If he is not getting into trouble on a daily basis, you don't have a really good Catahoula. Point being; Catahoulas are not for everyone. First of all they need a job. Secondly they need direction(training) and obediance to the master. If you are not the absolute master they will challenge your authority and try to be the boss(A.K.A. alpha male). Because Catahoulas have a strong pack instinct, they need affection and a special place in the hierarcy of a home or ranch. Some Catahoulas serve a very important job(as security guard) and waiting all day for the kids to get home from school. Then they run and play till suppertime.

Another important characteristic to understand when raising puppies of a well breed Catahoula blood line, is that they are gritty on one hand, but very insensitive to mistreatment on the other. If they know you are an asshole, they won't hunt for you or let you catch them, and then you get even more angry and don't help the situation by chasing them when you are angry. If you can't bribe them with food or call them in, don't chase, especially when you are angry, they are too fast and agile for a human to catch.

You need to earn their respect and trust, or you will never know what a good dog is. Doesn't matter if you buy a well bred, and well raised started dog, you will still need to give the dog time to develop a relationship of service, based upon loyalty to you who has earned it.

I believe the most important thing to teach a well bred Catahoula hog dog is to come when they are called. Otherwise they will possibly get run over if you are hunting near a highway, get eaten by a gator in a swamp or marsh or worse, what happens if you can't catch or kill the hog and you can't call the dog off. You lose the dog!

I am patient and persistent in training and I really don't like to hunt a dog until they are two years old, so I have time to put a handle on them. I am aware most people can't call their dog off a hog at bay. These same people claim I have too much handle on my dogs to be "good" hog dogs. They are talking about some thing they assume and believe, but haven't seen.

One of my friends was telling me about a bay he witnessed recently which he described as the most beautiful bay he had ever seen. It was his best dog, and it was all by it self around a herd of about 30 hogs. As Jackie came over the ridge he could see the hogs below and was amazed to see the "one dog" going round and round the herd, staying about 15 feet away from the closest pig. At that distance he did not but too much pressure as to cause any to bust and run, but was also close enough to keep them tight. It took about 20-30 minutes for help to arrive and they did catch a couple of the boars when the bulldogs got there. In the meantime while waiting, Jackie settled in, got comfortable and watched his dog put on a show. Until we talked he never thought about running his dog alone. He always hunted him in a pack with several dogs the way most of us do.

One the most amazing and absurd statements I hear people making when it comes to shopping for hog dogs is: "If a dog(puppy really, as far as I am concerned), is not hunting by 8 or 9 months, I am 'getting rid' of him."

You see, I don't train my pups to hunt. I breed them to hunt. And I keep them out of harms way for two years. This is the only thing I train for in that two years: obedience and to survive a deadly wild boar in the woods.


Monday, April 25, 2011

Your Dog's Natural Diet And Health




Here is a great link to the best article I have found yet on the raw meat diet.







I will post this for now, and soon, I will be writing common sense articles, for common folk, in a language we can all understand.


http://www.peterdobias.com/community/2011/04/pancreatitis-in-dogs-holistic-treatment-and-prevention/

Here is something to think about: your hog dog is not starting to hunt. Why should he? He always has a belly full of junk food, and the only hunting he ever does is at your back door at the same time EVERYDAY and he is never hungry.

Hunger is what motivates a dog to hunt in nature.

Go back to nature and do your dog a favor.

Feeding him too much junk food everyday is not, in my opinion, humane.

And what are you going to do with him if he doesn't hunt? "Get rid of him?"

Beware: the word on the street is: Marcus is a hard man to do business with.

Damn straight; I am protective of my dogs and my puppies. Money does not qualify you to own either of them.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

"Doc" Huval Was My Friend



The first time I met Doc was around 1996. I walked into his office reception area and typical of any morning his friends were sitting around drinking coffee, and I was offered a chair. So I sat down and I told Maurice and Frank to lay down, and they were both at my feet.

There was no receptionist, and Doc was in surgery, so one of his friends got me a cup of coffee, as I didn't know the place at all. On one side of the reception area was a typical office reception work space with a counter, desk, filing cabinet, telephone, etc.

On the other side, in one corner was a woodstove, and it was burning. In the other corner was a saddle on a rack, with blanket, bridle, and all the tack.

I must have been there for 15-20 minutes sipping my coffee and listening to conversations typical of a morning get together, at barbershops or John Deere tractor dealers all around the south.

All of a sudden, in walked a cowboy wearing a Resistol hat and cowboy boots.

He entered the room and took two steps and stopped. He looked at me, he looked down at my two dogs at my feet, and he turned slightly to the left to see what the dogs were looking at, and saw his cat laying down comfortably, on the couch about four feet from the dogs.

He looked back at the dogs, who were both focused on and intensely aware of the cat. He looked back at the cat who was totally relaxed, stretched out, with it's tail twitching, and completly oblivious of the dogs.

He pointed at the dogs and got all excited shouting; "Now that's a Catahoula! They come in here with Catahhoula dogs shitting and pissing everywhere, totally out of control, and can't hardly control them on a leash. That's what a Catahoula is supposed to be."

"He then remarked; "They want to rip that cat from end to end."

I said; "Yaaah, but they better not move."

He said; "Yes, I know, but look at them. They haven't took their eyes off that cat since I walked in here."

And so began my friendship with "Doc" Huval.



Louis J. "Doc" Huval, a true friend, my dogs veterinarian, a real man, a real cowboy, a servant of his community, a good husband and father, and if he told you something about yourself, it was not open to argument or discussion!

He may not have done everything he wanted to do in his life, but he damn sure never did anything he DIDN'T want to do.

We will all miss you Doc, may you rest in peace, in the busom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Doc, we will cope and somehow, learn to live without you. But you will always be the standard by which a true friend, a real man, a tough cowboy, and a good veterinarian is measured.

Anyone know a good country veterinarian who will give me their cell phone number, and doesn't mind if I ring it 24/7/365 in an emergency? I need just that kind of a vet, and nothing less.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Are We Gonna Have A Baying, Or Hog Dog Field Trail?

Below is a thread from my Facebook wall and it might be helpful to some of you who are thinking about going to hog dog field trails.

But first let me brief you on something: every dog enters the competition with a perfect score and they are docked points and penalized everytime they make a mistake.

The worse and ultimate mistake is to catch because that results in an immediate and total disqualification. 0 points

Every lookout could result in a tenth of a point or a half point being docked depending on who is judging. A turn out and a look out are mistakes because your dog in the face of a hog, should never take its eyes off the hog.

Now the rumor is, that woods dogs do not win bay trails and bay dogs(or as we often refer to competition dogs: pen dogs) do not hunt.

Well some of that is true, because most people do not train(or allow), their pen dogs to hunt(because they are too valuable to risk getting killed in the woods), and all too often, woods dogs get disqualified for catching in competitions because the behavior expected of a well trained, professional competition dog, is not in the experience or understanding of a woods dog.

Woods dogs catch, when they have enough help,(or they think they do), and that kind of behavior will result in a total disqualification in a competition.

In the woods, a good hog dog will often catch a small, running hog who will not stand and fight, because in the woods a small hog(with no cutters, and the ability to defend itself), with too much pressure on him, has no other option but to run.

Hunting in the woods has many variables, such as there may be several hogs in a bay at one time, and a large survivor of the wilds can defend itself with dangerous cutter tusks, and an experienced woods dog that has been cut enough times by large mature hogs(that can defend themselves), knows to back up and bay(holding the hog in a stopped position), and wait for help(a man and a pitbull with a cut vest for protection from razor sharp cutters). And a wild hog (not a pen hog)will run as it's first option, and if overtaken by a fast healthy, experienced hog dog, must find a place to stand and fight because he has tried to run and knows that if he does, his nuts will be even more sore than they are now.

On the other hand, an experienced, and well trained hog dog knows that the pen is a controlled environment, and so is the hog, AND also knows that the "game" or program in here, does not allow catching.

Therefore, in the pen, the hog needs to be of sufficient size to defend himself because there is no place to run and hide, and he must face off the dog and fight, or as we say stand at bay.

Also a pen hog that has faced hog dogs in competition has learned that the program in a pen is two minutes of baying, and then the dog is called out, or the hog separated(if he can't be called out), and returned to the chutes for the next run.

I will edit or cover more of this later in another post.

The point I am making in the thread below stems from a lot complaints coming from competitors at the Uncle Earls Hog dog Trails, because they use too small of a hog for competition often mixed in with large,(well suited for competition size)hogs and creating a mix of uneven sized hogs.

The uneven mix can prevent competitors(people and dogs) from having a quality hog and getting a perfect score or prevents a competitor from having a fair chance to win, because the hog is not big enough to stand and attempt to fight, and allow the dog to control them phsycologically by barking or baying as we call it.

The uneven hog is not the only unfair aspect of rigging an event. This can also be rigged by having people in the judges seat, who have the power to chose who wins such events by docking points unfairly, or overlooking mistakes and NOT DOCKING points, and thus control the outcome, and chose who will win before the baying ever happens.

With the combined possibility of loading the chutes to put a too small hog on a comptitor who is a threat or unfairly judging a run to control who wins or loses, forces a lot of good people who have gotten screwed too many times to discontinue competing and stay home.

In an event as large as the Uncle Earl's Hog Dog Trail, having an even set of hogs, combined with honest and consistent judging, and a head judge who can stop a run, and call out a new hog if the hog turned out is injured or scared, thus giving a competitor a fair chance with everyone else is how it should be done. But at the Uncle Earls that has never happened yet.


The reasons for this are complicated and should be opened up and analysed later, but for now, lets review this Facebook thread.

But one more thing;

The worse aspect of running elite high performance professional hogs on too small a hog is that too many caught hogs results in a blood bath, and that is inhumane treatment of captive animals, which could result in a challenger by animal rights activist challenging the legality of allowing such events to happen in the first place. Meaning they lobby governments to make such events illegal, and then that type of public competition must go underground and the open to the public exhibition of well bred, well trained dogs doesn't happen anymore.





Marcus De La Houssaye
A few years ago, Jive and Overjive were tied for 1st place with a wolf and an English Bulldog. The hog was turned out for J&O and an old man sitting next to me went on and on about how he could NOT BELIEVE "they" would turn out a running hog like that for a 2 dog bay. And after it broke and ran three times it was caught, and that's hog dogs. I don't blame them that's what a hog dog is supposed to do to A RUNNING HOG.
Sunday at 12:26pm · · Like

·
Marcus De La Houssaye
The other team got a big set up hog that never moved.The bulldog was a bayed solid fool and made no mistakes and the wolf looked out and turned out for no reason several times, and they were perfect bay dogs if they got a fighting set up hog. The wolf obviously got bored with this boring hog.
Sunday at 12:32pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Because the hog dogs(J&O) got a smaller running hog, and caught they were disqualified. This meant that the baydogs (wolf and bulldog) went on to win first place in spite of the fact that they were bay dogs, not hog dogs.
Sunday at 12:35pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Well the best part of the story: on the other side of me sat Dave Alexander, owner of J&O and like a good sport he proclaimed;"Well that's the luck of the draw", then someone leaned over and offered him a pint bottle of liquor and asked him if he wanted a drink. Dave took it like a man and refused the bottle. I on the other hand would have had to take a few pulls from the bottle if I were
in Dave's shoes!
Sunday at 12:40pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Now! Are we gonna have a baying or, are we gonna have a hog dog field trail? You can't have both at the same time in the same arena with the same hogs.
Sunday at 12:42pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
You gonna have a baying, I can bring my bay dogs and I need a set up hog like everybody else. If you gonna have a hog dog field trail, I am bringing my woods dogs and I need a big healthy, mean, confident, running, fighting, like he is fresh out the woods hog and I will show you how some hog dogs can stop him and bay him and punish him if he makes the mistake of trying to run. AND, when I am finished showing you what a hog dog does to such a hog in two minutes, I will call my woods dogs out and you can give my dogs a standing ovation. I am not looking for any credit in this because all I done was love "em and raise them to be hog dogs and trained them to survive in the face of a wild hog anywhere they found him, and be a valued part of my team.
Sunday at 12:51pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Now what are we gonna call it? Uncle Earls Hog Dog Trails OR Uncle Earls Baying? You can't have both in the same event, with the same hogs, AND the same dogs. What's it gonna be? Nuff is ENOUGH!
Sunday at 12:54pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Now y'all can say what you want about Dave Alexander, but he took it like a man and refused to nurse on that bottle when he got second on account of his hog dogs caught that "bay pen hog" . He didn't whine and complain, or demonstrate poor sportsmanship either, but he didn't get a fair chance to prove he had the better dogs. And he DID have the better dogs. Why did he lose? I'll TELL YOU WHY; Uneven hogs in the bayoff for the 2 dog event at THE Uncle Earl's.
Sunday at 1:01pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
This ain't about me and my dogs and whining and complaining, OR poor sportsmanship. This is about everyone who reads this "thing" going on here on Facebook to decide, do we want a baying or a HOG DOG FIELD TRAIL? IT IS HERE FOR EVERYONE TO LEARN WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO.
Sunday at 1:05pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
JIMMY YOUNG HAS ALWAYS STOOD UP FOR US, WHO MAKE THE UNCLE EARLS HAPPEN. NOW I AM STANDING UP FOR HIM. TO ADVANCE THIS EVENT IN LINE WITH WHAT IS GOING ON IN OTHER BAY PEN LOCATIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY.
Sunday at 1:08pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'.......
Sunday at 1:08pm · Like




Marcus De La Houssaye
And...I don't think Jimmy Young realizes what is happening in the field trail world, because he doesn't go to bayings(that's plural). He doesn't see how dogs that are winning all over the country are coming to the Uncle Earls are disqualified because of an uneven set of hogs.
Sunday at 1:22pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Now he might not listen to me, but he will listen to US.
Sunday at 1:22pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Here is the number to his office: 318 932 5937
Sunday at 1:24pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Now just in case you are a whiner and a complainer here is the number to the White House: 202 456 1111. Now this may be funny, but it is not a joke, so don't call that number unless you want to talk politics or economics or military strategy. Because it will hook you up to someone who is paid by your tax dollars to answer the phone and hear complaints and suggestions about what is going on in this fine country of ours.
Sunday at 1:31pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Now just in case y'all are wondering about me being upset, that ain't happening because there is no bad days with Jesus.
Sunday at 1:32pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
On the other hand, Wendy has suggested that someone(meaning me) has their panties in a knot. That is not possible because I don't wear panties or any kind of under wear unless the temperature is below 50'.
Sunday at 1:35pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Now as far as her knowing anything about anything in my pants: "In your dreams Darling".
Sunday at 1:36pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Furthermore if I want to wear panties, that is none of her business.
Sunday at 1:38pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Are you learning something Wendy?
Sunday at 1:39pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
This is Hog Dog Field Trail 101, class please come to order...
Sunday at 1:40pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
‎"We all love the smell of a stinkin hog" ~ Jimmy Young
Sunday at 1:41pm · Like


Wendy Templeton
Ummmm Marcus if you are going to quote me. Get it accurate. I was referring to the blog on someone asking about camp a while dogs NOTHING else. FYI I'm happily married and have been for 11 years. BTW my husband wants to let you know if you keep trying to pick a fight with his wife. He will bring one to you. See he is a little protective of the mother of his 3 children. Back the hell off me you asshole
Sunday at 3:35pm · Like


Christina de la Houssaye
‎. . .I really don't want to get into a fight about this between you two, but Mrs. Wendy, if my father is upsetting you, and you're the one saying your husband is threatening my father to back off, I think you should not be responding on my Dad's Facebook. It's really as simple as deleting him from your Facebook. It makes this a hypocritical situation on both sides. It's a bit ridiculous that you're telling him to back off of you but I've seen you replying to his many posts. I see you being just as offensive by responding with a "BTW" and then stating how your husband is going to fight my Dad.

I mean, really. . .?

Just a thought. . .Before you two get any further into this feud.
Sunday at 3:46pm · Like · 1 person


Wendy Templeton
Hello Christina. I had quit replying to his post and then he started y misquoting me. Your dad is really out of control. The only reason i havent removed him is to beaware of what he is posting re myself and close friends of mine. Exactly what i said is if he keeps trying to pick a fight with me then my hubby will get involved. I told your dad to back off and i would like him to do so. Im tired of the tit for tat. There is no reasoning with him.
Sunday at 4:32pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
I did not ask you to get into my business, and it is you accusing me of wearing panties. Now I am an asshole? Who is picking a fight here?
Sunday at 11:22pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
I was just informed by Phylis Alexander that Dave never drank liquor or beer in his life, and I believe her. So my observation of his refusal to drink after J&O were disqualified, is in line with his actions, after the bayoff a few years ago. My apologies Dave, and apparently I was misinformed by someone who thought they knew you. I will try not to forget we should believe nothing we hear and only half of what we see. It was none the less a shame J&O did not get an equal chance to win that night at about 1AM. You were a good sport.
Sunday at 11:57pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
@ ‎Wendy Templeton... it was not on my blog, it was here on Facebook and I suggest you get your facts straight. Your husband or anyone else want to see that you are falsely accusing me of wearing panties, can go to the wall on my profile. Look for the question from TrueGrit Hogdogs to me. Not to you. How about you stay out of my business and stop slandering me. If you don't know what slander is, I suggest talk to your lawyer. He may give you warning that you are treading on thin ice. You started this by making a reference about my panties are in a knot, which implies you know what is in my pants.
Monday at 12:07am · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Every time you attacked me with false accusations, I defended myself. And I can do so with a man too. If you don't want to fight, stay out of my business.
Monday at 12:14am · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Just for the record, I entertain and educate for a living, I'm good at it, and I enjoy myself while doing it. If you want to play with a comedian, prepare yourself to be laughed at. Because here on Facebook, my fans are enjoying the show!
Monday at 12:18am · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Also, a lot of people who don't know what a baying is versus a Hog Dog Field Trail are learning something. I have been given a gift and I am sharing it.
Monday at 12:20am · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
One more thing; I swim with sharks and gators, and why don't they bite me? Professional courtesy!
Monday at 12:22am · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
I know Facebook can be confusing for someone just getting into it. So, here is the transcript of me being accused of wearing panties, thus being attacked by this rabid woman in sheep's clothing AGAIN THIS EVENING, who is accusing ME of being out of control, AND STARTING FIGHTS.
Monday at 12:27am

The transcript is below the dotted line:


.....................................................................................


· LikeTrueGrit Hogdogs
...hey marcus, i have a camp a while bred dog i was just wondering if you knew what blood was in that breed , and i heard your dogs have blair blood in them
Yesterday at 10:37am · Like · · See Friendship


Wendy Templeton
...Camp a while is sherry bandos bloodline. She would be the one to talk to. Hope that helps.
Yesterday at 11:28pm · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
... not that simple, you can call me, have your papers handy and we will see if I know what you have. 337 298 2630, you might have some serious dogs there...
21 hours ago · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
... ‎Wendy Templeton I can speak for myself, so if someone asks ME a question I suggest you mind your own business. I'm sure if someone WANTS your help they are capable of speaking FOR THEMSELVES.
16 hours ago · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
... WHAT A DRAMA QUEEN!
16 hours ago · Like


Wendy Templeton
... Dang. Somebody has there panties in a knot
15 hours ago · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
... ya you!
14 hours ago · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
...Wendy if you are gonna attack me with words, you better get out your dictionary, because presently you do not know how to spell "their" or fail to understand the context thereof. You will need to have a dictionary, because I am sure you will need one to look up some of the big words I like to use such as: "pejorative"...just a thought. And unlike you, I mind my own business.


.....................................................................................

Marcus De La Houssaye
CLASS, please pay attention. There will be a written test at the end of this lesson.
Monday at 12:32am · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
What is good about this happening right now is we have a whole year to plan for Uncle Earl's' 2012. It looks like it will be a good one with so many people coming home to the Uncle Earl's family gathering in Winnfield next year.
Monday at 12:37am · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
I want to bring an extra sack or two of crawfish if Mr Eddie Trap is boiling again.
Monday at 12:38am · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Jambalai, crawfish pie, filet gumbooooo, for tonite I'm gonna see my chera mio, son of a gun, we gonna have big fun on the bayou!
Monday at 12:42am · Like


Marcus De La Houssaye
Aah, eeeee

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Times They Are A Changin...





It is interesting to me how many people are afraid of critisizing the judging and the judges at Uncle Earl's. If you do, someone is likely to label you a poor sportsman.



Well, I'm not one of those people who live in fear of man, woman or alligators.



But it is interesting to note that most competitors do not have a clue as to how the judging works, and therefore are not in a position to analyze or much less articulate an effective criticizm.





Part of this problem also stems from the fact that everyone loves Jimmy and Sharon Young, and would not want to hurt their feelings.

That includes yours truly.

Now that being said, there is no way Jimmy and Sharon can pull this huge event off as smoothly as they do without a lot of peoples personal contribution, help, understanding, generousity, respect, patience, self control, and cooperation, and this is where it gets complicated.

The end result of so many people working together is, some people don't do their job, and others have to take up the slack, and some just bitch about stuff that they should be doing if they want it done. So, accuse me of whinning and bitching if you want, I dont care. I am getting stuff done that needed to be addressed years ago, and everybody acted like it was somehow OK or at least acceptable or bearable.

I am no exception to the later, but enough is enough!




The issues I made about the lack of access to water for our dogs, and sanitation for the women and children at EU in years past for instance, led to Mrs. Sharon Young feeling like I was attacking them and the Uncle Earls. And, I understand completely. They have a lot on their plate this time of year. The person responsible for the lack of Port-o-lets in the years past, is not there anymore, and I want to give credit where it is due: Jimmy Young personally delivered Port-o-lets to our campsites on Friday morning March 25, 2011.





If he could have gotten them sooner, I am certain he would have, because we discussed it, and he told me so. He did what others said couldn't be done.



On short notice, he gave his best to personally take care of something that should have been there a long time ago, but that action was never in his power or thus his responsibility to change until Uncle Earl's 2011.

Job well done Jimmy, and I thank you on behalf of our families. Now perhaps someone else can assume the responsibility for ordering and delivering Port-o-lets in the future, so Jimmy can relax and enjoy the show!

I apologised to Jimmy in person for hurting Mrs. Sharons feelings, and I put several notes of apology towards her on Facebook. I wish I had found the time and place at Uncle Earls this year to look her in the eye and apologise in person, but that did not happen. If this new computer was configuired into my printer, I would have written a note of apology and send it to her already. I never meant to suggest and imply somehow that they(the Youngs) were responsible for the lack of sanitation or water access in the past. That was always someone elses responsibility in the past, and that person acted like it wasn't a big deal when Mrs. Sharon referred me to speak to them a few years ago about getting us Port-o-lets.



If the husband wife team of Jimmy and Sharon Young do not deserve to be relieved of duty, so they can have a vacation at the Uncle Earls like the rest of us, we ought to be ashamed of our selves and go clean out the back of Jimmy's truck so Sharon doesn't have to do it! And God knows Jimmy's diet and exercise program demands his full attention, and he doesn't have time to keep it clean hisself!

Now that we have had a good laugh, it is time to be serious, and get real so brace yourselves, because the truth I am about to present here is an ugly thing that most of us seem to want to ignore and look the other way like it ain't happening.

Now I am going out on a limb about the quality of hogs used at Uncle Earls, and once again I am possibly going to hurt some feelings. I hope Jimmy and Sharon can read this for themselves and consider some changes are in order, that they may be unaware of, and it is not a personal attack against them, the event, the city of Winnfield or this great sport.

Whoever is ordering these hogs needs to recognise that the present day bay dogs have evolved as well as the sport in the last decade. There are many fine, well bred, well nourished, highly skilled and trained dogs owned by people who haul them all over the country to compete.



These dogs are gritty and tight, and get busted for it on a regular basis!
That's their job, and they do it well. To keep things in balance, quality hogs are a must.

They are professional atheletes who can and will catch a too small or running hog. We either need to get up to speed at Uncle Earls as far as the provision of quality hogs goes or we, the elite, high performance, professional competitors who love the Uncle Earls will not be able to enter our top dogs there because it is a waste of tim and money, and it looks bad from th outside. Now, some of us have already backed out because of inconsistant standards and poor provision of quality hogs, at Uncle Earls.

Bottomline: Uncle Earls is losing a lot of money because of pitiful hogs!

I have been lured back in, by someone who claimed we would put a stop to the BS of the past, and already I have considered it isn't worth the hassle. But I am not a quitter, and we have proposed a few years ago that quality hogs, dubbed teeth, and honest judging was a must nationwide, or we would campaign for those advancements by protesting against non-conformity, and supporting the events that raised the standard.

Plain and simple.

In the real world things do go wrong,



especially in the woods,



accidents happen, but what happened at Uncle Earls 2011,



was beyond wrong, because it was preventable.

It should also be noted that quality hogs should be even and across the board. Meaning: as much as possible the hogs in the puppy bay should be relative to that event in weight, then the one dog a little larger like 175-200#, and the 2 dog, maybe all the hogs should be all over say 250#.

I am laying it out here, where everyone can read it, including the animal rights wackadoos who really have no clue what we are doing, but I am not the first, and I am not the only one at present with serious protests against the quality of livestock used for this so called baying, that we are all so passionate about.

The Uncle Earls is called a lot of things; hog dog field trail, baying competition, hog dog rodeo and hog dog fighting.

The importance of consistant livestock quality is causing a lot of complaints FROM CONTESTANTS for one.







And number two and more importantly,




we are not in the woods where we do animal control and CATCH HOGS! The Uncle Earls gets a lot of attention. And it is not just hog hunters who are watching.

WE ARE IN FRONT OF THE WORLD! Putting up signs that say "no cameras allowed" is not our best protection from the wackadoos. Quality hogs that can defend themself is.



And this should be a baying contest organized and run to control as few catches as possible.

Don't tell me, we you can't find better hogs than this, because there are several bayings near Winnfield which could be contracted to deliver hogs suitable for this event. In fact I have to ask why is the winner of the Best of the Best for Uncle Earls 2011, Mr. Reg Skains, not given the contract of supplying hogs? In my opinion, the best Uncle Earls ever, was the year Reg supplied the hogs. They were healthy, smart, strong, mean, fighting, confident, QUALITY hogs that knew what a good dog was, and set up at bay when such a dog was on them. Those hogs were selected by Reg to be consistant and even across the competition.

IF YOU DID NOT HAVE A DOG THAT COULD STOP A RUNNING HOG,




YOU DID NOT GET A PERFECT SCORE. That year, I thought we made a quantum leap forward, and then went back to this that is not worth me spending $60 for a 2 dog entry.

Once again, this is not an attack on anyone one person at Uncle Earls, especially Jimmy, Sharon or Bill. The issue is being raised to open a discussion regarding the future ADVANCMENT and refinement of this event as a flagship, and benchmark of the industry.

Although we might assume Jimmy Young is personnally responsible for every aspect of the operation and management of Uncle Earls, he cannot do it all himself. So he assigns work and responsibility to certain people to do things and provide services and many of these people are paid, such as the supplier of the hogs.







I am also certain that many people also donate their time to make this special for us, and to relieve the burdens that would otherwise be the responsibility of Jimmy and Sharon, as well as Bill Griffin.

We need to recognise that things are changing in the industry nation wide and make adjustments at the Uncle Earls too.

Because when we bring in dogs that are winning in other trails and they catch here, it says more about the hog factor, than the dog.

Just like the people who host hunts that I am invited to attend and customers who buy my dogs, I am often asked not to mention names or locations, or dogs names for privacy and security reasons in this blog.

But the Uncle Earls is open to the public, and anyone with an iPhone or hidden camera can pay the gate fee, sit in the bleachers and shoot pictures and video.

The era of assuming we can control people from taking pictures and video is a bygone issue. There are enough pictures on Facebook right now to prove we can't.

That being said we need to recognise that things must change in regard to how we present our event to the world, and if we supply and handle the livestock in an inhumane manner, we will not be having the Uncle Earls for long.

Someone has sent me a private message and asked that they be anonymous.

Before we go there...let me brief you.

....................................................................................


First, I sent a private message to a judge at Winnfield as follows:

Every dog enters the "BAYING" competition with a perfect score, and then they are penalized on mistakes.

If you enter 2 dogs in a baying contest, and they draw a running hog that would not stop, in spite of your dogs doing everything possible to stop him short of catching, shouldn't they get a perfect score? Think about it...

If they never got to bay because of a sub-standard hog that ran the whole time, is that the dogs fault? And, shouldn't the judging START when the baying commences? Or is it the judges fault for penalizing the dogs for no reason?

I promise you, "I" could have stopped the hog with one command: CATCH!!! But I did not want to contribute to the blood bath that was the 2 dog bay at EU 2011. Uncle Earl's is no longer the super bowl, it is the biggest embarassment in the industry.

In the end, how many 2 dog teams were disqualified for catching? I want an answer. I lost count after 35, because I could not watch the grossest display of animal cruelty I have ever witnessed, and left(along with most of the audience). Somebody owes us(the competitors) an apology.

Marcus de la Houssaye


(I tried to discuss the issue outside a public forum, but they refused. So, here we are, and let's face it; apparently a lot of people in the audience didn't want to watch either, and left. And perhaps they will never come back, assuming this is typical, and we on the inside know it is not.
.....................................................................................

Here was that judges response:

(and note they never answered any of my 5 questions and then resorted to attacking and blaming someone else for the fiasco of sub-standard hogs)
(in parenthesies, are mine)



Reggie has manipulated & produced a generation of dishonest, overly-aggressive competitors, human & canine. The real trainers are all tired of their pathetic lack of control over their dogs and their mouths.

We(the judges) had a staff meeting before we left(Winnfield), and will be implementing new catch & unnecessary roughness rules next year(2012). We will be able to STOP a run. We will also enforce the sportsmanship rules!

We are all tired of being threatened on FACEBOOK. I can't imagine this behavior over a horse show, the amount of whining and ignorance has reached unprecedented levels. And always from people who have never produced an OPEN baying in their lives, especially one that runs over 700 dogs.

I lost one of my best friends at Earls because of their(who?) DEFENSE of a CATCH DOG, but you don't see me vomiting every detail in public. This type of passive-aggressive insubordination is KILLING US ALL.

Now you owe ME an apology!

(I don't think so!-)

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Here is one of my anonymous supporters commending me for sticking my neck out for the advancement of our Uncle Earls event:

Just to give you a heads up, it was my saying that I thought, before we can move forward in this sport, we need to put more effort into having a good even set of hogs and a set of rules that every judge is scoring on, not just on what they like or who they like. I commend you on standing up for what you believe in, but you might want to watch your back!! But really, just wanted to thank you for saying what you believe, it's becoming extremely rare in this sport. I for one appreciate honesty over flattery every time!!! THANK YOU!!!

.....................................................................................


I replied:

How about this: if they are not doing something wrong,
why are they so paranoid about cameras?


.....................................................................................

They came back:

I agree with you, I don't think they(the judges) care about anybody's opinion but their own. You know that I have been a part of UE's for years. It is hard for me to not run my dogs, I love this sport, but I refuse to support anybody that is not going to do the right thing and truly let the best DOG win regardless of who owns it. If a hog had been ripped as bad as most of those were there, it should have been pulled out of the line up and received medical attention. The hogs on this yard at my house get treated just like the dogs, the right and humane way. And you are right, they are very paranoid, why else would they be trying to have certain people banned from attending any more UE's? I am looking forward to seeing how they react to what you've said. I've noticed that they have not answered the questions you raised, just took pot shots at you personally.(and a friend of mine, who I thought was friends with them!)


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I replied:

We should all begin to ask repeatedly: How many teams were disqualified in the 2 dog for catching? I want an answer!

Also; why did they reload the chutes after Cutty Dark and Simon(my 2 dog team, #47) come into the arena? Was somebody scared my team might win first on a $15 calcutta? Think about it... it looks like they were dishonestly "loading the chutes".(I hope I am wrong, but it was a common occurance in the past, and a primary reason I quit competing over ten years ago)

Most people don't realize it(especially Jimmy Young), but "loading the chutes" is or was a common practice across the country, and a prime cause for me and a great many honest and knowledgeable people to disassociate from competeing for many years.


....................................................................................

They came back:


Bet they don't answer your questions. If they would award the livestock contract to someone and make THEM responsible for stout and EVEN hogs, half the problems would be solved.

But judging would still be an issue. It is my personal belief that they don't want superior livestock because they might not be able to knock people out of the competition, they don't like and might actually have to sit through some bay-offs. Right now the judges are the most powerful people at UE's. Most of them like that power. God forbid you piss one of them off, and there goes your chance at a trophy.

There is a level of professionalism that needs to be shown as a judge at the biggest show on dirt that has been lacking for many years. The judges are trying to get certain people blocked from being allowed to run at UE's supposedly because their dogs are to rough. Since when is a judge supposed to determine if you are running a catch dog before you ever enter the arena? I for one am very happy with my deciding not to run my dogs and thus support what in my opinion, (do to poor stock and uneven judging)is one of the most disappointing bays of the year.

I don't think I am a sore loser(poor sportsmanship), I have several trophies from Uncle Earls in years past. But it's hard to feel proud when you know that dogs just as good as yours were beat, not by your dog, but by bad hogs and unfair judges docking points. Every year, we are going running down there, spending our money and vacation time and thinking that this year, the Uncle Earls will be better. This year, it will be different, and every year, it's just a little bit worse. I don't think that we the competitors can afford for it to get any worse. As for it being the dogs being overly aggressive and not poor livestock,(according to the expert judge you asked). How then do they explain the fact that those overly aggressive dogs are winning all over the country and can't even finish a bay there at Uncle Earls???

.....................................................................................

My reply:
I'm gonna piss them off and good!
Not a threat, that's a promise!

.....................................................................................

They came back:

Good luck!! Keep me posted. I had already made my mind up to only support bays that I felt were trying to do right by EVERY contestant! Without us, there is no money to be made, so we really do have more power than they think...lol

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My reply:

We need to always make it clear our focus is not an accusation of dishonesty against Jimmy, Sharon, or Bill. Because I am certain they would never allow something like this to happen if they knew what was going on behind their back.

.....................................................................................


Now here is an important consideration;

An advancement that we pushed that is now an industry standard is dubbed teeth.

Why is this important? Because we can easily dub the teeth of hogs in a controlled environment and reduce injuries to our dogs. This is good for us, the dogs and it gets the animal rights people off our backs about that. Well maybe, you know how they are!

Now, because hogs have dubbed teeth, and are not as formidable and dangerous, to prevent catches, the only thing we can do to minimise catches and appear humane in the eyes of the world, is to use larger hogs.




The worse part about Uncle Earls, is the herd of hogs in any event varies so much in weight, that the smaller hogs are not only gang banged and ripped severely, their only defense is to run and, they have a lot of space to do that and no place to hide, so they run.




So what is a dogs response to a running hog in nature? CATCH! But this is supposed to be a bay trail, because catch trails are illegal in Louisiana.

After the substandard hog factor, it goes back to how do you judge a running hog in a baying? You shouldn't have to question it.

Give us quality hogs and if we can't upgrade the judges, we will get rid of them too!

There is more of us than there is them. The days of Uncle Earls being ruled by the judges, has gone on too long.

The times they are a changin'...