[TedH71]

I am seeking to get a pup from either breed. Preferably catahoula. Email me. Thank you.

[okie1962]

I have been told my dog is a mountain cur. At first we thought he was a catahoula. I have head that the mayor or former mayor of Pourm, OK breads curs.

[TedH71]

Thank you. I will try to contact the mayor. Would you know his name?

[karibear]

I did a quick search on Petfinder, and these are two different sites with Catahoulas. The first is a specific Catahoula rescue, the second covers all of Oklahoma. I much prefer rescuing dogs that someone else throws away, but I also realize that there are excellent reasons for buying from a reputable breeder.

Pet Search Results: Adoptable Pets in Prague, OK: Petfinder

Seems it doesn't want to show the second link. I went to Petfinder, put in Catahoula as the specific breed in the site's search, and came up with at least 28 shelters and rescues with Catahoulas in Oklahoma. Some are no-kills, some are not.

[Amazonchix]

I was going to suggest Petfinder.com too! I've seen both breeds in rescue here in Oklahoma.

All too often in Oklahoma you will run into "puppy millers" or "backyard breeders," neither of these groups are reputable. You ought to look these terms up with Oklahoma in the Google search bar and you may be highly interested in what you find out. People are often scammed in the process of buying a dog from what they thought was a reputable breeder.

If you are patient, you could find just the dog you want through rescue (and save a life)! Contact Oklahoma Humane Society and tell them what you are looking for. They have someone who pulls from shelters for them. And as an owner of 3 rescued dogs, please let me be the first to tell you they are not damaged goods...two of our three dogs are trained and certified pet therapy dogs. The other dog is currently working on her certification process and attending classes.

[TedH71]

There is a reason why I'm asking for this is because I do not want to take in rescues...a very particular reason why. I am seeking breeders who work their dogs on livestock: cattle and hogs. Hogs in particular. Feral hogs are starting to be a problem in Oklahoma and dogs that are descended from working stock are the best solution for the problem and they are BRED to hunt hogs and feral cattle as well. The rescues tend to be culls or unable to do the work. Nothing wrong with taking in rescues if you are a normal dog owner catahoulas or blackmouth curs that have parents that do not work tend to not want to work from instinct. It's more of a problem with the catahoula because people are breeding for pretty markings or pretty eye colors. Not what I'm looking for. In the old days, breeders would raise the pups to a year old..take them out to the pasture...say 6 pups. The pups would be then sent out to herd the cattle. If any pup decided not to work and wandered back, they were shot on the spot. Then the pups who decided to quit working the livestock were shot. Then if the breeder called the pups off..the ones that came off livestock were shot. The ones that stubbornly kept working the livestock were kept and bred from. The breeders made their living working/harvesting the feral cattle and hogs so it was vital for a living back then. A lot of people culled the non-working dogs back then. Now days...very few people do in the manner of shooting them. Most of the time, they spay/neuter the dog and place them elsewhere.

Sounds cruel but it was how things were back then. I do know of a very few people that still do the culling method the old fashioned way but personally don't want to get a pup from them. Nowdays genetics has come a long way and nowdays you can select from proper brood stock to get a high percentage of pups that want to work. I used to be a hog dog hunter and want to get back into it again.

[karibear]

Originally Posted by TedH71

There is a reason why I'm asking for this is because I do not want to take in rescues...a very particular reason why. I am seeking breeders who work their dogs on livestock: cattle and hogs. Hogs in particular. Feral hogs are starting to be a problem in Oklahoma and dogs that are descended from working stock are the best solution for the problem and they are BRED to hunt hogs and feral cattle as well. The rescues tend to be culls or unable to do the work. Nothing wrong with taking in rescues if you are a normal dog owner catahoulas or blackmouth curs that have parents that do not work tend to not want to work from instinct. It's more of a problem with the catahoula because people are breeding for pretty markings or pretty eye colors. Not what I'm looking for. In the old days, breeders would raise the pups to a year old..take them out to the pasture...say 6 pups. The pups would be then sent out to herd the cattle. If any pup decided not to work and wandered back, they were shot on the spot. Then the pups who decided to quit working the livestock were shot. Then if the breeder called the pups off..the ones that came off livestock were shot. The ones that stubbornly kept working the livestock were kept and bred from. The breeders made their living working/harvesting the feral cattle and hogs so it was vital for a living back then. A lot of people culled the non-working dogs back then. Now days...very few people do in the manner of shooting them. Most of the time, they spay/neuter the dog and place them elsewhere.

Sounds cruel but it was how things were back then. I do know of a very few people that still do the culling method the old fashioned way but personally don't want to get a pup from them. Nowdays genetics has come a long way and nowdays you can select from proper brood stock to get a high percentage of pups that want to work. I used to be a hog dog hunter and want to get back into it again.

You might also want to check craigslist, the show-n-tell times, and some of the rural vets' offices to see if they have any ads posted. At least you'd be able to visit the places where the pups were bred and see how the parents work.

Working hunting dogs of any breed are an excellent exception to my 'rescue first' policy. One of my dogs is a beagle that's such a wuss he'd run from an aggressive rabbit - every fall he's stolen from my yard, and within a day or so, whoever took him either tosses him back over the fence or turns him loose and I find him on the front porch waiting for dinner. Poor guy, he's a hunting breed, but not a hunter!

[TedH71]

I found a few breeders but they didn't have what I was looking for so I somehow heard back from a breeder friend who lives in Colorado and sells her pups at working cowboy prices. Got a reserved pup! Will be getting the pup in Feb. Can't wait!

[Goodpasture]

congratulations Ted. I do hope that after "hounding" us you will post some pics of your pup? The very least you can do is reward our efforts with pictures..............thanks in advance and am anxiously awaiting Feb..........

[PennyQuilts]

Originally Posted by TedH71

I found a few breeders but they didn't have what I was looking for so I somehow heard back from a breeder friend who lives in Colorado and sells her pups at working cowboy prices. Got a reserved pup! Will be getting the pup in Feb. Can't wait!

Congrats! Exciting times. Are you getting a male or a female or does it matter?