Comment to OEB like a catch dog
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Akumal; It is certainly possible. My father and grandfather have pictures of their bulldogs working, certainly not an abundance, but I'd be more than happy to post them as soon as I can get my hands on them. Within a few months I should have some pictures of my dad's new OEB pup working some wild cattle in Utah, and and they have a few pictures of him attempting to work some roping steers, but hes not too good at it yet, hes barely seven months old and not exactly a picture of athleticism. I definitely wouldn't say all OEBs are an ideal cattle dog, as so many breeders now have done a huge disservice to the breed, creating a larger counterpart to the English Bulldog. Many of these bulldogs are touted as being athletic, healthy, recreations of the true bulldog, but they are far from it. I have no interest in anything but the real deal. There are still a few good breeders out there though, and we've been lucky enough to get our hands on two pups from wonderful working stock. I could also speak to their breeder about getting some pictures of the parents working. In my experience with working bull breeds, a well bred bulldog is the best dog you can get for stopping wild cattle. I certainly wouldn't expect a seasoned bulldog to work calm cattle successfuly, or move them. For that a low content bulldog cross, an APBT bred for the job (not the heavy dogs that most people associate with the APBT today, true old family dogs), catahoulas, or something of that ilk, would be preferable. Since we are speaking of catching though, I'll stick with that. My family has used bulldogs for generations to catch wild cattle, and they have done wonderfully. With the correct bite, they can grab a cows nose and bring it down. I've seen many APBTs and catahoulas run headlong into a bull, jumping and grabbing the nose just as they should, but most of them haven't been able to hold on. Some simply can't hold on; others rip through the flesh. It's no flaw in the dogs working ability, the bite simply isn't ideal. APBTs and dogs of that type are great distractions; trying to work with nothing but bulldogs is often a disaster as a whole crew of them will grab the front end of a cow, which is overkill to say the least. It's also alot easier to subdue a cow with a dog on the head and a few making their way around it, holding the sides and back end in order to keep it down. A good bulldog can certainly keep a cow down, but most can't keep them down for a long period of time, which is what you need sometimes. I'll get back with pictures as soon as I can. I hope noone is offended by my posts, or thinks I mean something I don't; I'm certainly not disregarding the working abilities of other breeds mentioned, nor do I think bulldogs are the best dog for every job. I'm simply stating my experiences and opinions.