The Chase Magazine
October, 1943
Pages Seven & Eight
Breeding Notes from N.J.
By J. H. Daucher
It has been very interesting and enlightening to read the many articles in the Chase by writers from
various sections of the country expressing their ideas, experiences, like and dislikes in connection with
the breeding and types of foxhounds today.
Every writer impresses you with the importance of breeding better hounds, even though I believe most
of us are already the proud owners of some real good hounds. It is because of this present day high
standard that a noticeable improvement is really difficult to obtain that we must use the utmost care in
selecting the dam and stud for future breeding.
Tom Masters recently asked why can't we breed for and get the mouths we like. I say we can if we
select hounds, first of real hunting ability and mate those only of these selections, that have good
mouths or the mouths we like, and continue this selective mating for several generations. By doing
this, I can't see anything but good mouths; of course there are many types of good mouths, but if each
type were bred as above mentioned it would only be a short time until there were no more bad mouths.
To me, if everything else is equal I will take the hound with the good mouth, and if I have several good
hounds I don't mind having one in my pack that is short on field ability as long as he has an outstanding
mouth.
Tom Masters has also recently written that he was convinced a breeder can never predetermine just
how puppies of a certain mating will be until they have matured and proven themselves in the field. I
think too many pups are sold where the original breeder never, or seldom, knows whether they have
developed into good fox hounds. If every breeder could wait until puppies have matured and proven
themselves in the field as real foxhounds before duplicating a certain mating, it would be a step in the
right direction, and then if a certain mating did prove satisfactory, by all means continue this mating as
often as possible. This procedure, though slow and perhaps more costly, would produce better running
hounds.
For many years, except on rare occasions, it has been my policy never to breed hounds unless they
have pedigrees of several generations whose ancestors were good fox dogs, and I also try to hear and
see them perform in the field on several occasions. If, after all of these observations, they satisfy me. I
never hesitate to make this particular mating, and usually this method produced good hounds and very
seldom, if ever, produced any bad hounds, and as mentioned above I would never again make this same
mating until the pups, or at least the majority of them, have proven themselves as good foxhounds in
the field.
Here I would like to stress the importance of registration of all hounds. I know it doesn't help them to
hunt, but registration is invaluable for the breeder of the future, and all foxhound breeders owe this to
the future hound men.
Some time ago I had written an article in the Chase wherein I stressed the importance of field work
before a hound could be shown on the bench and I was very pleased to note that Rev. B. B. Sawyer in
the September issue made similar recommendations. Dr. H. R. Dysinger of Ohio, has said that one of the
easiest ways to de-emphasize the bench show is to show after the trials are completed, and then
confine entries to those hounds still on the board at the finish. R. J. Walker has also only recently
stressed the bench qualifications. Taking the above written expressions into consideration, plus the
many I have received from other hound men it would appear to me that there is a definite need for a
change in the rules before a hound can be shown on the bench.
In conclusion, I would say, change the rules so that the hounds must first compete in the field and earn
a certain minimum of points for field work before they can be shown on the bench. If this is done, we
still can breed better dual purpose hounds by giving preference first for hunting ability and second the
good looks we all so much desire.