Part I

I learned breeding from listening to older, long time outstanding breeders, watching other's successes and failures, by knowing what Outstanding Dogs are and how they have to work. I spent many hours, days & nights reading every bit of information I could about successful breeders through the years and studying pedigrees, mainly of exceptional horse bloodlines and how they were structured. The breeder that helped me the most, and the best dog man I ever knew, was Willard Bush from Milano, Texas. Willard grew up in the Llano River country, his mother went to school with Fred Gibson who wrote "Old Yeller," (Old Yeller was a True Fiction Book), his brother and cousins. He told me the story of the actual dog the book was based on, and of other East Texas Black Mouth Curs that were considered "Legends" in that part of the world, many even more legendary than Old Yeller. He had over 50 years of experience breeding Curs and Hounds, he worked a public job, cowboyed for the public, rodeoed, hunted, trapped and bred some exceptional using horses. I spent years and hours upon hours listening, studying, and watching to learn my present breeding knowledge. It was and is very basic and simple breeding , and the one thing Willard always said to me, " You have an advantage over most, you were raised horseback with dogs, and know outstanding dogs when you see them, this is the foremost knowledge you must have as a breeder. Along with learning and understanding Genetics, how they produce and why."

Learning breeding and cowboying have one Big thing in common, you have to shut up, listen, watch, learn and be patient. In breeding you must learn outstanding dogs, listen to successful long term breeders, LISTEN, not tell what you think you know, watch successful breeders dogs and learn what makes Genetics, (Gene Manipulation), and Blood Percentages work. Watch and learn from your own successes and failures as well as others. Give dogs time to prove themselves before breeding, it takes much time and patience. Learn Outstanding Dogs, Live with them and learn from them, learn every trait and characteristic about them and be patient with them.

If cattle aren't settled it is because you didn't give the dogs time to settle them, you ride in and try pushing them, they will split like a covey of quail. It takes time to settle cattle, the ranker & more spoiled the cattle the longer dogs have to Windmill to settle them before you can pick up the drag, drive and pen them. If a cow leaves, wait the dogs will bring her back. It may take hours, but you MUST give dogs time, when settled ease into the set and slowly began pushing cattle. NEVER Ride into a set of cattle hard & fast Whooping and Hollerin', it stirs up the set, distracts the dogs and normally results in a wreck. Keep your mouth shut, ease into the cattle with a soft whistle or a low, "Ho Cattle," this combined with a "Natural Cow Horse, "are the tools needed most times to pen ANY set of cattle. We're NOT out there to run, we're out there to PEN the set as quietly and easily as possible, it's easier on you, the cattle, dogs and horses. Lead Dogs, or Head Dogs," are in "Control" of the set and handling them, you're handling the dogs, and any dog(s) handle better when they know if a voice is raised it is directed at them and they better get back or whatever your asking them for. Both take time, patience, and a closed mouth and an open mind to be successful.

I have a snap on my saddle that keeps a bullwhip. Our dogs are whip broke, if we're driving and the dogs are too tight and cattle are stalled, spinning away from the dogs, I raise my voice and ask the dogs to back up, no response leads to a crack of the whip, and again I raise my voice to hearing level and ask the dogs to back up. This does two things, it backs the dogs up so we can drive easier over them and it makes the cattle start moving. When we have cattle penned and are ready to quit, I crank down hard on a whip two or three times and say "Get Out." They quit and go to the trailer. If we need them again, I just, "Yep, Get Ahead," and those yeller machines are cranked and back in action. We have dogs so intense on cattle we can hollar all day, throw rocks, shoot a bb gun, and they will never know your there, all they know is "Cattle," nothing else in the world exists when they are working. However, when whip broke they always hear the crack of a whip and their ears open to your voice. It works for us, and whip breaking cow dogs serves another purpose and may save their life. If a whip broke dog gets off away on cattle they shouldn't be, and someone runs out and takes a shot at them or shoots up in the air, they will quit and come find you or go to the trailer. Believe me, Outstanding dogs are too hard to come by to get shot by some idiot thinking they are hurting a leather bag full of steaks.

However you handle your dogs, it has to work for you and fit your working program. I don't think my way is best, it is simply the best for us. The same principal applies to our horses as it does to our dogs, I NEVER brag they are the best, they suit us the best in the work we do and the way we work. I learned long ago that as a breeder to be the Most Successful, you have to concentrate on one breed, that specific gene pool in order to be successful maintaining their Complete Abilities and to be able to Improve your breeding program.

How do outstanding Lead/Head dogs work? First & Foremost hands need to understand they are Control Dogs, they work to control one, or a complete set and handle cattle as rough as needed to gain and maintain control. They find/locate cattle and go to cattle, by Wind, Track, Sight or Hearing cattle, Complete dogs use one, two or ALL these abilities to find/locate cattle. Once they find/locate cattle, they work from the front end, whichever direction cattle are moving, stopping cattle from moving in any forward direction. Lead/Head dogs NEVER PUSH cattle, they always go to the lead to stop a set. Once cattle stop the Natural Bred art of "Windmilling" begins, "Windmill" is one of the MOST IMPORTANT tools a Lead/Head dog has. What is "Windmilling" a set of cattle? The dogs Naturally begin circling the entire set of cattle, Baying with Every Breath. A dog must be extremely athletic, fast, quick and agile, they have to be able to start, stop, break their speed in any direction, reach top end speed, I mean, "Right Now," and "Windmill" a set hard and fast. If a cow starts to and/or breaks from the set I want a dog to "Slap" her back into the set. "Slapping" a cow is simply a dog reaching up as they windmill past her front end and bite and release, slash, preferably on the nose, and continue "Windmilling." The majority of the time this is all needed to flip a BoVine back around and right back into the set. If a cow loads up and decides to leave the set, Lead/Head dogs should get in front of her as fast as possible, and personally I want her wearing a dog as fast as they get to her. The sooner a dog "Catches/Hangs" a runoff, preferably in the nose or ear, the faster she will be back and in the middle of the set. Sometimes we get on a rank cow that it takes two or three times of hanging her before her mind is changed and she is back in the set. Nothing inspires a Deep Gut Craving for the protection of the herd and to STAY in the set as a dog "Catching" hard, solid and fast! When a cow turns back to the set, the dog(s) should lead her back and once in the set they should begin "Windmilling" the entire set just as they were working before. You NEVER want a dog to try and go into the set and continue after a cow, or try and split a cow off to eat on her. Outstanding Head/Lead dogs MUST have "Heavy Windmill" and be "Herd Minded," its that simple.

"Settling" a set of cattle, how do I know when a set is "Settled?" When a set of cattle are settled it means the fight, desire to leave the set is gone, they are ready to be driven and penned. When you see 500 head of cattle bunched so tight it looks like you have 50 head, they are "Settled," when you have a set of cattle and it blows up a rain and there are water puddles between every cow on both sides, they're packed so tight water won't run between their hides, they are "Settled" and ready to pen. When a set of cattle are "Settled" they are under "Control," meaning the dogs are in "Complete Control" of the set of cattle. When you ride into a set of cattle, pick up drag and begin the push, cattle will not want to untrack and move over your dogs, they are "Settled and Under Control." When you ride into a set and the set is trying to break or bust, just back off and let the dogs continue "Windmilling," if it takes hours to "Settle" the set, that's fine, we're looking to drive them at a nice slow walk into the pens, trap, trailer etc…

I've heard many complain about "Dogs Being in their Way," if you have outstanding Lead/Head dogs working, most times its not the dogs in the way, it's the "Hand doing the Complaining." More hands get in the dogs way due to several reasons than they may realize. One, inexperienced dog men see dogs work, maybe work dogs a couple of times and begin thinking they know more than the dogs that are working. Reality Check, after 30 years of Catching Cattle for the Public, working my own cattle, working on ranches, I still learn from my dogs and expect to continue to until I die. No man knows more about how to handle that front end of a bad set of cattle than an "Outstanding Head/Lead Dog that's in front Doing the JOB." Many times cattle appear "Settled" very quick, when in fact they aren't, hand(s) ride in and try to pick up the drag and drift cattle and they break simply due to the fact they weren't "Settled." At the same time we have had rank cattle "Settle" very quickly and drifted them quickly and with no problems. No two sets of cattle will react or handle the same every time you work. That's one reason our job has always kept us on our toes and cranked to roll. Many hands are too quick, perhaps too eager to "Stick a Strang on Cattle," some worry their dogs won't be able to handle a set after 15 minutes of baying, there are many reasons, fact is you "HAVE TO SETTLE DOWN, BE PATIENT AND GIVE THE DOGS TIME TO SETTLE CATTLE, and Stay Out of the Dogs Way." Even in situations where we rope cattle, due to necessity, normally caused by lack of time, or trying to get the job done the quickest way possible, perhaps on the side of the highway at 2 am, whatever the cause, if you let the dog(s) gain control, you can ride up, pitch a loop on and ease off with the cow. It makes everything easier, smoother and less wear, tear, beating etc… on your horse, tack, and cattle. But don't go out to rope cattle in thickets or on the highway with a heel dog "Running" them, you need cattle "Stopped & Under Control," you can run cattle all you want, you don't need dogs doing it in this type situation.

Another saying I've heard, Cur dogs are too rough. More than likely if your dogs are too rough they aren't what you need for that situation, you don't have dogs that read and understand cattle, or you don't know what the hell your talking about. Outstanding Lead/Head dogs get as rough on cattle as they need to, to get cattle "Under Control," again, no hand knows as much as an outstanding Lead/Head Dog that's in front of those cattle working, its that simple. I had a friend call me one day after penning a bad set of wild cattle and he told me about his first male he had gotten from us. This dog is "Double Rank" and will catch anything that walks, it has never gotten too rough, or too western for Red to get it under control. "This morning we heard the dogs bay about a mile out and got there and they were windmilling hard. After an hour or so this little group of cattle was spinning away from the dogs, they didn't want any more dog period. We eased in and picked up drag and got those cattle untracked and driftin'. There was one cow that had a small calf and she would jump a few times at the dogs sweeping across the front end leading and pop back in the set. I kept wondering why Red just ignored her and didn't hang her or at least slap her. We drove a few miles and ran into some more cattle, we let the dogs put them together with the set we were pushing and settle them. When we picked up drag and begin pushing I noticed one cow that looked a little flighty, but she was staying in the middle. I also noticed Red was tighter than he had been on the front end leading, but when that one cow we had all along popped out at him he just ignored her as he had been doing. Very quickly that nervous cow that was acting flighty hit the front and quick as her head got 3 foot past the lead cattle, Red hung her hard. She went straight up, flipped backwards into the set and never moved to the front again. Red loosened up and went back leading as he had before we picked up the other group and we drove them 6 miles and walked the set in the pens. I learned one thing that day, Red knew exactly what he needed to do and when to handle the situation and which cow was putting on a little bluff and which cow was seriously leaving. I'll NEVER doubt my dogs again." Kevin Show, Cortez, Colo. Having the right dogs for the right situation is something a hand needs to understand. While heel dogs aren't what we need in the pasture to control cattle that aren't dog broke, or to gain control to rope a cow, Head/Lead dogs aren't worth a dime in ally ways moving cattle or at the chute loading cattle. One of these Yeller dogs in front of cattle in an alley way leads to one thing, cattle aren't moving forward, same with the chutes. This is where "Heel" dogs are worth their weight in gold and what their purpose is. Know your dogs, what they are bred to do and use them for their natural bred purpose.

How do Head/Lead dogs know where the front end is? The "Front End" to a Natural Head/Lead Dog is the direction cattle are moving or trying to move in and where me and the horse "ARE NOT." If a cow trys to move too fast or run, the Lead/Head dogs should "Slap" her backwards to regain control. When driving, an outstanding Lead/Head dog should "Sweep" constantly the entire front end of the set. "Sweeping" is the Natural ability Lead/Head dogs have to work back and forth across the Entire Front End, going from one side to the other hard, fast, and tight as needed to maintain control. As they sweep they will be backing off the cattle allowing the set to move slowly forward. We prefer and breed for a hard "Quarter Backing" Lead dog. Most of the extremely Heavy Windmillers will also be Hard "Quarter Backing" Lead dogs. "Quarter Backing" simply refers to the front end lead style. When "Sweeping" the front end of a set of cattle, a straight Lead/Head dog will work across the entire front end, at the last cow on the outside they stop and sweep, baying, back across the front end to the other outside cow. "Quarter Backing" Lead dogs won't stop at the front corner when "Sweeping," instead they will drop down the side of the set 10 to 25% and then go back on their "Sweep." Every time they will drop around 25% of the front side of the set before beginning the "Sweep" back across. They give you "More Control" on Rough, Bad cattle while driving. A true Lead/Head dog will Never circle behind a set and start barking to push on cattle. We may have hard "Quarter Backing" dogs that will circle the entire set every once and a while, while we are driving, they are simply checking the entire set. Normally this only happens when we are driving a few head, or when the cattle are stalling out and not moving. When you stop your horse, and back off a set and they stop completely all your dogs should begin "Windmilling" very quickly. When turning a set, stop your horse, back off and let the cattle stop, then ease around to whatever side you wish to push the set away from to make the turn. As you pick up the drag and begin the push natural Lead/Head dogs will naturally go to the front end movement. Simply put, Lead/Head dogs know the front end as the direction cattle are moving, and they naturally work to stop and control the cattle's movements forward.

Trap Dogs, what are they, are they natural Lead/Head dogs? No they are not, Trap Dogs find cattle and push them away from them, in smaller country into a corner and keep pushing, fighting, baying and chewing until the cattle tear the fence down and leave. In large open country they will be running on the back sides and behind a set of cattle barking and running them away. Trap Dogs can cover a lot of country chasing/running cattle, you will never catch up to them horseback so your day is ruined. There is a Difference between "Trap Dogs" and "Retrieving Dogs" for cattle. Retrieving dogs are bred to push cattle toward the hand, "Trap Dogs" are Lead/Head dogs that don't have the intelligence, bottom, heart, drive, desire, grit, guts or whatever they are lacking to get in front and "STOP" cattle now. Instead they are Running Cattle away and it don't matter what direction they are headed, and it sure isn't going to be to the hand. "Trap Dogs" may catch a runoff, however most times it will be in the flank, by the tail or the bag, they don't have what it takes to get ahead in front and take hold of a cow and stop her as they were bred to do. Their desire is to run cattle, normally these are the dogs that only have enough guts to catch a baby calf or a crippled cow. They are "CULLS" and should be Culled Permanently, as they are worthless and you sure don't want some idiot breeding the cull to produce more of the same worthless crap. I can run cattle through every fence in Texas or all over ten million acres, not a problem, so I don't need a dog's help with that when catching cattle. On rough, rank, wild, spoilt, broncy cattle, or one or more of the afore mentioned combined, there is no way me and a horse or a group of hands horse back can stop and control that front end, I don't care how good the hands or the horses are. Cattle will hook horses, run over them, under them, and split in every direction. But Outstanding Lead/Head dogs can get control and settle cattle, they can do wonders on the front end and keep it under complete control as long as desired. Understand "Trap Dogs" are not "Heel Dogs" or "Retrieving Dogs," they are worthless "Culls" period, that don't have the makings to get ahead as they were bred to.

I want to mention this also, many times hand(s) are guilty of turning too many dogs loose at once. You turn 10 rank Lead/Head Dogs on 20 head of cattle and all hell is breaking loose and something is going to be stretched "QUICK". More dogs are not better, you need the amount of dogs needed for your situation, it takes more dogs to settle 1500 head of cattle than it does, 15 head, use a little Common Sense here. Many times we've penned 200 to 400 head of ½ to ¾ Brammer cows with calves and bulls with 3 or 4 dogs. Plain and simple, get out of the dogs way, let them work and settle those cattle before you begin driving them, if you ride in and the cattle are flighty, not settled, back off and let the dogs work longer, they will get them settled if given the proper amount of time for that particular set.

Part II

Wrights Curs Breeding Program.

We breed for several things, I'll do my best to list the most prominent.

Working conformation - we want a dog that can last in the heat all day, handle any terrain and ground conditions, hot or cold. Speed is very critical, this includes start, top end, agility, and side quickness. Good feet, wide chest from the front, side view should show deep chest, high tight flank, log back with slight arch, long legs, some say most of our dogs have six inches too much leg under them. I feel they can never have too much, as long as the coordination is there.

Working style and ability - a straight front end lead dog first. When I'm driving, a dog had better not get behind to bark, or I will cull him fast. I can push cattle fast as I want, run them through every fence in Texas, or into ay neighboring state. I don't need a dog for that, I need a dog for front end control. On rank cattle, no five men can control that front end even on the best horses money can buy. Two outstanding lead dogs can do amazing things, and your horse never busts out in more than a trot!

Catch ability - These are catch dogs with sense. If a cow runs of I don't care how rough they get, just stop her and bring her back. On rough rank cattle, a dog that won't put a mouth on a cow can take her to Oklahoma and she may never come back…there just isn't enough pressure to stop her and bring her back. On gentle dog-broke cattle you don't need a dog this rough, but we don't pen many gentle cattle, so rough as they have to be is best. I have heard too little dog is better than too much, but this is bull. I can work and control any of these dogs. Control is the key. I've been told may times, a dog will do what he is let do! I agree completely. If you have the control on a rough "catchy" dog, you can use him anywhere, and if you need that catch it is there. Willard Bush once said if the dog has no catch you can't put it there, however, if a dog has catch you can control it and it is there when you need it.

Windmill - a dog has to have plenty of windmill, or circle, or he will never settle rank cattle. FACT! At the same time, that windmiller has to have the front end when you start driving. On rank cattle, I prefer a dog that quarters back while driving. This gives more control, however, it takes a dog with lots of speed and athletic abilities to handle this job on a large set of cattle.

Grit - a dog must have the grit to stay on rank cattle, and if stomped or fell on he better come up and stay.

Nose - a dog must run a six hour old track. When finished, the man must understand certain conditions affect any dog, any breed, but under normal conditions we want extereme track ability, and if needs to go miles to find he better get there.

Winding ability - we breed for heavy winding ability. I want a dog to wind a cow a mile off or further on a good slow breeze day. Also the more wind a dog has the faster he can actually turn a track. Our dogs run with their heads up, the hotter the track the higher they carry their head and the faster they turn the track. Many will turn a track with their head almost shoulder level on a hot track. This saves time and energy, and winding ability is a must for us.

Drive and desire - we want an intense dog that has nightmares about cattle before his eyes are open. I want a dog to mortally hate whatever they are working. A dog that hates a cow will work harder, I guarantee. I want that dog to work so intense and with such a high drive and desire that you could drive a train between him and cattle, and all he sees is cattle. We have dogs that their eyes look glazed over green when they are working, and all they know exists is them and cattle. These dogs will stay no matter how rough, hot or bad it gets..

Intelligence and heart - this is our #1 focus. An intelligent dog can find a way to get where they need to be no matter what. If he lacks something else where, he can make up for it with intelligence every time. Intelligent dogs learn fast and are easily trained. A hard headed dog lacks intelligence, and are always harder trained. Think about it. HEART… after you get through with drive and desire there is a thing called heart. Heart is hard to define, but easily recognized. I have had dogs over heated, breaking down, and we were driving cattle beside a creek. They stayed in front and wouldn't quit for water… we had to stop the cattle and make the dogs get out for water. This is heart. A dog cut down and dying on hogs, they keep working and get ranker until they drop. This is heart and must be in a working cow dog. Why, you may ask, you say I had rather my dog go to water than die in front of cattle. You are not penning very many rough rank cattle. If your dogs quit you on rough rank cattle, simply put, you ain't penning that set with those dogs today. We always guaranteed to pen or catch what ever we went after, with quitting dogs we would have gone broke a long time ago penning rank cattle.

I am speaking on some things of finished dogs. Young dogs can't have some things, they simply haven't worked enough to learn all they need to know. How ever, in general, these qualities are a must in all our dogs. Simply put, a dog has to be a natural in all areas. If they are not naturals, 90% are culls. A few can be man-made, however they are few and far between. A natural can do anything they are bred for, and can reproduce that ability. A dog that is not a natural cannot.

Fact: Two men on good cow horses and two outstanding dogs can do more on a hundred head of cattle then fifteen men mounted on the best horse money can by, and this includes hands being outstanding dead shot ropers.

There are many other things that go into our Breeding Program, but these are the primary working and breeding guidelines. Genetics, mouth, like working styles & complete natural working abilities, the list continues on. Successful breeding programs are complicated and time consuming, however the listed things are for the working and will make the difference between success & failure. Anyone can put two dogs together and breed a litter of pups, it takes true breeders to put dogs together and produce results time after time producing outstanding natural working dogs.

Weatherford's Ben was a Yellow Black Mouth Cur, the Most outstanding dog I had ever seen at that time. His line bred son, Wright's Bounty Hunter is to this date the Most Exceptional, Outstanding, Complete cow dog I've ever seen or owned. Ben remains the Nation's #1 Producing Stud Dog even 12 years after his death, and remains the most sought after BMC genetics in the world. Ben produced 40 litters total from 30 females. After breeding him over outcross gyps, cousins, great granddaughters, granddaughters and daughters, every pup made above average to outstanding, and have also proven very potent producers exactly like Ben. He remains the #1 focus of our breeding program, line breeding is genetics. We also focus on line breeding a few of his sons and one grand son's genetics, all were proven exceptional working & producing dogs. Other distant blood is there some tracing back 60 years and further. We still bring in outcross bloodlines every now and again, for Hybrid Vigor. HV is necessary to prevent Blood Burnout, caused from too much Inbreeding. We prove all our dogs, and keep those that are the most exceptional and have the necessary genetics we need to maintain and improve our program. We keep only the amount of dogs we can work and prove. We constantly keep pups back to work and know how those genetics are clicking and working, we are always working to "Improve" our Breeding program, and through line breeding, proving and knowing all our dogs traits, characteristics, abilities etc… we have improved our Breeding Program through the years in everyway.

You have to keep young dogs and see what works and their good and bad characteristics to know what works and what doesn't. We only breed well above average to outstanding dogs, both genetically and working abilities. Breeding one genetic cull can ruin twenty years of breeding success. Every breeder has to be honest with themselves and cull hard, even the average dog. Never get satisfied with your dogs, always work to improve your breeding program. When a breeder gets satisfied and stops working to improve, their breeding program will begin to slip and failure is close behind.

I have never claimed to have the best dogs walking, the dogs we have suit us the best of any we have seen. That's why we hunt, work and breed these dogs. Whenever anyone thinks they have the best, they will get shown somewhere, sometime there is something better. Our dogs are bred for cattle, hogs and big game. We have dogs that have been used for search & rescue, tracking convicts, many have made outstanding tree dogs, blood tracking, trap lines, decoying, family and guard dogs, and the list continues. When you get out of the stock and game abilities, this is where things listed earlier come into play, the desire to please their owner and intelligence are the main factors that make them work on other things and in so many cases.