Boarhound x herder (x boarhound?) on pumas

[Deleted]

Would a smart dog like that be better for hunting pumas due to jumping ship on big ones and not dying? Would it be better to cross that dog back to boarhound too? Hardcastle

[Hardcastle]

If you have a gun, sure, that could be a good option. Would make a rough cur. If you don't want to use a gun you need full-catch. I actually think full catch is better for a puma anyway, give it space and you give it a chance to compose itself and launch an attack. Maybe on a huge male puma you may want to dial it back to rough cur. It may even be a better idea to just use herding dogs, like collies, heelers or kelpies. They are probably the hardest dogs for a cat to catch.

I was watching an aussie pig dog video recently of a woman using a dog that she knows isn't full hard, so she anticipates when it will probably let go because the boar is fighting too much and she gets ready to shoot when it does.
link

(link set to relevant time stamp, won't let me embed)

Not a herder cross, but the point is it's lacking hardness and has the smarts to let go when it might get injured. It's fine as long as you are prepared and adapted to your dog's style, and have a gun. If this woman didn't know her dog and moseyed over with a knife expecting it to hold, she would have got attacked and gored with deep nasty lacerations on her legs.

If you don't have a gun, you need the dog to be fully hard and reliable to never let go no matter what. If you want to use a gun a rough cur or even a soft cur or strict bailer are all good options. But if the human hunter wants to handle the quarry up close, while it's alive, a reliable catch dog is necessary.