Question about Johnston's Goofy

[bolero]

Pedro was never labeled a 9xw anywhere until pedigrees online. You can't take those pedigrees as truth. The Soo Evil dog that FB won 4 or 5 with was TVK's roll dog, and FB only ended up with the dog when TVK was going to cull him. There are all types of things happening with dogs.

prety talented roll dog though for a high ability cur

[Officially Retired]

OK, that's what I thought, gameness & talent are not the same. They call the highly talented dog that only stays in the fight so long as he's ahead or not winded a front-running cur, don't they? He's game enough not to quit so long as things are going his way. Would seem like the game plug is the opposite of that (won't quit no matter how tired &/or beaten he is). Is a game plug worth breeding to? My guess would be no as there are probably many as game or more game dogs out there w/a ton more ability. Why reach for the mediocre when the excellent lies before us!

I always thought talent, or "ability" if you like, was more than just mouth. Aren't there components to talent? At least, that's what some have said. Beyond gameness, things like stamina, durability, bite, wrestling ability, driving power, ring savvy, pacing, intelligence...I have seen lists of these types of attributes, sometimes rank-ordered as to their importance (which obviously vary depending on who is being asked). I like that definition of talent, as it seems to neatly sum up all those factors. Intelligence + athleticism. I did cheat ahead in your terrific book, I must confess (couldn't help myself, reading out of order like that! I've always loved "fight dynamics"), & saw that you express a very definite preference in your dogs for the game, methodical dismantler as opposed to the hard-charging barnstormer. I guess if you could combine both sets of attributes or styles in one dog you would have the proverbial "ace of aces." The Holy Grail of game dogs. I'm pretty sure most guys don't even get one in a lifetime like that.

Thanks for taking the time to respond to the pesky questions/ramblings of a neophyte. It's appreciated.

LOL, you sound like me ... do I know you?

[Officially Retired]

prety talented roll dog though for a high ability cur

Statistics show that most dogs that are out there competing are simply high-ability curs ...

Very few of the so-Called "Champions" out there are actually high-ability, deeply-game dogs.

Those that are, are truly special.

Jack

[STA8541]

LOL, you sound like me ... do I know you?

I'm 100% certain you do not, but you seem like a good guy w/a great love for his animals. And I respect that.

[Officially Retired]

I'm 100% certain you do not, but you seem like a good guy w/a great love for his animals. And I respect that.

I have been around for 25 years, and it sounds like you just stumbled across me

I don't have any "animals" any longer.

Since you seem to be focused on some old dogs that (really) have nothing to do with today's dogs, and since you also write with precision, this makes you appear as "not" the everyday dogman ...

Who are you, and what line of dogs do you actually have?

Thanks,

Jack

[bulldoghistorian]

25 years is a long time
sometimes you wonder where all the time has gone

[STA8541]

I have been around for 25 years, and it sounds like you just stumbled across me

I don't have any "animals" any longer.

Since you seem to be focused on some old dogs that (really) have nothing to do with today's dogs, and since you also write with precision, this makes you appear as "not" the everyday dogman ...

Who are you, and what line of dogs do you actually have?

Thanks,

Jack

I did indeed just stumble across you: I saw you wrote a book called "The Pit Bull Bible" & I just had to have it! Any guy w/the courage to title a book like that was worth reading in my estimation & so far I was right.

I know you don't have any dogs any more, & from what I have been able to ascertain that is a shame. You have very clear ideas of what to do w/the dogs &, more importantly, how to get it. Many people never figure that out.

I like the old timer dogs partly b/c I'm a history buff & also that I believe it is important that we not forget nor ignore the past. There are many valuable lessons there. Not to mention, today's dogs stand on the shoulders of giants, genetically speaking, don't they? I know they are removed timewise, but "down from game dogs," has some meaning, I would think. And I thank you for the compliment on the writing. I have been (over)educated. Not that it made me smart: all it did was make my wallet thinner, mostly! You pay them, they give you a sheepskin, & off you go. I'm a voracious reader; I'm sure that accounts for a lot of it.

I don't have a line of dogs, or even a dog at present. I'm not a breeder, never have been. I have long thought about what kind of dog I might like to own (which is problematic at the moment given my current situation & I won't bore you w/the details, but things change), & sites like yours help me to make informed, intelligent decisions about bloodlines, gameness, etc. Might as well learn from others & do it right, no?

You are welcome, of course.

[Officially Retired]

I agree there is nothing wrong with being smarter (or better-read) than the average bear ... nor is there anything wrong with being a novice.

But all your use of %s, hyphenated words, etc. made me think you sounded like me (lol), and then it got me wondering as to who you are

In dogs, everybody needs to concentrate on looking over their shoulders ... and assessing who their company is.

So you either seem like a novice to me ... who is going to wind up doing very well (if you stick with it) ... or you seem like a cop/HSUS researcher who's wanting to gather a lot of information

I looked at your stats, and IP address, etc., and (if accurate) you're pretty young, so I guess I will be giving you the benefit of the doubt.

So, good luck,

Jack

[Officially Retired]

25 years is a long time
sometimes you wonder where all the time has gone

Fur sure ...

[STA8541]

I agree there is nothing wrong with being smarter (or better-read) than the average bear ... nor is there anything wrong with being a novice.

But all your use of %s, hyphenated words, etc. made me think you sounded like me (lol), and then it got me wondering as to who you are

In dogs, everybody needs to concentrate on looking over their shoulders ... and assessing who their company is.

So you either seem like a novice to me ... who is going to wind up doing very well (if you stick with it) ... or you seem like a cop/HSUS researcher who's wanting to gather a lot of information

I looked at your stats, and IP address, etc., and (if accurate) you're pretty young, so I guess I will be giving you the benefit of the doubt.

So, good luck,

Jack

Hi Jack, apologies for the late reply; was outta town visiting family for the weekend & was not online at all, I'm sure you know how it is.

I'm not that smart (I don't equate "educated" w/"smart"...sometimes they the same, & sometimes they ain't!). Self-education is the best kind, I have found, anyway. And I do read a lot, like I said, so that's where like 98% of it comes from. And I totally get the looking over your shoulder thing: I appreciate people who appreciate security, honestly, so I don't mind being assessed. I'm actually glad you thought enough of me to do that! B/c...please believe me...I am no cop (have been told I look like one, though...I think it's mostly the fact that I'm big!) And as for HSUS...NO! Dear God, no! Those people are almost completely responsible for the fact that we have to look over our shoulders in the first place. And I detest that. I completely agree w/the introduction in your book & also posted here. It shouldn't be anybody's business if anyone is matching dogs, so long as no one is being hurt (& I've never heard of anyone being hurt). If it's not your hobby, that's fine & I get that. It's not for everybody. But those people wanna stick their nose in & tell people how to spend their free time or dictate what hobbies are acceptable, & I just...don't like that at all. I sometimes wonder if it's too far gone anymore to return to a saner time, what w/all the media hype about the bulldog. I fear it may be.

I am a novice, & always willing to learn from those more experienced & expert, which is why I'm here. I just think it's the greatest breed on earth, & want it to stay that way. If nobody could test for gameness, where the hell would the dogs be? Glad you think I'm young too; I'll pass that along to my wife, she'll be thrilled, lol.

Thank you for the benefit of the doubt. If I ever make you, or anybody else on here, uncomfortable, in any way, I will never darken your doors here again of my own volition. You have my word on that. It's not what I'm about, at all. I just like talking about this stuff w/people who are expert in it. And I hope that it will lead me to make very good decisions about the dogs in the (hopefully near) future, learning something useful from those who have gone before. Nothing more sinister than that, I assure you.