There are lots of questions
being asked on the forum about "Bull Arabs", their breeding etc. Are
they a standard breed or just an "Aussie Pig Dog" that can
basically be, any cross? Mike Hodgens was the guy who bred Bull Arabs initially,
he bred the dog pictured below. They were a
cross that consisted of English Bull Terrier, Greyhound and
English Pointer or Shorthaired Pointer. There are also the breed
supporters who believe the Greyhound was initially, Saluki hence
the name Arab.
Two of the trio below are mentioned in the
text below. the other dog at the back is a Fortini bred Arab
from North Queensland.
Country's dogs from Gary Anderson, the parents
of the two red dogs above.
Below left from Tony, this bitch is a workaholic, non
stop hunt. Have seen her pull off some good finds from the ute.
Lets off good loud barks when she hits them. For a dog that
catches or tries to catch what she finds she would probably be
the better one I have seen. She is 2yrs old and desexed. This
photo was taken after catching a good boar who she had a running
battle with for nearly a km before the rest of the crew turned
up to lend a hand.
The two above are now 1yr old, bitch on the right dog on left. They
were bred by Tony from Gary Anderson's Bull Arabs.
Both have a fair bit of hunt in them, the bitch is busier in
general but the dog out works her (goes further for longer))
when good sign is found. They have been in on some good finds
from the ute with older dogs and on couple of occasions have
left the ute first so I have no doubt they will do well in that
area with more work. Both hold clean on the ears. Have just
started to hunt them on their own so I'll Keep you posted on how
they handle the big time.
Tony's dogs all come from Gary Anderson in NSW
and he can't fault the dogs GA has supplied him with. The
breed is English Bullterrier x greyhound x English Pointer. He
is aware that with these crosses not all are his style and body
shape, some are big boned and heavier, some are small and
athletic. The type of body he asks for comes from the latter-
the deep chest, leggy, triangular head with the whip tail, (an
indicator of speed he believes). Tony starts his dogs hunting at
5 months and, after a few demo's from the older dogs they are
ready for their own pigs. They have plenty of heart and all the
smarts you want in a finder holder, Tony watched his main dog
bail a 90kg boar while he was 300m away and when he got to 10m
he went in and nailed him, Tony believes that to be clever. They
are reasonably long winded at times and tracking collars would
be an asset with these dogs.
Some more photos below from Tony
Two photos below were sent in by Kon, in the
cage is a Pit-bull cross Johnson Bulldog, mid is a Bull Arab and
lucky last is another Bull Arab. All the dogs are under 1 year
on that trip. In 3 days they managed 13 pigs, this was 1st
time out with the brown Arab .... ( Kon's dog ) he found, chased
& beat all the other dogs to the pigs & got his 1st boar at
70kg. the dogs names are (1) Flex (2) Ruger (3) Axel
The two photos below were sent in by Steven
and Belinda Reynolds and are of their bitch when she was 3
months old (a real poser). The bitches parents are in Yarraman
QLD (about 2hours west of Brisbane). These parents were
extremely good luggers/finders who would work all day, everyday
if you let them. The dog's parents are located in
Caboolture/Kilcoy. From what the owners told us, they are again
excellent piggers who were getting work most weekends. In the
next few weeks they will be taking their dogs for their first
trial runs. Unfortunately with the drought hitting Steve and
Belinda hard (Kumbia - 1 hour east of Dalby), they have
been preoccupied with keeping their cattle alive, rather than
chasing pigs.
They have, however, found them to be excellent
family pets with Steve's 2 year old sister playing with them, to
being fantastic guard dogs. Hopefully they will have more to
tell once they have been on a few runs.
If you have a Bull Arab or a photo of one, and
would like to add the photo to this page, send via email by
clicking the contact button above, or mailing directly to:
Ian Colley, PO Box 5396, Port Macquarie NSW
2444.
Please include a stamped self addressed
envelope if you want your photo's returned. The photos can be of
the dogs working or just being photogenic.
Can you please include some details on the
dog, where it came from, how they work etc.
