The Test for Gameness

How, Why, and to What Effect ?

The process of bringing a dog to pit-worthiness as often as not follows along certain traditional lines.

Traditionally, it goes something like this. The dogman raises up his young pit project, and through a process of careful schooling, and nurturing, brings him at long last to that critical point of culmination, that final verge that is the brink between mere prospect and full-fledged pitdog - at which point the dogman uses one, two, or even three dogs, to beat the living daylights out of that young prospect and to stop him if he can!

Now the process described in this way may, on the surface, seem quite silly to the uninitiated - and if it does, that's because it is. Silly I mean. At least I think it is.

What's wrong with it then? That's simple. The whole process completely overlooks the fact that if you want to match your dog there is one thing even more important than coming up with a game one - and that is coming up with a winner!

If it's going to take two or three dogs to stop the dog - why stop him at all !

Now before we examine this seeming break from tradition, let me first make it clear that there is nothing new in what I'm saying, and if you want to find some precedent for this seemingly new view, you can find it operating in varying extent in the way some of the most successful dogmen have gone about their schooling and testing.

The purpose of this article is not to present a new method of testing a dog. Rather I mean to weigh the to rationales one against the other - the one that is purist and traditional and perhaps as someone once said, makes a fetishes out of gameness, against the other rationale which seems to me a sort of outlandish stepchild of tradition, even having the effrontery to outshine "Daddy's" own.

Before loading down the scales with all that weighty stuff, there is one commonly held belief - or, more accurately, opinion - that I'd like to toss out of the field of consideration once and for all . That opinion which states -

Any dog will quit under the right circumstances.

Now, first of all, if a dogman really and truly believes that, then he already knows his dog will quit - and so testing his dog at all, and especially testing him hard, loses a good deal of it's meaning. Why set out to prove what one already knows?

But aside from any such " if it were true " considerations, it certainly is true that the above - stated opinion can never be proven as fact. If the old DIAMOND dog could go for two hours plus, and then cross over into death without ever having quit, indeed his very last effort in life having been to reach out to grab hold of BLACK BART - then I view it as a bit worse than shabby of me to cast doubts regarding his gameness, for me to assert that he'd have quit " under the right circumstances. " What happened is provable. What never did, but might have happened - isn't!

Some things are simply outside our realm of knowledge, things we can never know in this life - like what God looks like, or how many grains of sand there are on a beach. He'll, I can't even know how many grains of sand are down my own damn bathing suit !

So while the above commonly held opinion may or may not have any basis in fact, for as long as that opinion cannot be proven one way or the other, I have a choice as to what to believe. And I chose to accord the ol' DIAMOND dog - and all those that have passed willingly and without regret, gamely and for courage' sake from this life into the next - the utmost highest place in my memory, no shabby, cynical, and as far as I can see, utterly useless reservation entering in to spoil it.

Now getting back to the traditional hard test versus outlandish stepchild, let's put the proposition on the scales and see which side will rest solidly and which side ends up dangling.

You've tested your dog hard and he proved game. Just what valuable verification of the dog's worth have you gained?

( 1 ) You've learned that he's probably worth a breeding to.
( 2 ) You've learned that he probably won't quit on you if you match him.

And remember, even while the dog passed the test, it could also be quite apparent to you that he be nothing but game - and have no other redeeming quality whatsoever to make him worth matching. In which case ( 2 ) above no longer applies and you are left with only the one justification for having tested your dog hard. And maybe not even the one - unless you believe gameness the only quality worth considering when you make a breeding.

In short, and quite frankly, there seems to be surprisingly meager advantage to be gained by hard testing your bulldog. Perhaps I can make this clearer to you as you read on.

Now let's assume you have a dog that acts pretty good and is at least reasonably game, one with a winning combination of bite, talent, and air - but his true depth of gameness is still open to question. In other words, deep-game or not, there is a strong possibility he can win for you.
What are the pluses and minuses of putting a hard test on this sort of dog?
Let's suppose the dog is game enough to pass a hard test. What have you gained by two dogging him? A certain peace of mind? Perhaps. But how much has the hard test taken out of him? So add to your " peace of mind " that the dog will be just that much less capable when he starts winning for you - and if his first match is a close one, whatever his hard test took out of him just might be the critical factor deciding your loss!

Now let's suppose that the dog is not deep-game for the test. What do you gain by stopping him? Peace of mind?
Well a curious peace of mind it is - putting the quit on a winner!
So what am I suggesting here - that dogmen should stop testing their dogs altogether?
Not at all. I'm suggesting that the capability of the dog should decide the severity of the test - the more capable the dog, the easier the test!
Don't stop a winner - use him to win with!

And rest assured... sooner or later, somewhere down the road, your dog will meet the dog to test him. Your curiosity will be satisfied anyway! And if worse comes to worse and it turns out your dog was a quitter all along - then perhaps his four out of five win record won't have proved too great a financial burden on you!

If you like, by all means keep a warm spot in your heart for the traditional - but don't short change the stepchild. Take it from the winners - better smart and solvent than purist and poor!

This article was taken from the book " Man Meets Bulldog " written by Fredrick Maffei (aka MAF)

 

Thank u TDK !!! IMO, many folks that I have known of, have read an old book and think that as u said, If they put 2-3 fresh dogs on there on, the out-come will tell them what they think they wont to know. IMO, One form of A True Great gamedog is the willing to keep hunting even when they are clearly tired & beaten up. Yet they will push, pull, & drag them-selfs back to continue. If this deep Gameness is dis-plaid, Maybe its time to pick up, heal up, and hopefully it will live to fight another day.....I read an old story of bull-baiting bulldog that was so game That her owner why she was attacking a very angry bull, cut off 1 of her hind legs, yet she dragged her-selfback across to re-attack the bull again. So this Man cut off her other rear leg & once again this awesome bulldog drug herself back across again to re-attack the bull. She was lost, However her offspring were in Very high demand. Its not my intention to promote animal cruelty. Just an old story about true Game-ness.......Dex

 

Or perhaps they've been hitting the NOS button once too many times.....or perhaps trying to hard to suck up too much oxygen, that the mixture ain't gonna work LMAO.

 

Pardon me, as I've seen that I've made some spelling and grammical mistakes ( as usual lol.) Anyway it's one of my favorites and I feel it gives a realistic perspective about how to maintain and move forward. Above all else, it gives respect for the dog first and foremost before showing the importance a good dogman has to play in allowing a dog to express itself to it's full potential.

 

I just hate reading some of those long ass articles that take forever to get to the freakin point. LOL

Again let me make it short and simple.

The main objective of a match is to WIN.

The main objective of a game test is too test there gameness.

Like an old timer once said, "son I aint betting my dog is gamer then yours , Im betting that he will beat you in the pit".

 

At least you made it to the end.... congratulations LOL.... as you know they ain't my words nor experience but I can relate to gettin to the point LMAO.

 

....what ya can read......books...ffsake....they all stop ,,even the one's that leave the planet,,trying...to be stoped ....lol..

 

Well said ! If one has a real good bullog, It takes work, nutrition, & good health in general to achieve winning on a consistent bases. Gameness will be a known fact.