The
State of Majestic Tree Hounds
and
Their Place in Today’s Market
Lance & Jill Morrow
Salt Lick Kennels
Timberville,
VA 22853
Introduction
Majestic tree hounds are a relatively new breed of hounds that
are virtually unheard of in today’s market. They were first recognized as a registered breed by the National Kennel
Club in 1980. Majestics are a re-creation of the early American hounds that helped settle the eastern United
States. They are a large, hunting breed with an extra houndy appearance.
Here at Salt Lick Kennels we have been involved with the hunting
and breeding of Majestic tree hounds for the past 6 years. Our hounds and their progeny have been extremely successful on
small game, raccoon, possum, fox, coyote, deer, bear and cougar. In addition our hounds because of their extreme biddability
ease of training and being a joy to live with, have become highly sought after family and house dogs.
In this article we will attempt to explain the state of Majestic
tree hounds in the market for both field hunting and for the average pet owner. We think the market needs high quality hounds
that look good and hunt well with as much added value as possible. In our experience, buyers have no problem paying above
average prices for good Majestic stock from proven hunters that have been given excellent nutrition and are highly socialized
during the first 8 weeks of their lives.
How
to Make a Majestic Hound
Crossing a bloodhound with a coonhound
is nothing new and has probably been practiced in the US on a regular basis since Colonial times. Recently we were examining Full
Cry magazines for all of 1962. It was not uncommon to see ads of pups for sale from bloodhound by coonhound breedings.
These pre-1980 “Majestic Tree hounds” did not have the standards of what is known to be today’s NKC Majestic
Tree hound. Not that they were inferior in any way; just that most were probably a lot smaller than what is considered a registerable
Majestic Tree hound. The genetics from these crosses have probably been long infused into what makes the great coonhound breeds
that we currently recognize today.
Basically a first generation (F1) Majestic hound is made when
any coonhound that makes Majestic standards, i.e. of proper height, confirmation, earage with hunting ability, is bred to
a Bloodhound. For Majestic breed standards see http://www.nationalkennelclub.com/Breed-Standards/majestic_tree_hound.htm. The reason many people are leery about making their own Majestic
F1s is first having a coonhound that makes Majestic standards but, more important, finding a proper hunting bloodhound which
can be nearly impossible. Although it is not required that the bloodhound be of hunting stock, for obvious reasons, it is
most desirable.
It appears from speaking with many
individuals that most buyers would rather purchase a Majestic pup from established F1 Majestic parents who are not only known
for their scenting and hunting ability but also known for their treeing heritage. At this time people prefer to have at least
an F2 Majestic (pups out of two F1 Majestics) because, genetically, their appearance and abilities are more predicable and/or
stabilized at this point.
Majestic tree hound breed standards
allow for any color or color combination. Here at Salt Lick Kennels we have found that buyers who are coming for their first
Majestic hound feel more comfortable ordering a Majestic that has the physical appearance (i.e., the phenotype) of the more
established breeds of hunting hounds. At this time Salt Lick Kennels is producing Majestics that, except for their size and
length of ears, resemble Black and Tan hounds, high tans, Blueticks, English Redticks and Redbones. We are in the process
of being able to offer Majestics that will look like the best Treeing Walkers.
Who
Buys the Majestics?
There are many reasons that people come to us for a Majestic Tree
hound. The biggest reason for our hunter clients is that they are not at all satisfied with the current stock of hounds available
to them. A large number of our hounds going to mountain lion hunters/outfitters who are complaining that their pack is slowly
losing it’s nose (i.e. scenting ability) and are looking to bring in new blood to create
a more cold-nosed pack. Older houndsmen are coming to us for Majestics because they are having a very hard time hearing their
current dogs 50 yards away, much less 500 yards away. These hunters leave with a smile after hearing these big dogs open up
on a tree. Others are generally dissatisfied with their current stock and are hoping that one of our Majestic hounds will
give them what they need in the way of foundation stock to build their future packs.
Although these dissatisfied houndsmen are coming to us for a Majestic,
they still have “consumer loyalty” to the breed their families and friends are most familiar with. These people
are satisfied that there is a high probability of producing for them a Majestic that, except for size, ears, voice and nose,
has the physical appearance of their favorite breed.
Currently about 30% of the people who buy our Majestics purchase
them to be the family pet. These people fall in love with the idea of having a hound that looks like those in so many movies
and television programs but also truly fulfills the definition of a good family pet. When this clientele come by our kennel/house
they are utterly shocked when these big hounds run up to their car with their tails wagging with big booming voices to greet
them. Our Majestics are much more friendly and interested in people than they ever expected. They are surprised that, although
our hounds weren’t raised with children, these dogs will stand and play with and protect them.
Overall most people, whether they are a hunter, a family looking
for a special dog or for whatever other reason, make the statement that they want to purchase a big dog that “truly”
looks and sounds like a hound. And then there are also the people who have been reading
and hearing about Majestics and thought it was time to try one.
Pricing
the Majestic
Here, in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, are some of the finest
packs of bear hounds in the world. Even though they have very little bear habitat, counties such as Page, Shenandoah and Rockingham
which are mostly open country mixed with agricultural lands still have a very healthy bear population which allowed 343 bear to be taken during the 2006 bear season in those 3 counties. The local houndsmen laugh at the idea
of a hound pup selling for anything over $50. For their mindset is to produce a lot of pups, chain them to a box up on the
hill until they are a year and a half old then take them out to see if they’ll turn into a bear hound. The few dogs
that do make it into the final pack are indeed good, but during the hunt these hounds face the life and death gauntlet of
being regularly killed by cars, shot by irate landowners or being maimed by the bear that refuses to tree. Hence, with these
odds, they feel that only a fool would put more than $50 into a pup.
At Salt Lick Kennels we regularly sell out litters of our premium
pups before the breeding takes place. These pups go for $650 apiece and we can’t make enough to satisfy demand. When
they send in their deposit we ask the buyers for their first choice of color and gender. First choice of a particular color
and gender is determined by who is first in line for that particular combination. People always say that they want to come
by when the pups are 7-8 weeks old and pick their pup of choice. That may be normal operating procedure where there is limited
demand for a litter but, with our premier litters, people are pretty much picking their pups before they are born.
We have very little experience at pricing a pup out of our premier
litters to sell later as a started dog. We attempt to hold back one pup out of each premier litter for ourselves just to experience
the joy of raising them. The last two pups we tried this on had interesting outcomes. The first was a beautiful female high
tan. At one year of age she was not only a perfect house dog but had impeccable manners around other dogs and strangers. Any
person could take her out at this age and she would tree coons by herself. Not only that, but she was running her own bear
by herself. Be careful about putting a price tag on a started dog especially if you aren’t sure you really want to sell
him or her. The first person who saw her with a price tag of $6,000, after 10 minutes knowing her, took her away and we haven’t
seen her since. The second pup, a large male black and tan, sold for $4,000 at 7 months of age. The person who bought this
pup requested in advance to have the dog trained for obedience and housetraining and had no concern for the dog’s hunting
capabilities.
Marketing
the Premium Litter
Buyers have no problem with paying the high dollar for a pup from
a premier litter. They are paying for added value as follows:
1) pups
will have good conformation and will look beautiful as an adult
2) pups
will be out of good hard hunting stock
3) pups
will be the most intelligent and easiest to train that the new owners will have ever worked with. We get the most wonderful
emails on a regular basis from our clientele all glowing with words like “never had a pup tree at this age before”,
“so intelligent”, “so sweet”, and “the most beautiful creature” – “thanks
for such nice pups”.
4) all
of our pups are “social imprints”. They are born in our house and they are handled within the first few seconds
of their lives. All of our other hounds have full access to these pups with many of them coming in to help clean the pups
during their first 3 weeks of life. At 3 weeks of age we begin taking pups out into the woods where they spend the day with
the older hounds that protect them. During this time we constantly have visitors come see the pups which greatly helps socialize
them. At 4 weeks of age we start field trips: take them for rides into town to outside ice cream vendors where pups can meet
strangers, children and adults and other animals and continue on with their socialization. At 5 weeks of age we start taking
the pups down to our pond or to the Shenandoah River
where they are introduced to water. At 6 weeks of age all of the pups in the litter are out swimming like beaver. These pups
later, when 7 months old, have no problem swimming rivers or reservoirs. At 6-1/2 weeks of age we take the entire litter and
parents out on mock hunts during the day. They learn to explore their world while not getting lost. They are ready to become
someone’s special puppy by 7 weeks of age, as they are really starting to develop their individual personalities. In short, we put our young pups in as many different situations as possible to make them more mature
and balanced puppies that are able to fit into their new homes. Our social imprinting greatly enhances the pup’s and the new owners’ chances of success, whether it is
for a hunting hound or to have an exceptional pet.
5) Health
of all pups is paramount. All of our hounds have super high quality food from the prenatal period until they go into the new
owner’s hands. We are a rare kennel that feeds our dogs a diet that is expensive but well worth the added cost and effort
because it produces healthier, smarter and better looking puppies and dogs. In addition, pups have a lot of room to romp and
play so they develop strong bones and muscles. All pups are given their first vaccinations and have been dewormed by 6 weeks
of age.
6) People
who purchase pups from us are informed that after they get their pups home we will be there every step of the way for them.
Salt Lick Kennels offers any type of advice to the new owners so they can create the exact kind of dog they desire.
Like we said, our buyers have no problems paying what they
do for these premier pups as they come with so much added value. It all comes
down to getting what you pay for.
Experimental
Stock
Here at Salt Lick Kennels our premium Majestics are our best papered
Majestics being bred together to make F2 puppies for sale. Although these pups are pricey, people flock to them. And, of course,
they are usually sold out in advance of breeding.
We are also constantly experimenting and producing what we categorize
as “hunting stock”. In these cases, we take a gamble and breed outside of the registration to make new F1 Majestics
by breeding to the giant blue Gascons or to super winners who have great size and ears in the Treeing Walker realm. Everyone
knows that these will probably be great dogs, but we can hardly give them away. Strange as it may sound, in this market today
nobody wants to invest the time in an unknown commodity even with very limited dollar outlay. They would rather spend the
high dollar and get the premium Majestic hound.
The
State of Majestic Hounds Today
1) Far
too many Majestics are out on a chain and have not had the time put into them to prove their hunting ability.
2) Majestics
are being produced from breeding stock that have never hunted or at least been finished as hunting stock.
3) Too
few breeders of Majestics exist therefore; good solid hunting stock from hunting parents with proven genetic background is
extremely limited.
4) Salt
Lick Kennels is an extremely small operation providing at the most 1 or 2 premium litters per year. Because of this, people
are finding it extremely difficult to locate other premium stock to pair with our pups and begin their own breeding programs.
At this time Salt Lick Kennels cannot even provide a buyer with two unrelated premium pups for people wanting to start their
own straight line of the very best.
5) Currently
if you have a top Majestic hound and wish to campaign him or her, you are forced to run or present them as a “grade”
or non-registered dog at the more numerous non-NKC sanctioned events. However, we are hearing rumors that Majestics will soon
be recognized/registered by other organizations beside the NKC.
Conclusion
Majestic tree hounds are here to stay.
People are buying these fine hounds for a multitude of reasons but the basic
ones are: to bring new blood into an existing pack that have begun to lose their scenting ability, people who are tired of
hounds not looking or sounding like a hound and are gravitating toward Majestics, and lastly, because of the sweet nature
and intelligence Majestics are becoming popular family/house pets.
Internet
Links
Salt Lick Kennels website: http://home.earthlink.net/~landjmorrow/saltlickkennels/
NKC breed standards for Majestic Tree
Hounds: http://www.nationalkennelclub.com/Breed-Standards/majestic_tree_hound.htm
http://home.mindspring.com/~stevemorrow/index.html
