Finaly got me a coon dog...I think

[grizzly190]

I recently got a bloodhound mix from a animal shelter, (I know bad place to get a dog and expect it to hunt.) butshes 10 weeks old now and im starting to walk her in the woods and she's doing ok, but she will not get on the trail of anything no matter how many times I walk her over coon tracks she just wants to jump on me and play. any ideas what I should do now? or is it just to early to expect results?

[SWOSUMike]

Way, way, way to early to expect anything. Some guys don't even start a treedog until they are over a year old. Just take the dog to the woods a lot. Sit down and let the dog wonder some and just let it learn. It takes a rediculous amount of patience, but it is fun. The main thing is to let pups be pups. One of my treedogs is a 7 month old female mountain cur, and I have only had her in the woods maybe 5 or 6 times, but I am not worried one bit because every time I take her, she learns something, whether I realize it or not. Now, I guess you know bloodhounds, I think, are more of a running hound than a treeing hound, but you never know what they will do until you try. Good luck to you and just enjoy the puppy while it's a puppy. It won't last long and you'll have a big bruiser on your hands.

[Lanse couche couche]

When i was running coonhounds, i found that the playfulness in the young ones pretty much stopped the first time you knocked a coon down to them, or you ran them at night and they came across a hot trail.

On a different note, and not to start trouble, but how many of you coonhunters can completely control your dogs and guarantee that they won'tcross on to land where you don't have explicit permission to hunt. i have never been able to do this with coonhounds and can't think of anyone who has if you hunt in country where its all small landholdings with poorly marked boundaries.I got into an argument with someone on another thread because he says thatdog hunters who let their dogs run onposted land(even if its 3am,pitchblack, and the dogs are leading the way)are "dirt bags."Am I wrong here to think that he is a bit offbase?

[grizzly190]

Thanks, for the info and as for controlling dogs when they get on posted land I know ofa house that got targeted for rolling when the owner made my friends walk 2 miles down a highway to get there dogs instead of allowing them to walk 300 yards across a field. I had no part in it, but I guess its local justice, childish but justice non the less, I always ask before going and getting my dogs on peoples land and it helps at 2 am to say "sir" and "maam" and to say "please" and "thank you" ohh yea another lesson dont carry a gun to the door A friend of mine (with no common sense) knocked on a door at 4 am with a rifle 10 min. later he said 2 cop cars came flying up and came out with pistols drawn,,, scary....