RE: What is a good way to train a coon dog?
Hey there, I have a mountain cur pup I am training, and let me tell you, if a hound is anything like a cur, he will train himself. I know hounds are more stubborn by nature than a cur, so what I would advise is, depending on his age, work him on simple obedience commands every day for about 10-15 minutes a day, mixed with something fun like fetch if he likes it. Make sure he knows "come" like he knows his name...maybe even name him "come!!!" You might train him to come to a whistle by giving him a bit of bacon or other treat after blowing the whistle and making him come to you using a lead. Teach him to sit, wait, and load into your truck...These are the musts...and as for hunting coon, like I said if hounds are anything like a cur, you need only to get them in the woods, as much as possible where you know he can find coons. Don't let him on a lose coon until he is a little older and has some "tough" in him, cause if he gets bit as a young pup you could ruin him and turn him off for life...if he gets a good fight when he's a little bigger and stronger and mature, he'll be hooked for life. Some guys catch a coon if it's legal and introduce the dog to the coon while it is caged, but DON'T overdue caged game. Also, I wouldn't turn the coon lose in front of the dog...if you turn it lose, do it in a field out of the dog's sight, then give it a head start and take your dog to the area and see if the dog wants to work the track, and if he does work the track all the way to the trees and and actually get up on a tree and barks, then praise him up, slappin' the tree and hoopin and hollerin' the whole time. Get the pup fired up!! Do this maybe once or twice or at least get him to the woods, especially creeks, where he can work some tracks and learn the woods. If he is a pup, don't expect much out of him at all. Just let him be a pup and learn the woods and obedience commands...Like I said I don't know about hounds but a cur will catch on from here. I am doing this kind of stuff with my cur for squirrels, doubt I'll ever let him run coons, but if he trees one, I'll let him hammer on it if he wants! The biggest thing I've learned is patience, and don't expect too much from a young pup. Just take them out a lot from about 4 months and older. If your dog is an adult, try introducing him to a caged coon to see if he cares at all, and if he shows interest, drag him away and drag the cage around and suspend it in a tree...let the dog work the track and encourage him if he barks treed. Another key point is, when it's legal, shoot as many coons out to a young dog as possible, but only when the dog trees it on its own. Maybe a start? Good luck -MIKE
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