coon hounds
 

well a couple of my family friends are goin to breed their coonhounds this summer. what should i look for in a good coon hound? we have a lab and i know a lot about labs but these dogs are a complete different language to me. any tips/ advice on chosing and raising one would be greatly appreciated.

RE: coon hounds
 

First think I'm gonna ask is are these dogs they are breeding proven good hunters or just ok dogs that tree coon but aren't ones I could listen to inthe woods and listen to them and know everything that is goin on with how they are acting and know that they will get coon up even inthe toughest conditions. There are alot of good coon dogs out there but there are few solid ones that are dead nutz when it comes to hunting.Picking one out is similar to picking out a lab except you arent looking at them for a big blocky head like you would a lab. Like picking a bird dog you wanna look for a real independent one that is constantly checking new things out and always usin his nose. These dogswill have the drive and genetics to run coon. Training ahound is alot of work. You need to invest ina roll cage and some live traps and once the pup is old enough you need todrag the roll cage with live wetcoon or wet coon pelts draggingand run him on those lines until he getsher down, then go to dry coon and pelts until he gets it good and then start runninhim on released coon. Let the coon go and give it anout of sight head start and release the dog. Do this in the day time or late evening so you can see what and how the dog is acting and how he is compaired tothe dragand coon lines.WCL