coon hounds
 

hey what do yall think about what is the best coonhound for treeing
i live in southern illinois and im just wondering wat ur oppiinions are
thankye

RE: coon hounds
 

That's a tough question if I ever heard one. I've seen fist fights started and friendships ruined over that question. All breeds have their pro's and con's.

Walkers are quick to learn and quick on track, but GENERALLY, they are a little more trashy. They are more likely to run a deer, or tree some off game. Also, because they are so popular right now, they have really been over-bred. There are still a lot of good ones out there, but my personal opinion is that the over breeding is really hurting the breed. Everybody with a halfway decent dog is trying to breed, regardless of it's faults. That kind of breeding can't continue for ever without doing some damage to the gene pool.

Black and Tan's are good solid dogs with a cold nose, but ever since they became an AKC breed they have really become kind of hit and miss due to breeding for "confirmation only". They also tend to be a little slower.

Plotts are great bear dogs. The only Plotts that I have ever been around have been a little mean at the tree. It kind of soured me on the whole breed.

Redbones are very pretty, but I have yet to hunt with one that was worth feeding.

Blueticks(my personal choice) are slow to start, sometimes infuriatingly slow, but when they do turn on, they tend to be VERY solid, and very reliable. There is nothing I like better than seeing a good slobber-mouthed bluetick hammering a tree. The other thing that I like is that almost every Bluetick that I have ever hunted with had a voice that could blow the leaves out of the trees.

English Coonhounds are very similar to Blueticks(mostly because blues are an offshoot of English). They may be a bit quicker to start. But they are still great dogs. I've only hunted with English dogs a few times, but I never saw anything that I didn't like.

RE: coon hounds
 

yeah i have a black and tan pup and everyone i have talked to has said he was gonna be a good dog
he acts really smart and he is built like a real show dog..
and hes marked perfectly
i was wondering what are the best ways to train him
i cant do anything yet because i got a broken leg right now but i just want to hear some ideas on the best ways to do it
i have a kitten coon im gonna keep and people tell me just to tease him with it and not let him actually get close to it for very long or anything..
make it something he really wants
are training scents better than this?
just let me know what you think please and thanks

RE: coon hounds
 

First, go out and get the books Walk With Wick Volumes 1 & 2. There is a lot of good info in those books, but all the info isn't right for everybody.

Then, I would start showing the coon(in a cage) to the dog as soon as you can. Pour a bunch of water over the coon before you show it to your pup, it helps bring out the scent. If your pup doesn't show any interest, try dragging it a small distance. Sometimes this kicks their prey drive up a notch. When the dog is good and excited about the coon, tie a rope to the cage and hoist it up a tree, just out of the dogs reach. When he is on the tree, praise him up really good.

After that, leash your dog up and wet the coon down again. Release it where the dog can see it, and close to some trees. When the coon is almost to the tree, turn your hound loose. If the dog trees again, praise him up. If he doesn't don't worry about it. Don't discipline him, just put him back in the truck and give it a couple of days.

In the meantime, trap another coon. After 2 or 3 days, take the dog out with the caged coon and release the coon where the dog can see it again(don't forget to wet it down). If your dog treed before, give the coon a little more of a head start. If not, give the coon the same lead as before. If your dog runs and trees, remember to praise the heck out of him.

Go out and trap another coon. By this time, your dog should be going nuts everytime it sees a caged coon. When you get to the woods this time, wet down the coon and let it go where the dog can't see it. Then wait about 10 minutes. Once you are sure that the coon is in the woods, turn your dog loose. Hopefully, he will cast around until he picks up the scent, then he will run it right to the tree. When you come into the tree, praise your dog. Then tie him back. Shoot the coon out of the tree. Try to shoot it out alive and mad. When that coon hits the ground, get that dog off of the leash. Let him get in there and fight the coon. Usually, once they get bit, it makes them coon crazy. You may want to have an older, trained coonhound there for this stage, so that it can make a quick kill.

After your dog trees that coon by itself, don't ever show it another caged coon. It won't need it. Start taking him to the woods as much as possible. A good pup trainer can be a real assest at this point. Your dog will follow the other dog and hopefully honor the other dog at the tree. He'll start to pick things up pretty good at this point.

Be careful of what dogs that you run yours with at this point. A dog that is mean on the tree can ruin your dog really quick. It will either make him shy on the tree, or make him mean also. Know the dogs that you are running with.

You will hear a lot of people talking about beating their dogs for running off game or for not being perfect. Those people are idiots. You catch more flys with honey than vinegar. Praise him when he does well and remove him from the fun with a strong and definitive "NO" when he isn't acting right. The only time that I treat my dogs roughly is when they get mean. Whether it's at the tree, over the food bowl, over a toy, or with people, I don't put up with a mean dog. They are going to know that I am the boss, and they are all underlings. I will put a dog down before I put up with an ill temper.

Remember, time in the woods is always better than time in the kennel.

RE: coon hounds
 

yeah.. what age do you think is best to start doing this? my dog is just over 5 months old right now

RE: coon hounds
 

It's never to young to show them a coon, but opinions vary as to when you should actually start training them. Most people agree that somewhere between 6 months old and 1 year.

RE: coon hounds
 

ok thanks.. i broke my leg awhile back and cant do it now so i will be walking by then unless something goes wrong so thats good
thanks

RE: coon hounds
 

You just got some GREAT advice. Your pup should be old enough to start right now. Or 2 mos ago for that matter. No such thing as too young but you can burn a pup out keep the sessions short.
I would take this down time from the leg to read Wicks books. That will do you and the dog more good than anything.

The onlything I would add to this isbe sure to add social and obedience training inwith all this. Your dog needs to learn the basics of sitting, heeling and most of all coming on command. I use a check cord and treats for this little job.Any dog training book willhave this. You also need to work on teaching Jr Doggy to load into the box/truck/whatever you will use to haul said doggy. Also takethe pup for rides.Get them used to going on trips, alwaysgive a teat through the cage door AFTER it is closed. Make sure JRknows he has to get inand the door has to shut before he gets a goody. Make shortdrives at first and don't add any other obedience to this don't wear him out with it. Make getting in the box to go for a trip something he REALLY wants to do, that will make your nights go MUCH better. Demand that JR come on command, right now, directly to you.Do this with lots of praise and a scooby snack when he gets there, a sharp tug on his choke chain with the cord when he doesn't.

Obedience will make a fair "grade dog" as they are called....seem like he is much more. A good handling dog is a joy to take out, even on a bad night. If you have never hunted with dogs, especially long ranging dogs like hounds...then you don't have a clue how frustrating it is to spend half the night hunting coons and the other half hunting your dog, or trying to catch and load him. Our fine Walker "Cinch" handles without a lead strap. he will hunt for you, heel for you, and go on to the truck and be waiting in his box if he is told to do so. I wish I could take the credit, but I got him already trained. Someone did a LOT of work with this dog, and it is sure paying off for me.

Good Luck,

Dave

RE: coon hounds
 

thanks alot for the advice
ill look into those wicks books
im just afraid it will be like starting all over again cuz i havnt messed with him since i broke my leg 2 weeks ago

RE: coon hounds
 

I'll agree with Dryridge about the obedience training.

My wife is an obedience trainer, and I have had my coonhound through obedience classes. She is really good on most of her commands, but her recall sucks sometimes. It has gotten considerably better, but I had a few times trying to get her to come to the truck that were comical to spectators, and iritating(to say the least) to me. I have started keeping treats in my pocket when I am hunting. Now, usually all it takes is a whistle and "Daisy, what's this?" and she comes running.

When it's time to go hunting, there is no problem with the box though. She loves to load, she knows that it means hunting, and at the end of the night, she knows that it means dinner is soon(I don't feed before I hunt them, and always feed as soon as I get home).