tree walker hounds i need some tips on training them i just picked up two pups??

[HairTrigger]

any tips would be good i wanna get them going

[Machias]

How old are they?

[HairTrigger]

7 or 8 weeks now

[WAcoyotehunter]

get the basic commands taken care of first, they're still way too young to hunt this winter.  you could start them with some small scent drags to get them "tracking"...drag a piece of lunchmeat a few feet and let them track to it, them get progressively further based on their ability. 

It takes a BUNCH of time in the woods to have a finished hound- be patient and enjoy watching thier progress.

My 4 month old pups followed today for the first time and actually stayed on a lion (and the other hounds) tracks for ~1.5 miles...I was pretty happy with that!!

[inchtowntracking]

Best advice would be just let them be pups for awhile but work on commands like was said earlier. What always gets our pups going is the house cat they chase around and play with. Our house cats have raised a couple dogs now and haven't tore in to them to hard yet.

[bucklucky]

Go buy yourself a bad to the bone, clean, good treeing hound dog that does it all and it will be alot easier to train them pups.

[bow-n-head]

 

[bow-n-head]

It's really bread into them to hunt you just have to control them. I had a couple of walkers, mine were very independent. I got a redbone that I really like. Chasing cats with hounds is a lot of fun. There's something about a cat in a tree and a pack of dogs at the base of the tree barking so loud you can't hear yourself think.

[bearpaw]

Go buy yourself a bad to the bone, clean, good treeing hound dog that does it all and it will be alot easier to train them pups.

Best advice that can be given to a newcomer to hound hunting, the experienced dog will teach pups and owner. 

[HairTrigger]

Thanks guys I'm looking for a coon to shoot or trap one but if cats work my neighbor really gonna love my dogs lol

[bucklucky]

Go buy yourself a bad to the bone, clean, good treeing hound dog that does it all and it will be alot easier to train them pups.

Best advice that can be given to a newcomer to hound hunting, the experienced dog will teach pups and owner. 

Its about the best advice I can give  If only I would have had that bad to the bone lead dog I wouldnt have been banging my head against a wall for so many years 

[Machias]

Thanks guys I'm looking for a coon to shoot or trap one but if cats work my neighbor really gonna love my dogs lol

Best advice I can give you is buy Tom Solberg's book "Dog Talk".  Awesome book for starting coonhound puppies.

2nd thing, I don't mean to be a kill joy but be very careful on an open forum discussing things like using coons for training, get you a big fine, same with house cats, actually even more trouble with cats.  Just don't want to see a fellow houndsmen get in a jam. 

[inchtowntracking]

Just clarify I don't trap the cats and use them to train dogs. My cats roam free and so do the puppies and when they get together the puppy plays with the cat. The cat will just set there and let the small puppy chew on it (so it can't be to bad). When the cat has enough he runs away and the puppy chases and trails. I don't not condone trapping of anything and using them to train a dog.

[HairTrigger]

Lol I didn't mean I was gonna trap the cats lol just a coon if I can lol the cats are always over eating the dogs food if they leave a few pieces layin around I wouldn't trap a domestic cat lol

[Machias]

Lol I didn't mean I was gonna trap the cats lol just a coon if I can lol the cats are always over eating the dogs food if they leave a few pieces layin around I wouldn't trap a domestic cat lol

Speaking from PAINFUL and EXPENSIVE experience several years ago, using coons is illegal as well. Gross Misdeameanor.