Over 40 yrs ago, as a young man, I ask a real good cat hunter,and dog trainer, named Byron Phillips, " whats the secret to training a hound"? He didn't respond for about 15 minutes, then he said,"if there is a secret, it's knowing when to let up on a hound, any body knows when to bear...

If you enjoy the ones you got, where you hunt, stop reading, and go hunting. If you are unhappy with your dogs[ whatever they are] start "looking" for some that suit YOU better. Be careful "listening". B.S. is a lot cheaper than a catdog. Advice is usually just someone elses opin...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year From our family to yours, Pauline and John

Maybe able to help. PM your phone# I'll call you

Works in my world, don't know about others. I'll hush now

Dads, are wonderful. My Dad will be 97 in June, lucky me. I've heard him say, " take a person for who they are, rather than for who you want them to be". Just a suggestion, write down all of their " Jewels of wisdom", for future generations to enjoy.

Hey Bobcat, I wonder the same thing. I think bad behavior can be corrected with an e-collar, but I don't see how you can overcome the lack of intelligence by shocking a hound. I believe these problems, are better solved thru better breeding and culling. A shock collar ,when used with care, can make ...

Hello to all the Clay Clan. Cary, this is an interesting thread. When we take time to train our hounds to mind us, we not only enjoy them more, It enables us to make better use of them, when running a cat. I'm not sure I have ever had a hound that "absolutly" would not trail a cat backward...

James, I agree with your comments. Most dogs I have taught to come, when there name is called, can be put back in the road with a voice command or a tone signal, maybe, a low intensity shock, if needed. I believe if I can make him come on command, I can help a dog overcome most of his bad actions. I...

Andy, if you hunt four days a week,and have plenty of hard running, this might help sap some of your hounds pent up energy. You might try yoking him to one of your road dogs and putting them down a road where the possibility of them striking a track is not very likley, and after he's been held in th...

I think, melanism, is the opposite of albinism. Melanism is a case of too much color pigment and albinism is the lack of color pigment. I guess these conditions can occur in varying degrees. Blond, or off-white coons are occasionally reported. Years ago I saw an article and some pictures, I believe,...

Go to Google , enter" Melanism in bobcats", to see a picture. Many years ago, my Dad had a black bobcat hide. This cat was caught in Desoto county Florida by Atharay Atkins and Walter Wheeler, two good friends and good cat hunters, who unfortunately have gone on to a better life. This hide...

Hey South Texan ,hope your missing those fires and bad drought, sure looks like tough times on the news. I never thought of it as "training them to back track", when I called them back, heck, I's just trying to have a race, but your sure right. I probably won't quit doing it either. Cat hu...

Interesting thread. Just my observations, in my country, with my hounds, past and present. Weve had some that would turn around on there own, after going backwards on a track. Seems like a cold track or bad scenting conditions,make it worse. We've had some that,I believe, would have backed a track a...

Hey Robert, a good hunt, a good race, good hounds, AND a good wife? Heck, that ain't luck, thats pure blessings. I'll hush now. John