Black n tan characteristics

[dalke]

Hello everyone i am greener then baby poo when it comes to training hounds but i have 2 duncan b&t pups now and want to give them the best chance to become good stronge lion, bobcat and lynx dogs. I was wondering what characteristics do these dogs have compared to other breeds and what training tips or advice you all would be willing to share with me.

Thank you

[Mike Leonard]

It is always a chore starting out with pups especially when you are just starting out yourself. A lot of us started out in this position and in days before there was so much information available on the net, it was even more difficult.

I don't know how old your puppies are or what has been done with them up to this point but I can give you just a couple things that might make this a bit easier.

First: bond with these pups and get a very good handle on them. Make sure they enjoy training or exercising sessions out walking in the field and being attentive to you and coming when called and basic other commands. Hounds are usually very smart and sensitive but they do react to training commands a little different than a collie or a Labrador. Be patient and take training to them in small bites. Hounds mature a bit slower than many breeds and some strains of Black and Tans can be a bit slower than other breeds or strains of hound. This is not to say they are stupid they just mature a bit slower because of the foundation of their bloodlines being a bit more houndy (background Talbot bloodhound) but this is way back.

Ken Duncan is known for having excellent black and tans and he has put decades of dedicated breeding into his dogs. I am sure Ken would be willing to visit with you and offer suggestions as to their progress. Read and study what you can , and if there are hound men that are successful in your area you may wish to pick their brain and learn from them.

Just like starting out in horses and other things usually it is better to start with a horse or a hound that is trained and it can help you get your feet on the ground. I know however this isn't always possible, so be ready to read, practice and put in a lot of time. And remember patience, patience, patience.

Breeding is great to have but good hounds are made with lots of work , practice and time in the field.

You got into this to have fun so just do that, have fun with your lessons and training and once things begin to click for these pups they will teach you more than any text book.

I learned more in the woods as a young person following an old long eared black and tan around than I ever learned from reading a book.

Merry Christmas!

[david]

The most amazing, loud, and beautiful hound voices I have EVER heard were on a pair of Black and Tans I was privileged to hunt with in 1978 in Iowa. Also, the only two hounds I ever had to get rid of for the single reason that I could not teach them how to be quiet; were two litter mate Black and Tans of highly touted breeding. Not only did they bark incessantly and did not even notice electricity; it was as if they were barking into a microphone and a PA system compared to the volume of my other hounds.

The old stereo type of Black and Tans was cold nosed, beautiful voiced, and slow. I know many changes have happened within the breed since then. And there are perfectly Black and Tan colored dogs that are leopard hound and also pure bred fox hound, and other breeds. So besides selective breeding within the breed, it would be very easy to make a Black and Tan colored outcross. To me this most logically explains some of the drastic changes within the breed in my lifetime.

Hopefully yours still have beautiful voices. It will help make a lot of fond memories if they do.

[dalke]

Thank you guus for the reply the pups are 3 1/2 months old i take them oit for walks in the bush every time im home. I have a strip of bear hide thar they love to and make it a game to find with lots of reward once they find it. I only do 3 little drags at a time were i take one pup at a time and let him or her problem By them selves and find it and on the third if they are having a good day ill let both run togther. After i put the hide away hot (my male hates that lol ) and then take them for a good walk throw the bush working on the obedience part right now. The male is very "tree drivin and baying at the tree a little but not alot but my female with take off like a bullet find the bear hide turn around and sit and wait for me lol im good with that as what i have read for you guys shes a baby and she is having for . i have seen black and tans tend to be "houndy" and was wondering because of that what you experts have done. But i am having a blast with these little pups.

[david]

Awesome that you are having fun with them.
If one of them is real tree minded, I would not encourage it with bunches of praise if you plan on hunting big game. They are not walkers, so that’s a bonus, but they will learn to tree bark on real live big game. False treeing genes are so rampant in our tree dogs, I have learned to go easy on the tree when they are pups. Just knowing you love tree barking can trigger a false tree in some dogs.

I hope you make lots of good memories.

[r_cordell]

I was in your shoes when I first got hounds. Ihad zero experience training a scent hound, I'd never been in on a chase, nothing. All I knew was that I wanted to be a groundsman. What I did have, was an abundance of bobcats in our area back then, so instead of using hides to lay scent trails, I used live bobcats. I box trapped bobcats back then, and I'd let the pups see the cat in the box trap. They'd get excited, of course, and any of the kittens or females that I caught, I'd turn them loose and let the pups chase them. As time went on, I'd give the cat a longer head start. From then on, they were nuts about bobcats, they never offered to trash on coyotes or deer, or anything else. They both turned out to be the most honest, easy handling dogs I've ever had. They never had to be on a leash, they listened, just great dogs all around. So, if it's at all possible, I'd try to box trap a few bobcats to get them started on.