BigGameHoundsmen.com

I have a two year old plott that i rigged around all last summer with a bear pack. Sometime's she would go with the other dogs and sometime's she would'nt. Walked her into a few bear trees and she showed alot of interest. Started showing her caged coons this spring. She can follow a scent trail, goes crazy on a caged coon, and will fight and bay the coon all the way to the tree. Shows plenty of heart and grit but i cant get her to stay treed. Once the coon is up a tree, she might tree for a few minute's but she starts going around and checking all the other trees. After that she just quits and wants to play. I have attached a rope to the cage and raised and lowered it. She will tree on that all day long and look and sound like a million bucks. Ive hitched her to the tree the coon is in and after while she will just lay down. Does anyone have any pointers. This is my first tree dog but i have trained quite a few beagles. If it works out I would like to keep her on coon.

2day
I hate to be the one but she is two year old and sometimes she goes and sometimes she don't and she don't stay treed. It might be time to step back and look at the big pic. you would be better off putting the time into a well bred pup. what you have going on would be ok if the dog was a pup but not 2 yrs old. Sorry but the trurh hurts sometime.

I totally agree with your statement seems how i have seen a few beagles that never made the grade. And by no means do i take offense to your statement. But with my plott the bear pack that i was running with was in the process of rebuilding and we did'nt have much of a strike dog and never really got running until the corn was ready. Every time we let go the dogs never lined a track and it always became a jumble of scattered dogs. Not until this spring has she even really been able to put her teeth into anything. Most of her brothers and sisters were treeing by the age of one. But the guy who has the bloodline runs six to seven days a week. I honestly think the dog has a lot of potential, it just needs to be brought out.

If you have the ability to hunt with a good tree dog, do it. I have never really put all that much effort into building the want/desire to tree. It just seems like they do it or they don't. If you get one treed, tie her to the bottom of the tree. Pet the other dog real good as it trees, pet yours when she trees. Only when she is treeing. I wouldn't do it for a long time, 20 minutes. Some dogs will even shut down faster than that while learning. I have been lucky to have good locate and tree dogs to help the new dogs along. I agree with Jeff that at the dogs age it may never make a great tree dog. That doesn't mean she can't be useful or even great at other things. I will work my young dogs for around twenty minutes or so at most every tree. Only show the dog attention while it is treeing. Repetition, and she will most likely catch on. If she doesn't find a dog that will. Not saying you should get rid of her, just find her some help in the treeing department.

Probably not that useful of info. Just what I do. I try not to force it.

run her on coyotes if all else fails alot of good hounds that dont tree have been made into excellent yote hounds.

I strongly believe that the guy who culls hardest has the best dog. In my first five years of coonhounds i had around 15 dogs. Most of those dogs had potential. It all depends on what you want outaa your dog. I think well bred pups are the way to go. It will save you alot of culling, if you do your part (hunt that dog) You'll know what i mean when you find that pup thats smokin coon at 6-9 months old. THe right dog for me does'nt need trained, its born ready, you just huntem and fine tune em. On the other hand i think you can teach a dog to do just about anything if you got enough patience and put in enough time. good luck