Williams Rocket x Mt Dale Valley Bounce Pup

[Spokerider]

Thanks for your thoughts on Rock. That's pretty much how the owner of Rock described him to me, an all around well-rounded hound, smart, easy handling, accurate with plenty of drive and tree power.

Rock is all of those things but I had to chuckle when I read "easy handling".Rock does handle great and is a very friendly out going dog but sometimes he would try to be a little too friendly by giving you a 20 mph hug.He wanted to be affectionate but sometimes he just didn't want to have to slow down to do it.

Well, it seems that Emma has this trait also. Only one of my mutts to date that does it, Emma.
If she's out in the yard and I call her over, she will be standing there, still, just looking at me. She might stay there 5 seconds or 15 seconds....just looking at me. Suddenly, as if a switch has been flipped, she comes a runnin. Beelining straight for me, and fast. She usually ends up half crashing and half leaping into my legs, all happy to see me. Gotta keep square to her or a side impact would likely take out my MCL, lol.

Anyone else's pup do this?

On a side note.........took her swimming today in the river. Couldn't coax her in, so I carried her in and she swam back to shore like a champ. Water is still purdy cold for that wading .

[Spokerider]

More on my pup Emma..........

Even after the scent gland breaking, this pup is showing som SPIRIT. She had a short "race" on something two weeks ago when I had her out freecasting / hiking. She went onto a ridge, winded a thermal coming up, bailed over the edge and within a few moments she was opening. I couldn't keep up with this lanky, agile pup, so by the time I got to the rivers edge 10 minutes later, she was milling about. Looked like whatever it was had crossed. No tracks or other sign for me to verify what it was, but being in a area thick with blacktail, bear, pine martin, coon and a known lion crossing area, me not knowing which it was, I would not shock her.

Following week, I decided to take her for a walk through a logging area with stands of timber and clear cuts. The blacktail like to come out just before dark to browse, and so that was what I was hoping to find, a set-up deer. She sticks pretty close when I hunt / cast her, staying within 200m and checking back regularly, which is what I want her do, as she was doing on this day. On the return trip from the hike, both she and I spotted a deer jump from it's bed 100m away, up on a bench. Up and over the hill is stolted, and in a flash, Emma was after it, lol. Showing her sprit she was...... After she crested the hill in pursuit, opened up, I corrected her choice, and with a couple of howls, she was running back to me. That was the day's lesson.

Just the other night when coming home from work, I spotted a coon in the yard. It had been at the plum tree eating the new little plums. Time to let her open on the correct game I thought, so out she went. In a few minutes, she cut the track and and was treeing like a banshee. It was 1230 am, and yes.......all of my neighbours know I have hounds, lol. I allowed her a few minutes of treeing and then pulled her off, with the neighbours in mind.


She is coming along nicely. Her hunting instincts are beginning to bud, and she is developing the confidence needed to comfortably run her own track.

On the list is for more deer set-ups, and a caged coon realease, as well as more freecasting.

[Unreal_tk]

Sounds good Spokerider. Ty is bent a little on deer as well, still really likes elk.

[Spokerider]

When training a pup, and more specifically breaking a pup from running trash, training must also entail running the "correct" game. It can't be all discipline and no fun. A pups tender spirit must be nurtured and encouraged to blossom. With that in mind, and after having done some deer breaking, I felt it prudent to do another caged coon release for emma.

Caught a nice young boar, full of spit and vinegar, and dragged him around the area in the cage, and then up a tree. Walked the pup through the area, and she no trouble lining the hot track out to tree. At 32 weeks old, she has shown much more hunting ability, tracking and treeing, and particularly her confidence with this coon over the last coon exercise. Her aggression and intensity on game have really been bumped up a notch in the last few months. The growling and spitting boar had her in a slobbering frenzy. She has learned that game goes up trees, and she knows to check the tree trunks for the one with the scent and to look up, into the tree.
This will be the last caged coon that she gets to see. She knows what they look like and knows their scent. The next released coon will get a 30 minute head start, and if she wants to see it, she will have to find it.

How are the other pups doing?

[Unreal_tk]

Little update on Ty.

He show the want to run trash the other day... he got a well deserved lesson. His cousin was jealous until he was off the box and cowered to me. He's still stubborn as hell, I think he's going to make a good catdog so far. My only concern at this point will be his speed. Seems to be a little slow but that may change as he matures more. Confidence building will help alot this season with that I hope.

[Spokerider]

Running trash. The only thing worse than a dog that runs trash, is a dog that won't run anything, including trash, lol. It shows he has got "spirit" and hunting instinct.
How is Ty slow? Slow at what?

A few more observations on my Emma pup.......
At 10 months old, she is showing her independance and more of her personality and hunting traits. One trait that is strong, is her desire to sniff every interesting scent, track-by-track, until she is satisfied enough to move on. No amount of coaxing short of a kick in the butt will get her going along again, until she is satisfied. In this respect, she is subborn. This makes for some slow mtn bike rides with her. Of course, I don't know what she is smelling every time, but she is tracking something. When she drifts a scent on the wind, her head is up and she breaks into a run as long as the scent is in her nostrils. She is constantly working the thermals and downdraft scents of deer and a bear along the regular run I take her on. There are lots deer around and now bear showing along the river waiting for the salmon to arrive. She will need more work on deer, I am pretty dang sure.

She has been treeing young coon in the yard regularly. The coons have been hitting the same plum trees all summer, and she has treed them so often that she now goes to the tree and slick trees thinking that they are sure to be up there. She knows coon climb.

She isn't yappy, handles very well, is very friendly with all people and other dogs, and with her nose she is constantly in hunting mode. I was hoping to find a fresh lion kill to put her nose on this summer, but have not found one as of yet. Hunting season is just getting going here.

[Nora Cook]

would love up dated pictures of the pup. I can not thank the owners enough for geting these dogs into the woods.

[Unreal_tk]

I have an elk season next week, after that ill try to get one of him under a tree.

[Spokerider]

I'll get some pics up when I can Nora.
I'm busy doing home renos right now......taking MUCH longer than I would like to spend on it, grrrrr.

Emma has a torn dew claw right now, there is a stub of the nail bed sticking out and the actual claw [still attached to skin ] is oriented forward of the stub. Not sure if a new one will grow back, and if the old one needs to removed by a vet or just leave it?

[Nora Cook]

Any updated pictures??

[Bar XY Bluetick]

Hello Nora- I was just doing some searching and found your posts about your pups from Williams Rocket x Mt Dale Valley Bounce. Long story short...... My best friend and hunting partner has a Rocket/Bounce pup (UKC# W260,855) and I ended up breading him to my female blue. Pups are 7 weeks old and looking great! Rock is one of the best dogs i have seen run a track. He is quick, makes good decisions and is not afraid to go on him own. I have seen him run a track through a herd of elk bedded down and not miss a beat! Rock is fun to watch work and listen to when he lets go. I can not wait to see what his pups will do in the woods. That’s my 2 pennies on a good dog....
Thanks

[Nora Cook]

Cute pups. Wishing them a good future.
Thank you for the up date.

[Unreal_tk]

Owners of parents have seen multiple pictures of Ty. He is my #2 dog now. Good cold trailer, trees good, very vocal dog and hard headed.