Hounds in the house

[jschwoeg]

I'm just wondering if there are any guys out there that keep hounds inside the house? And do they still perform good in the woods? I'm sure they would listen better and be more obedient. Just got a pup for my daughter and she wants it to stay inside. Any input or info would be greatly appreciated. thanks

[david]

Check out this thread, you hopefully will be able to weigh the advantages and possible disadvantages.

what-s-the-difference-t39974.html#p234580

[catdogs]

Draw your own conclusions, but ours come in the house a lot. They don't live in there tho. We hunt hard and it doesn't soften them up any or take away their desire to hunt whatsoever.

[david]

I think that thread is a few pages long. If you don't have time to read it here is my scientifically based analysis: if you like hounds in the house, bring them in. If you don't like hounds in the house, leave them outside.

They are for your benefit and not vice versa. Take good care of them and Enjoy them in the way that best fits your family and lifestyle.

[wiscohound]

I have house trained all my when they are pups in case the situation comes up where they get cut up by a bear and need some clean rest to recover and making them kid friendly. I think they enjoy being outside having room to run.

[rockytrails]

I enjoyed reading the other thread. I personally like my hounds to be house dogs. Of course I only have a few dogs. I rotate them inside and outside to keep them acclimated. This is because, as I've been told, I'm somewhat anal. These are some of my theories. I agree the dogs really respond to me on training and hunting. I know the dogs may have to spend a night or 2 out in some cold winter nights and I do think logically they would need to be acclimated to the extremes. I have photos of dogs treeing as hard as any outdoor dog pictures I've seen. There seems to be no hesitation in my indoor dogs. I personally would leave the dog out every other night even if I only had one dog. As David says, The indoor dogs do get a lot of mental stimulation. To each his own on this. It is tough on the family when you lose one. Probably tough on the hunter either way. Rich

[merlo_105]

My dogs are full time in the house. Hunting wise there is no difference in drive and catch ability. My dogs all have a super good handle on them. I think being in the house helped with some of that. My dogs will share bones eat and drink out of the same bowl's. Being in the house wont hurt them one bit.

[icehole]

I sleep next to one every night. He is my wife's hound and he sleeps between us. I tried to name him cockblocker.

[dhostetler]

When I have pups I let them run loose until they wander to much, then when I am home they are in and out of the house frequently. Last spring I had 3 pups running loose one morning when I went to work apparently I had not latched more door correctly because when I got home they had broke into the house and pulled my, first and only lion I ever killed, tanned hide off the wall and had it in a hundred pieces in my yard.

[FullCryHounds]

When I get a new pup, he stays with me 24/7 for almost a year. Sleeps next to our bed, goes everywhere I go every day. This does several things. He learns basic commands and gets socialized with other people and animals. After that time he goes up with the other dogs. Here's a pic and video. They are of the same dog. Video was taken two days ago. Hopefully this answers your question.

http://youtu.be/ZLSpFS1cIdQ

[Emily]

My hounds let my husband and I live in their house. We keep the woodstove stoked for them. We are always leaving food around and sharing it with them. We keep them warm in the bed at night (all three sleep in the bed with us). I chauffeur them to hunting spots and bring at least one with me in the truck cab just about anywhere I go.
The two older dogs tree hard on bear and coon. They hunt in any weather I am willing to hunt in.
IMO, the only reasons not to allow them in the house are:
1) If you are getting close to the "too many dogs" problem...
You get a lot more emotionally attached to a hound if you live with it 24/7. If you may have to sell one before you get another, you don't want to have to agonize over it!

2) If you are very clean or uptight.
My hounds aren't any worse than any other breed of dog, but they like to rearrange the bed clothes; steal firewood and chew on it, then leave it around where you step on it barefoot when getting up in the middle of the night to take a leak; clean out any coffee cup you leave unattended, etc. A more disciplined person could teach them not to do that stuff, but I kind of like sharing with them. If the thought of coffee cups prewashed with hound spit and morning kisses from animals that drink water from the toilet bowl grosses out you or your family, you probably should think twice about letting them live in the house.
I don't have a lot of clothes that need dry cleaning, and the nearest dry cleaner is 40 miles away, but the last time I took my wool blanket in to be cleaned, the cleaners wouldn't take it because they said it had too much redbone fur on it and it would get into their machine and onto everyone else's clothes. We now have camo printed blankets that go in the washing machine.

Coonhounds have a couple of breed-specific traits that can be irritating or amusing in your home, depending on your attitude.
They are very loud, and sometimes they choose to express their opinions when you are on an important phone call. I live in a one-room cabin (doghouse) and work from home. I know they're going to interrupt when the town snow plow goes by. I'm ok with that.
They also have this weird compulsion to rearrange their bedding. If you let them sleep in the bed with you, they will spin around and paw at the blankets and pillows intently, whimpering and carrying on like they do when they've first picked up a luke warm scent trail. This may result in a middle-of-the-night tug-of-war between you and the hound for adequate bedding. I find this endearing, but my husband finds it annoying and we have late night squabbles about exactly who is responsible for leaving us exposed to the chilly night air. If this is going to bother you, make sure your indoor hound is not allowed on the bed. I just keep a pile of extra blankets within reach of my side of the bed...
We have about a half acre around the house fenced in so we can let them in and out whenever they want to go, and they play outside with each other, which keeps them in good shape. They are allowed to hunt anything dumb enough to come into the fenced area (rabbits, squirrels, ground hog, grouse, frogs...) but they know enough not to hunt that stuff when they're actually hunting beyond the yard. I've learned how to tell apart what kind of trash they're playing with by their voices and it has helped me a lot when I hear them when they are hunting. That would never have happened if I weren't listening for them 24/7.

The hunt is bred into our hounds. It doesn't leave them just because you treat them like members of your family. You may have to take some ribbing from some of the tough guys out there in the hound world, but you probably shouldn't be hunting with hounds if you can't laugh at yourself a little. Half the fun of hunting with hounds is the ridiculous predicaments they get you into...