Feeding young dogs in

[nite hunter]

Hopefully someone can help me. I have a couple of young dogs starting to come on, they will start and run a fairly fresh bear track, but when I try to feed them in to a race they seem to go about 1/2 way and if they dont smell anything they will come back. One thing I know I have done wrong is walked them in to to many trees, they have got that down. They will not go to another tree unless they make the race. I was wondering if anyone has any tips to help me get them to honor other dogs. they are 1&1/2 and 2. I hope it is not to late.

[Cold Track]

I've seen several yound dogs do this, and I believe a lot of it is maturity and confidence. I have two strains of hounds, one will go when they are six months old, and the other it takes up to a year but well worth the wait. I don't think it is too late, but it sounds like they have learned to rely on you and maybe even other dogs. They haven't learned confidence, and more importantly they haven't really earned it on their own. They're kind of like a kid, if it aint easy they don't really want to work for it. If it were me I would try to work them a lot on their own, and then I think eventually they will learn to be their own leader and learn to work harder and be less reliant on you and or other dogs. Help them if they make a loose, coax em and try to excite em, but don't lead em right to the game on a leash evry time. No doubt that walking a pup to a tree once or twice can help, but it can be over done. I hunted with a guy for a while who's dogs had been on a ton of trainers, but it was always about a two minute head start and he'd dump em. You could see it with these dogs even as they were older they would go a ways and then come back, it wasn't as easy as his two minute old trainer tracks. Also I seen him the couple of times we went out together, he wouldn't turn his dogs loose until the game was jumped, or he could hear my dogs treeing. I think he knew they would only finish out the race if the end was right there obvious. You can't hardly tell a man what to do, especially with their dogs or livestock, just hope that they might ask for advice and then you can give them what little or lot you have to give. One other thing while working them I'd build your times as they get better with the trainers, it's not a super big deal if sometimes a trainer gets away from a young dog. That's the little bit of advice I have, you can take it or leave it.

[jackpine]

just keep feeding them in they will get it after a while they get there on there own a couple times ove that and they will start houring. try cuting a couple minate apart might help.

[Darvin Ecklund]

Not sure how you are cutting them in nite hunter, but you might want to get one out of the box and hold onto its collar until it hears the dogs barking. Once you see that it looks like the pup hears the dogs then turn it loose. Also, you might try just taking one pup at a time. Sometimes two seem to get off track until they have been on game and know whats going on. You may have tried these things but just thought I would give you my take on things. I got a female dog one time from a guy that said he was getting rid of the dog because it wouldn't leave the road. First time I had her out she did a bang up job. Became a real good dog. Maybe try hunting with someone else and have them cut one of your pups in without you being there. Just a thought. Good luck to you and your dogs! Have a good one.

[pete richardson]

you might try just taking one pup at a time.

yup

seperate pups as much as possible from each other ,at home and when hunting--

keep them as close as you can to start dog - you want them to be buddies --whatever u have to do to make this happen -


let pup go rite behind start dog -- it helps to lead them down and put them rite on track at first -- training pups is different than hunting , you have to plan ahead a little-

say you get a cold strike on rig and can find a track-- u mite want to walk pup j a little before you let strike dog go --make sure pup knows where track is -

if you just let em ram up and down the road ---old dog may be gone before they realized what happened lol

put a good dog behind pup---

this gives him two chances to get going - lol

keep any remaining dogs in truck quiet -------- that one is easier to say than do --unless you have some good help - lol

[nite hunter]

I guess I am always afraid they are going to go roaring in there and screw the race up. But its not like I have to catch the things if they goof it up. Who knows they might just suprise me.

[blackpaws]

one pup isn't going to screw the race up for you with the other good dogs in there. when you are trying to feed them in are you talking honoring them in after the bear is jumped and running or on the cold track? i have done this with dogs that i know will run a bear but won't honor in because the dogs are too far away. it is a lot easier for a dog to hear the pack in the woods from the top of a dog box. as soon as you put the dog down on the ground, the level of the sound of the other dogs barking drops way down. you need to make sure that you aren't too far away. the dog is probably going in the direction he heard the dogs while he was standing on the dog box but got in there a little ways and couldn't hear them anymore.

[nite hunter]

They will almost always go off a strike but, if I am trying to feed them in to a cold trail or if I get out in front of the race and try to feed them in it seems like some times they dont even get to the other dogs and they will turn around and come back. I have seen them go on a track with some better dogs and not open until they smell bear. So I know they are not just running and babbling but it seems like unless they smell bear they are not interested. They act excited when they hear the race happening and are not a part of it, but as soon as I cut them loose they almost never make it in the race. I never thought they couldnt hear the dogs once they hit the brush. maybe that is a big part of it. Like I said before even if they didnt make the race I would walk them in, and they would get the reward without any of the work. That wont happen anymore. Both have caught bear 100% by themselvses so I know they have it in them. I have just seen a lot of houndsmen with far better dogs than me cut dogs of all ages and ability in and they go roaring in all the way even though they dont smell bear. But they make it to the race. I just want my dogs when they hear other dogs to know something is going on there and do everything possible to get there.

[Shorty]

I had a dog that worked the same way. He was older and a pretty fair bear dog. I could always cut him into a hot or warm track. If the other dogs were cold trailing he'd come back. The one thing about him he wouldn't run a lick of trash. Infact if he knew the other dogs were running something they weren't supposed to he'd come back pissing all over himself. I think he figured if he couldn't smell it he probably wasn't supposed to run it. Maybe these dogs are just hotter nosed than your others, or they just haven't learned to use their nose as good yet. All advise I've read has been good advise. Good Luck!!!

[nite hunter]

I am pretty sure they are both warmer nosed, it sounds like most of you agree that with a little more age and confidence they should start honoring other dogs I will just try to get them in every race I can.

[nite hunter]

On the wont run a lick of trash part I cant say the same though.

[pete richardson]

I was wondering if anyone has any tips to help me get them to honor other dogs.


when walking a pup into tree- after the first time, ill start letting them go farther away---let them find it themselves- --helps them learn to cut in-

- if you have a dog that does cut in good--

hold him back and try putting one pup with him--

i had a dog once ,, i could cut in ,if i even thought i could hear them

id cut her first and give her just a little start

--then put next one up her track-

shes bring the cavalry -lol

good point about them hearing more on box then they can on the ground-