cameron hounds....

[Dillon ham]

What about cameron hounds. are they good starting dogs? Better than buying an off brand dog. If someone were to start from scratch, How many pups is adequate to train at once one or two. Then how long before i buy another to run with the others?

[Grzyadms4x4]

From what I've heard they are pretty good,but not probably much better than you may be able to find locally. If you can find some pups that are bred to hunt in your area you will be just as well off. Just make sure the person you are dealing with is a straight shooter. I think most would agree that one pup is best and two is max if you are just getting started and trying to make a pack. I started with two and there were many times when I thought that I should have gotten just one to start, but I wanted two so the one wouldn't get so bored in the yard. They just tore up twice the stuff, but that's another topic.

Your best bet if you want to get started is to get one pup. While you are doing obedience training and the beginnings of the trailing and treeing training save money for an older broke dog. Then when your pup is about 8 months to a year, start hunting it with the older dog and you will get further a lot faster than without that older dog.

Now it's really not that hard to start your own without an older dog it is just more time consuming, frustrating and expensive. Mike Leonard has his method on here and it works well to help dogs with their trailing and treeing. I think that starting from scratch when you are new to the game helps you more in the long run. It might be tougher and you won't catch game for a while, but it is rewarding when things start to click. A certain bit of satisfaction you feel that is replaced by anger when the next time you run they chase ground squirrels.

Just my $.02, good luck.

Zach

[Dillon ham]

thanks i appreciate the info. I will talk to some local lion hunters see if there breeding dogs.

[BuckNAze]

Like what was stated above anything local is good to start with. Im training 2 pups at once and Im just starting and it is very frustrated at times and hard but can be done. Now I should of listened to everyone and started with only one, but NOOOO i couldnt do that. Next time I do it I will only get one. And I will be getting a Cameron pup. My Cameron pup and my local pup are both doing pretty good for being a first timer, striking and trailing bear......not so much treeing, haha. But I would start with a local pup if you ruin it that way it cost you less to ruin, hahaha just my thought. Im sure Ive ruined my pups one way or another. There are a lot of helpful guys on here and know a crap load! Ike, Mike Leonard, liontracker to name a few. Good luck with the pup!