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I think its all litter specific, You breed good dogs you get good dogs.I've seen early starters in most breeds. If you do your home work and buy from good stock You will end up with good dogs. Stating early isnt always that important, if you're catching game by one year old mark then I think got something good.

foxcat wrote:calling skills? not familiar with this can u explain it to me?

When you dog strikes you have to say "strike my dog" when your dog trees you have to "tree your dog" if your dog is not struck or does not stay treed they get minused. there is alot more to it than that, thats the simplest way i could put it

IMO, and ive not been around alot of hunts, but a good handler is just as important as a good dog

For me it's been plotts no doubt . But I like my walkers I just wish they didn't have so many health problems

redbones start early for me, if you wanna do alot of walking into trees with no coons in them then get a walker,(thats what we call slick treed) or like a dog that barks all the time on the chain or in the box or on the rigg rack then get a walker. the are the slick treeing barken sob's if ever seen. thats how they when alot of hunts they bark up every tree in the woods dont have to be a coon up the tree, to get points. so if you wanna true huntind dog get a redbone or bluetick. stay away from them over growing beagles. i dont even let a walker ride in my dog box. i have a few pups might sell, hammer blueticks and some timber copper/ fireball redbones, they are yhe most proven bloodline around here.

Breed is not the key to a good dog. Do the research pick a good proven bloodline, then it's up to you to make the dog. Repetition repetition repetition. If you get them on lots of game and spent lots of time with them on a daily basis they usually take off quick. I do admit sometimes you'll get a cull, but getting a pup outta proven dogs helps. If you can put coons in front of them early it helps a lot. Seen walkers blue ticks Black and Tans all start young when the time is put in.

Everyone loves a early starting dog. Coon, bear and bobcat one may want a different type dog. For me with almost 50 years of hunting mostly bobcat with lion and bear in my younger days the four top dogs [ once in a life time dogs] were all late starters. Does this mean anything? Once you have hunted with one of those you are always looking for another. Dewey

I think a dog that finishes out earlier is more important than a dog that starts out early. In my experience i think you end up with a more accurate dog.

Well said Mark. What a pup does on a drag or roll cage means very little. To me the import thing is how a dog finishes.Is it a bobcat dog or not. Dewey

yes the more time you spend in the woods the faster they will take off, you gotta do your part thats for sure. i have a 6 month old redbone he has been treeing sence he was 3 months old, but he just now starting to run on track, with my old dog. but he started barking treed at 3 moths. i spend ever minute i can in the woods with them.