Walker Problems.... Anyone have some good advice

[dwalton]

Larry: I bet there is a lot of people that think that walker looks a lot better than them plotts. Each to there own. A pitt bull would look great if you want it to fight a cage, but maybe it won't trail with the plotts or walker. Dewey

[Riverbottom]

Show them 2 Plotts an empty cage and they will probably go nuts.

You asked for advise so I'll give you some. Throw that cage away. Does a lot more harm than good. All your doing is training your dogs to bark at cages

[kordog]

larry you sound like you exspect them to fight a bear before they have opened their eyes or dropped the bitches titty ought their mouths. this is just a pup give her some time .i like them to start early just as much as anybody ,but you have to be realistic.as a walkerman i can tell you ive seen alot that start at 6 to 8 months some that start 3to 5 months and a few start at 9 months plus. so if she falls in the average time be looking for a change in her in the next three months.doesnt mean she will be an average dog when it comes to hunting.probably those three plotts were probably fighting each other larry when the innocent coon bystander tried to break it up he got blindsided by those nasty plotts.

[Lil Joes BigGame hounds]

Larry, I sure hope you do not respond to these stupid comments. We are all just giving our own OPINIONS. Lets not ruin another thread by talking shit about plotts vs. walkers. Next thing you know we will be rigging lions again.

[Riverbottom]

Guess I should explain my post a little better. I've used caged coons a lot. It's what everyone says you should do. Took me a while to figure out that much of what everyone says you should do is either not helpful or just plain bad advice.

Folks like caged coons because it's fun to see your pup barking at one. If they would spend some time trying to learn how dogs think and what turns them on (instead of what turns you on) they would never use a roll cage.

I've had lots of walkers that would go nuts barking at an empty cage. I'm telling you what I wish someone would have told me. You can listen or not. I probably wouldn't have listened myself when I was younger.

What I would do with your walker pups is this. Forget about the coons for a while and let it run loose and be a pup if you live somewhere where you can. If not then take it out for walks in the woods as often as possible. Now is the time to teach it to handle. Come when you call, no matter what. Load up. Walk with you without a lead.

When your pup starts hunting and trailing stuff on it's own, then it's time to lock it up and start showing it what you want it to hunt. Live trap a coon, take the coon out somewhere and turn it loose in front of your pup so it can see the coon run away from it, then turn your pup loose. If it doesn't chase the coon on it's own, put it up for a month or two and then try it again. Don't worry about how old it is. What's important is how good this dog is between the ages of 2 and 9 or 10. Who cares what it did when it was 5 months old.

Once your pup sight chases the coon, NEVER let it see one again. Turn out the live trapped coon (out of sight of your pup) and put the trap away. Wait 5 or 10 minutes, then walk your pup over the track. Bring along an old dog but don't turn it loose until after your pup does what it can do with the track, then let the old dog help if needed.

Once your pup has this down, stop with the live trapped coons and start hunting it.

[briarpatch]

Riverbottom, that is excellent advice. I agree completely. Took me awhile to learn too.

briarpatch

[coadycurbow]

Riverbottom, that is excellent advice. I agree completely. Took me awhile to learn too.

briarpatch

That is good advice. I like the part about putting the dog up for a month or two before trying it again. Every time a young dog doesn't do what I want I get frustrated and I believe the dog can pick up on those negative signals that you are giving off. Putting the dog up will lessen the chance of me acting a fool and making the pup have a bad experience in a hunting situation.

I've got a young dog that is out of good stock. Carried her for the first time at six months old, wouldn't go. Carried her again at 8 months old, wouldn't go. Carried her at 9 months, wouldn't go. (Now I'm getting pissed) Carried her at a year old, bayed her first hog with the grown dogs. She has been two more times and did very well.

I always thought the more you carry a pup hunting the better. I'm thinking a little different now, maybe! Who knows, maybe the next pup will fire right up for me.

I don't mind a staged hunt where a hog is turned loose in the woods, but I don't think a bay pen does a damn thing for a young dog (I don't care anything about caged game either). JMO

[kordog]

i agree with most everything riverbottom says except the part where pups get trailing stuff . i want the pup to trail the game of choice if at all possible a hound never forgets the first thing it runs . especially if its putting effort into it.shocking a pup is not an option for their first run.so as houndsmen we can control the situation and make it a good one on the right game.ive learned this from starting pups on coon ,and later putting them on bear.even though they make some great bearhounds they get weak to tree a coon if the opportunity presents itself.i now start my pups out on bear hide instead .if there to young to run bear. that too though shouldnt be overdone.i dont have nearly the problems since ive started doing this.

[nmplotthunter870]

Guys, I didn't mean to start this thread to have fights. Just wan't to know what you all thought. I appreciate your advice.

[Nolte]

I like a dog to have some fire or show gameyness, but it's not the end of the world if they don't. Riverbottom had it right, just about how we do it. Don't overdo the cage or the setup hunts. Try it a little for exposure, but the real test comes in the hunt.

You're better off to have young dogs that want to go with and eventually end up at trees, than ones that go beserk on a cage and not do much else.

From the sounds of it, I better find some new prospects. 3-4 months old and ripping shit apart. I know I've seen a lot more bad than good happen to a young dog on bear. Just my opinion.

[Ker_man]

Congratulations! this has turned into a great training discussion, online hair pulling down to a minimum! Walker problem? a big problem is not to have one (joke I like any good dog). I tend to like Riverbottom's idea on it and agree with many that the dog is still too young to be discouraged over.
I like one page out of Obe Cory's book about keeping pups away from a cage if they don't want to be there. Tie the pup or pen it move the cage around in sight, the pup will want to go to you if not the coon, there will be lots of coon sent on the ground after and I think the pup will associate the sent with a place he wants to be. Let it take more time than less and don't drag the pup to the coon(like pushing a kid into a strange room).
This said, I'm not big on cages, a few times should be all you use them. Terry

[dwalton]

I don't think that is a bad start. I won't take a pup that barks at a caged animal. I consider that a fault in a dog. He may have the best pup he has ever owned. Dewey

[cobalt]

Seems a little extreme to me. To each, his own I guess.

[nmplotthunter870]

I'll try letting her run with the plott pup. Maybe something will turn her on. I'll give her time. I love my plott, but I'll take any dog who catches. We've got a redtick, bluetick, walkers, plotts, and a B & T. Breed don't matter as long as you tree and have a good time. You guys are giving some good advice. I appreciate it.

[Trueblue]

I won't take a pup that barks at a caged animal. I consider that a fault in a dog.

This is an interesting statement.I have never heard that before.I'm just curious why you think it is a fault ?