scent traing

[oregonblues]

I have been working with 3 pups they are about 6 mounts old the run the drag and tree the bob cat scent every time is it two erly to let them go on a cat with older dogs or buy them selfs

[Mike Leonard]

i THINK BY THEMSELVES MIGHT BE A FUN EXCERCIZE FOR YOU AND YOU MIGHT REALLY GET TO EVALUATE THEIR PROGRSS AND POTENTIAL AT THIS STAGE OF THEIR DEVELOPMENT. I WOULD HOWEVER NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THEM INIITALLY ON A LIVE BOBCAT CHASE , IT IS MUCH DIFFERENT THAN TRAINING EXCERCIZES. DON'T GET ME WRONG TRAINING IS IMPORTANT AND IT SOUND LIKE THEY ARE DOING VERY WELL AT THIS AGE, BUT THEN AGAIN IT IS NOT THE REAL THING.

AT SIX MONTHS I WOULD DISCOURAGE RUNNING THEM BEHIND OLDER EXPEREINCED HOUNDS . REGARDLESS OF HOW ACTIVE AND ALERT THEY SEEM THEY MOST LIKELY WILL BE THROWN OUT, BECOME DISTRACTED OR MAY EVEN LOSE INTEREST FROM BEING TIRED OUT. AT SIX MONTHS PUPS JUST DON'T HAVE THE PHYSICAL ABILITY OR STAMINA TO STAY WITH OLDER DOGS ON A DIFFICULT CAT RACE AND IT CAN ACTUALLY SET THEM BACK. IF YOU HUNT THEM ALONG ON A CAT AND JUST GIVE THEM A TRY , THAT WON'T HURT THEM BECAUSE THEY WON'T PUSH THEMSELVES PAST THE LIMITS OF THEIR ACTUAL ABILITY AT THIS TIME.

MANY OLD TIME CAT HUNTERS HAD THE LUXURY OF LETTING PUPS RUN LOOSE IN A RURAL AREA WHERE THEY LIVED. THEY LEARNED A LOT FROM TRAILING RABBITS, DEER, FOX, CATS OR WHATEVER. IT WAS A CHORE TO TRASH BREAK THEM OFCOURSE, BUT MANY OF THEM WERE QUITE ACCOMPLISHED AT TRAILING BY THE TIME THEY WERE A YEAR OLD AND READY TO BE PUT IN WITH THE OLDER DOGS.

OF COURSE THIS IS JUST MY OPINION, BUT REMEMBER SIX MOTH OLD PUPS ARE REALLY AT A STAGE COMPARED TO HUMANS WHEN THEY ARE STILL IN KINDERGARTEN, AND THAT IS SOMTHING TO THINK ABOUT.

[Ike]

Mike is right about many of the old timers living out where they can leave their pups loose to learn to cold trail game, then catch them and start the trash breaking process when they get old enough to contribute to the hunt.

I picked up my blue Ryan dog from a local hounddogger and lion hunter who had kept a brother of his from the same litter. The littermate's name was Jed, and he ran loose around the farm until he was old enough to lion hunt. During that time, that young dog learned to coldtrail anything from rabbits to coon to feral cats to deer. Eventually that young hound was sold to a guy just getting into hounds. I mean this guy didn't even know what a piss drag was.......

Well, he took that yearling out on a snow sled and found some lion tracks. That young Jed dog ran them down and continued doing it for him until he died last winter of cancer at nine years of age. This newcomer to lion hunting had only paid $500. bucks for a yearling that would cold trail a rabbit, and the investment came back to him many times over.

I took Jed's brother Ryan and started him on drags, then walked him down the tracks with older dogs until he locked in solid on lions and bears. That old dog is now ten and never missed a bear tree (when one was started and treed) from the time he was a pup. Both those dogs came from some blood Duane Freston was crossing before he quit lion hunting....and they are and were hard trail and tree dogs.

http://www.coondawgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17572

The down side to leaving pups loose to learn on their own is they may go stretch the neigbors chickens...............

Good luck with those young hounds and if you put in your time with them it will all come back to you!

[whoflungdung]

I would take them to Utah you can get a chase permit there for $30 and run all you want. I am sure Ike would let you go with him.

[Ike]

Sure thing oregon blues, come on out and I'll meet you along the Wasatch Front where my buddies tell me they still have plenty of lions. We could stretch one or two for them together.......................

[TRACKER]

Better get up early Ikey we head out at 2:00 a.m. every weekend.

[easttenngator]

OB

if you run with older dogs ... let them tree a cat for you and then take your pups to within hearing and if you can find the track is a great plus also once your pups hear the older dogs turn them loose and see if they make it to the tree

Alot better than a drag or putting them on hold till you think they can keep up with the older dogs

[Ike]

Better get up early Ikey we head out at 2:00 a.m. every weekend.

Guess I better do like dawg and take off during the week to get my catch'en and stretch'en out of the way before the canyons fill up then

[Ike]

The best training tool for young dogs is being raised with and having come from the older dogs in your back yard. Under most circumstances, a young dog that has bonded to the older dogs in play and off the leash from the time it's with or left it's mother will usually learn about anything they need to know from the old dogs. The problem becomes making your first hound or hounds............

If you live in the snowbelt, you can take a single pup old enough to run and after you've taught it to grub the ground and introduced it to scent and walk it down a fresh bobcat or lion track. Just cluck the dog o the tracks and when it looses interest continue doing that until the dog shows interest even if it takes a mile or two. Then, when the pup is smelling the track and wants it pretty darn bad then cut him loose and let him run

Good luck,

[oregonblues]

well think you for all the info but I will have to turn down the uaTH TRIP because my transmission went out and i dont have a truck at the moment but that is a most tempting offer well you have a bountey full time in the woods your fellow houndsmen oregonblues