Training hounds

[mmcleodk]

I'm going to be getting a Walker treeing hound and am wanting to use her for treeing island blackbears and possibly cougars as well as hunting small game like rabbits and possibly some upland bird hunting. I'm also interested in using her for blood trailing and scent trailing deer.

Can any of you reccomend some resources for learning to train my dog in these skills? I've had dogs in the past but haven't trained them to hunt, so any advice would be helpful.

[BlacktailStalker]

Pick up the Walk with Wick 1 & 2 volumes, they'll get you started.
I'm not sure how successful you'll be with the rabbit and bird part, I'd assume your walker will be bred for big game.
Blood trailing deer is going to contradict your training on cats and bears (because you're going to have to break him off deer to do this)

[SHAKER]

I agree with the above... Hounds are simple minded animals. When you have a shot glass sized brain and your trying to pore in a gallon of knoledge, your going to spill some. I would keep it simple with them. I've had hounds that are great for flushing rabbits but I never condoned this behavior. Once again keep it simple with them!

[Barracuda]

i gotta agree with the others on this.
Walkers as with the other coon hounds have been genetically engineered for specific traits so it will be difficult to get them to do exactly as you are describing .. Shooting over hounds in the pursuit of birds probably will be very difficult as they are not gun dogs(the wifes hound does retreive though) .

The hound get scent and the next thing you know you are a km uphill chaseing the sound of a baying hound in the timber:-P

as for the deer thing. I would stay as far away from deer as i could with hounds and do everything in you power to break them from them as they will be the bain of your exsistance

[mmcleodk]

Allright, makes sense to me, so no go on birds, rabbits and deer. they were mainly an afterthought anyways, my main intention is for Island black bears.

I'll check out the walk with wicks and see what I can learn. I've also had a fellow in Duncan contact me about helping me train them so I hope all goes well.

Matt

[Spokerider]

Matt,
There are many, many ways to train your hound, and you will discover this to be a much debated topic, ripe with varing and contradicting opinions, even amongst experienced houndsmen.

Spend some time researching this topic to as much depth as you care to. You will soon discover that owning and training a hunting dog becomes a way of life, and much more than a weekend pursuit. The learning and discovery never ends.

[houndogger]

You will have no problem with your single walker on cats. One dog on bear it better be a super dog. You will pop up the easy ones but the mean ones you will need more help from getting your dog killed. When the bear singles out your dogs the others should get the bear turned off that dog and so on. Hopefully force him to take a break up a tree. Nothing wrong with a good bay up though, gets the heart pumping:razz:

What part of the Island are you from?

[BlacktailStalker]

You'll either end up broke or single, the choice is yours.... So I've been told lol !!

[mmcleodk]

BTS- I'm broke and single right now lol getting a good job in a few days though waiting on the call and theres a good lookin' broad working there so my fortunes may turn ;)

So I've heard with the dog vs bear issue, and I'd heard the island blacks were fairly timid lol, ok so bears are a no go until I have at least two dogs (I do plan on it once I have a place with a bigger yard)

I'm from all over the island lol, I'm moving to Duncan in a few days though when I get the call from my new job (the new pool) so I'm pretty excited about that. right now I'm living in bowser with my grandparents, and often stay down in langford with my parents

Matt

[horshur]

there is absolutely no reason you cannot try to do those things mentioned with your dog....apparently it is a forgone conclusion that all people want outfitter ready dogs of a single mind....most of us regular guys don't need one of them high power dogs and can catch the odd animal or two with pretty regular hounds.....unless you are planning on being a guide there is absloutely no reason not to try.....many completely underestimate a hound.

And with that in mind I have actualy used two different hounds both used on bear a little and cats allot to blood trail deer...and even a mountain goat...I have used the same dogs for packing...packing deer and even a mnt goat....niether of them were or are terribley trashy...least no worse than most of them Deer boke dogs ive seen.

mine have a good nose for birds but are pretty fast and not very soft in the mouth...but you may be able to get around that...

the way I see it...the more versitile the dog...the more experiences it gets...the more pathways in the brain...the more ability it has to be versitile...don't sell a hound short.

if I were still riding...I'd use them on cows as well.

[horshur]

somthin I will add...you do not train hounds to hunt..you hunt them.