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Training method

Which one of these plans do you like the best for training a one year old dog that is doing it right (at least most of the time)?

Plan A. I had an old school guy who back in the day had the best dogs of anyone that I knew and he said to take your young dog hunting and when he did something right, take him home and leave him sit for several days to think about it not giving him a chance to mess up. Treed a coon and did it right take him home. Chase a deer and you shock him take him home and let him think about that too. I used this method and some nights you would hunt less than 30 minutes and be headed back to the kennel but it did work to some extent.

Plan B. Hunt the dog as hard as you and him/her can take it. Trying to end always on a good note too but still giving as much woods time as is possible.

I like plan B with an emphasis on taking them home on a positive note.

I have heard the same thing over the years but that's applying human logic to a dog. I don't think the dog sets in his kennel and thinks about what he did right or wrong. All he knows is after the first drop he is headed home. I have seen that create a habit of a dog not wanting to recast after the first tree.

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Plan A ...is what I have used .....with the xception of the negative reinforcement....... The dog gets that opportunity to err again that nite ..... no safe haven reflecting on that error(s).

I think if your going with plan A you don't need several days off. I think a year old dog that's treeing coon can be hunted daily for a drop. Likely your life will give it enough days off. As it starts to darken earlier, hunt it more. It will tell you when it's too much, but imo most people don't have the time or available land to over hunt the right kind of 15+ month old dogs ....hunt the sucker!!

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I think that there are positives in both methods. I get the dog that consistently does it right and gets hauled back home after one turnout might catch on to that. Most young dogs hunting by themselves have enough nights were the first drop doesn't go well and they end up with two or three turnouts until they do something worth taking them home for that they might not catch on to going home early part.

The other part in Plan B is the experience they get with the more hunting. I am talking about hunting them by themselves and they're learning to hunt, track, where to find tracks and all other things associated in hunting.

I think plan B! I know this is apples to oranges, but if I'm playing baseball, and I'm in a slump, I need to be hitting, hitting, hitting, to get myself out of my funk. Same thing with golf, you gotta stay out there and work things out.

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