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Wake up a stale dog

First of all, I haven't owned a coon dog in about 15 years and have only had hand me down dogs from my dad that were very good dogs. Ive never had one with the kind of issues this dog has.

She's a little Nite Champ female that is 6 years old. An older gentleman is letting me hunt her to see if I can get some fire back into her. She has been in a raised pen for at least a year getting fat and lazy.

So far, on the two hunts we've taken her on, she is slow to leave our side, but eventually does with ZERO URGENCY. She will only hunt out to about 100 yards. We were told when she hunted, she would hunt out without any help. She will open and tree, but theres hardly much of a race involved. Weve been out two nights and she has treed 4 times the first night, and 3 the second night. The trees have all been slick (95% sure) with the exception of one "grinner".

We do have a lot of coons on the property Im hunting, but I have to believe she is either treeing squirrels, or just locking down on the first tree she finds. We have pulled her off of the slick trees and sent her on, but it basically restarts the process of her hanging by our feet for 5 or 10 minutes and eventually taking off to go hunting again.

We have only hunter her by herself. Being a Nite Champ, I know this little female had the get up and go at one time. Does anyone have any ideas on how to "wake her up" before we throw in the towel? Hunt with another good dog maybe? Or trap and release a coon in front of her? I want to give her a good opportunity to get it together before we give up on her.

patience

Im not known for having much patience with a dog but sounds like you might need a little patience rite now.I think her biggest problem now is being way out of shape. I have above ground kennels myself and if you dont give them some exercise they can get in real bad shape.Sure sounds like she hasnt forgot how to tree. This time of year coon are in rut too.This may be a reason for some of the slick trees.

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Always be yourself because the people that matter dont mind and the people that mind dont matter.Rock River Plotts

I agree

She is definitely out of shape. I have her in a concrete floored pen about 10x15 now. May take her to vet this week and make sure theres nothing in her bloodwork.

Re: I agree

quote:

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Originally posted by Ehill
May take her to vet this week and make sure theres nothing in her bloodwork.

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Home of:
A couple blue haired potlickers

Gone but not forgotten:
Nt Ch Fanny's Midnite Blue Annie - aka Sodie Pop R.I.P. - I will miss you old girl

Nt Ch Becky’s Midnite Blue Hank - R.I.P. Old Boy, thank you for the memories

Gr Nt Ch S&E's Midnite Lite Blue Snow (Co-Owned with my good friend Harry Eidenier) - We had a blast following you ole girl!

Re: patience

quote:

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Originally posted by critter
Im not known for having much patience with a dog but sounds like you might need a little patience rite now.I think her biggest problem now is being way out of shape. I have above ground kennels myself and if you dont give them some exercise they can get in real bad shape.Sure sounds like she hasnt forgot how to tree. This time of year coon are in rut too.This may be a reason for some of the slick trees.

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had a grand nite female that would do that, apsolutly drove me crazy tried lots of different things to get her to go back hunting after treeing, finnaly just accepted that she was going to stand beside me for 5 to 10 min, an then go back hunting, but she was pretty good to have the meat when she did, dogs have to get there noses inshape just like the rest of there bodies, maybe change feed, if shes sluggesh, low energy feed can lead to low energy dog, thats if her blood work checks out.

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jake

Feed

Ive been thinking feed as well. Old man fed her cheap ole pedigree food, and I swapped her to Victor performance in the green bag. She eats the victor, but very slow about it. I dont think she likes it very well. She went to town on the purina one that my daughter feeds her yorkie.

I like the cleanup of the Victor, but it takes her 2 days to eat the suggested amount for her weight......

Re: Re: patience

YES!

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Always be yourself because the people that matter dont mind and the people that mind dont matter.Rock River Plotts

Wonder how you’d do if you’d been out of work for quite awhile, got uprooted, sent to a strange place where you knew no one and were given a job working for someone you’d never worked for before?

How long did you give this dog a chance to get use to you before turning her loose in the woods?

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Dan

2 weeks

quote:

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Originally posted by DL NH
Wonder how you’d do if you’d been out of work for quite awhile, got uprooted, sent to a strange place where you knew no one and were given a job working for someone you’d never worked for before?

How long did you give this dog a chance to get use to you before turning her loose in the woods?

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Hunt her. I don't think there's a quick fix.

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Donald Bergeron

Well……sounds like you’re doing all you can on your end. Guess it’s up to you as far as how much you want to invest in regards to medical tests. If she’s been laid up and not been hunted maybe it’s going to be a combination of things before she gets acclimated to a new handler/owner and surroundings.

Do you know if she was ever soloed much? Hounds that have not been soloed much sometimes take awhile to adjust to hunting alone.

Hope she comes around and makes you a nice one!

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Dan

So far

Ive changed over to Pro Plan from Victor. Have vet appt tomorrow with bloodwork. I dont mind spending a little money for the dogs health regardless.

Shes rested all week. I plan to hunt her tomorrow evening alone, and Sat night with another dog.

I dont know how much she was soloed. The older gentleman that had her is now in the hospital and had a stroke. Havent spoken to him in a while. He did tell me that she was a good dog when he was hunting her. But he got to where he couldnt go, and she layed in a pen. Of course, every mans idea of a "good dog" is different.

Ill post results after the weekend.

I think if she were mine, the next coon she trees if she does a decent job and your season is open I’d shoot it out to her just to remind her of what’s up that tree!

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Dan

Re: Re: patience

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Originally posted by 2ol2hunt
Dogs slick tree when it is rut time?

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I think you get her weight down and keep taking her. Let her leave on her own terms. I would use words like go find him and hunt him up. Put her in good situation where you know there are coons. Walk with her a little and let her just wonder. Change her food to a high protein low fat for energy. Worm her an deparasit her. Sounds like she is lazy or don’t trust you fully. Also how many times has she been swapped if none this is new to her. Some of my best hounds have been ones people think they can beat what they want in them and what they don’t out of them. I have turned a many of the hounds around because they was confused on what the handler really wanted. Handlers ruin more hounds than they make. Some make to many excuses and don’t correct issues and create idiots too. There is a fine line but really follow your instincts and you will probably start seeing improvements daily. My 1st goal would be health and 2ng goal would be 60 consecutive nights in woods. My opinion hopefully it helps and good luck.

Well

Negative for parasites, heartworm, and tick diseases. Basically shes out of shape, which we knew. Good food and lots of hunting. Hopefully turns her around.

Perhaps she's forgotten what a coon smells like. I had one that had gotten out of shape that I woke up with a roadkill coon tail. Brought it home to him and let him play with it for a few days, and the next time we went to the woods he went out looking for one right away. Got treed with the meat, got praised, and he remembered what it was about.

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esp

if you have any gravel forest service roads or long gravel roads with no traffic, tram her in front of the truck and get her legs under her awhile. she will shape up quick as long as youre applying pressure and making her move pretty quick.

if you have any gravel forest service roads or long gravel roads with no traffic, tram her in front of the truck and get her legs under her awhile. she will shape up quick as long as youre applying pressure and making her move pretty quick.

Saw a difference

Saw a small difference last night. Took another dog and left her in the box on the first turnout. He went in and treed and she went nuts. Put him in the box and turned her loose. She didnt throw dirt, but did take off faster than she has been. Struck a track about 75 yards away and pushed back towards us. She treed about 50 yards after striking. When I walked in, I busted the coon out of a brush pile about 5 yards in front of her from where she was treed. Coon ran out into short pines and broomsedge. I pulled her off the tree and sent her on the way the coon went. Then, she pulled the usual and stood around staring at us like we didn't do "our" job. I pushed her on down the track and she babbled a little bit. Seems like she lost the track in the sedge.....giving up too easily.

Re: Re: Re: patience

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Originally posted by Sostangcrazy
Absolutely, boar coons are running up and down trees for miles checking them. The females are also doing the same to get away if not ready. You will also make more den trees because they are checking dens.

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sounds like she has people issues to me . once you snapped her she quit, dogs can sure make you scrach your head, probably something from her past, that she didnt get over or didnt understand, i like the stay in the box ive used that before, but i usually use it when they come in or quit put them up an forgetem for the rest of the nite, if it is a people problem id hunt her with other dogs and forget shes there when the hunts over she better be at the truck or shes going to get left if shes not doing anything. shes got to get with the program an know that you are alapha, you dont have to beat a dog to get them to understand that, when she does what you want praise her like shes the greatest thing since sliced bread, when she doesnt ack like she doesnt exist, thats why i like to have more than one dog down so the spot light is not on just the one. once they start shinning then cut them solo .

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jake

Had a similar situation myself. Got an older dog that hadn't been hunted much at all in about a year when i picked her up. Guy i bought her from warned me she would "test" me until she got used to me. Wasn't sure what he meant until i started hunting her. Unsnap her, she'd look around like she was lost for several minutes. Finally she'd go on, but would go about 250 yards and come back. Made some very questionable trees early on. Once I hunted her for about 2-3 weeks (2-3 nights a week), she started coming around. Got some weight off of her, got a little better. Hunted her with some other dogs, got a little better. Knocked a few coons out to her when kill season opened, looked a little better. She's not a world beater by any means, but she trees coons and I like how she operates. I hunt her solo 95% of the time now and she goes when unsnapped and goes until she finds one. Keep her busy and I'd say she'll come around.

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Jon Durbin
502-905-7802