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-- I find some of these post a little funny-- (http://forums.ukcdogs.com/showthread.php?threadid=928560264)

I find some of these post a little funny--

Can you "train" a cold nose?--Can you "train" a faster track hound?

Here's what I have seen in 70 years of following coonhounds, running hounds and beagles.

IT HAS TO BE IN THEM TO GET IT OUT OF THEM!

It's like Arnold Palmer and golf. He was not born a good golfer BUT he was born with the talent to become one. Did you know he practiced 8 hours a day to bring out those talents. Now, had he not been born with the talent all the hours would have been a waste.

The same is true with a hound, it has to first "have it in them." It is not a $70,000 pickup, $1,500 dog box, $500 light and 8 nights a week in the woods that will bring it out of them.

That is just the true facts of hunting with a hound. You can take them to the woods and "practice" with them, but you are only going to get out of them the "talent" they were born with.

OT

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OLD TIMER

Old Timer you have hit the nail on the head.I'm 79 yrs. old,and ever since I was a little boy on the farm,most of the hunters that had the best hounds shared your opinion.I share your opinion also. If you or anyone else discovers how to breed top hounds,please post it. I sure need one or two.

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Purgatory Blueticks A-top of the Eastern Divide in the Blue Ridge Mtns.

I agree it has to be in them. I messed with hand me downs and dogs someone else created a problem in and junk bred dogs enough to know starting with good breeding matters.

That being said, we had a foster child that tested genius level IQ. None of that showed in any part of his habits, attitude, or personality. I don’t think anyone responding on those threads that has trained dogs for several years was thinking you could make a Diamond out of a potato.

Re: I find some of these post a little funny--

quote:

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Originally posted by OLD TIMER
Can you "train" a cold nose?--Can you "train" a faster track hound?

Here's what I have seen in 70 years of following coonhounds, running hounds and beagles.

IT HAS TO BE IN THEM TO GET IT OUT OF THEM!

It's like Arnold Palmer and golf. He was not born a good golfer BUT he was born with the talent to become one. Did you know he practiced 8 hours a day to bring out those talents. Now, had he not been born with the talent all the hours would have been a waste.

The same is true with a hound, it has to first "have it in them." It is not a $70,000 pickup, $1,500 dog box, $500 light and 8 nights a week in the woods that will bring it out of them.

That is just the true facts of hunting with a hound. You can take them to the woods and "practice" with them, but you are only going to get out of them the "talent" they were born with.

OT

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Donald Bergeron

This is getting interesting 🤔

Misconceptions

I would like to make a statement on this topic and will try to be as respectful as I can.

While it is true that you cannot teach a cold nose, there are simply some breeds that are born with a natural ability that is better suited to this skill. That does not mean you cannot in courage a dog to work colder tracks. The difference in the olfactory receptors of hounds we consider to be cold nosed and breeds that we consider to have lesser tracking ability is only about 60,000 to 80,000. This seems like a large number but to put it into perspective bloodhounds have around 300,000 while the average dog has around 220,000-240,000. Most breeds of hounds possess around 280,000 or better so looking from this point of view the difference isn’t nearly as massive as some think.


The largest difference in dogs is more their prey drive. Some hounds are more track driven than others, while others have a massive prey drive that pushes them to find fresh hot tracks to run. These are abilities that we have strengthened in hounds through generations, in some cases hundreds of years of selective breeding.

It is my opinion that one of the biggest mistakes people make with hounds is not working them as pups to encourage the development of these traits. You cannot force a dog to start before it’s ready, that’s not what I’m getting at. But dogs, just as human children go through development stages that start at a very young age. When you can encourage these traits by putting dogs in the right situations at the right time you can easier influence the hunting style of a hound. I have seen evidence of this time and again in pups I have trained and raised vs hounds that have been brought to me at 1-2 years old from other people because they just won’t hunt. Usually it’s because their natural instincts weren’t properly recognized during these developmental stages. I have raised many pups and have very seldom had one that wouldn’t hunt at all. Some start earlier than others, some take more time to mature & developing but all of them have shown interest. The trick is recognizing that interest and learning the dog so that you can manufacture situations and an environment that encourages & brings out the hounds natural curiosity.

I find that most, not all but a large nomber of old school houndsmen are too heavy handed with a young dog, too quick to give up & cull a hound because he don’t act the way they feel they should, or simply wait too long to start working a pup. You see this reciprocated in many of the younger generations that try to train their hounds in the same manor. Some people are so stuck in the mindset that theirs only one way to work a hound and the ones that don’t make it are just trash. I’ve taken in many “culls” from other hunters in my area that when given the right opportunity went on to make fine hounds for your average pleasure hunter. I do believe that some hounds are just born with more hunting abilities (prey drive) and this is one trait that is a must when I chose hounds to breed to. That doesn’t mean you can’t teach those other dogs to hunt. In short it’s more about timing and giving young dogs the proper opportunities to bring out their natural instincts and to strengthen traits such as a cold nose.

Wow. Well said. Maybe that is where I am, in a round about way, trying to get to; how to train the trainer to bring out the best in a quality prospect.

quote:

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Originally posted by griff
Wow. Well said. Maybe that is where I am, in a round about way, trying to get to; how to train the trainer to bring out the best in a quality prospect.

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Training dogs is not so much about quantity, it's more about timing, and the right situations...After that it's up to the dog....A hunting dog is born...

I knew it was going to be interesting.

I've been hunting hounds for 0ver 65 years and most of the hunters I've hunted with and talked to just take their pup hunting. He'll either make or he won't. I ask if anybody had a gun shy pup. Nobody but me ever had one. I've had 5. I can't believe there were only 5 gun shy pups in the world and I got all five.

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Donald Bergeron

Your exactly right the running hounds have tendency to be more gun shy.but to be fair your high powered rifles are alot louder then a .22 plus your shooting at game on the ground verses in a tree.when I had running dogs we had a group of a guys that were pretty good about not shooting close to the hounds if they were on my coyotes tail but we had a couple that would shoot no matter how close the dogs were had dogs come back to the truck several times until those guys were eliminated from hunting with us.