G L Weller
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Feb 2006
Location: Maryland
Posts: 259 |
It’s a hard thing to explain and I’m not trying to be a wise guy but when you’ve started enough pups you’ll just know when you’ve got a dud. If it’s your first pup you may want to keep it a while longer just so you can learn from it. I’d stop with the caged coon in fact I would have never shown him a caged coon to start with. I love starting pups and I’ve started many pups over the years. I too started out with lead coons and caged coons as a training aid to start pups when I was very young and un-experienced. It’s a very common mistake that has ruined more pups than it’s helped. I quickly learned that caged coons often teach pups bad habits. They learn that you’ll provide the coon for them and it will be in a cage where they can see it and bark their heads off at it. They therefore have no desire to leave your side and look for one and when other dogs tree one at night and the pup gets to the tree, usually with you as you walk in. He won’t see a cage with a snarling coon in it like he’s been taught so there’s nothing to get excited about. A pup must be given the chance to develop their natural instinct to track and at least try to tree game on their own without the help of humans or other dogs. When you get such a pup you’ll know you have something to work with. Age will vary and not all pups even those that do try will make good dogs. Some are completely worthless and a waste of your time and money. In your case I would stop with the caged coon and hunt the pup alone both in the daytime and at night in a nice clean woods as much as possible for the next few months and let him develop his natural instinct at his own pace. He may do nothing for a while and he may never do anything but I would give him a chance. He may just surprise you. When and if he starts trailing scent it may not be coon scent at first but that’s ok. The object is to get him started and having fun in the woods by trailing game is good for him. If he has any treeing ability in him and the track leaves the ground he’ll let you know. I never whip or even scold a pup that trees anything cat, possum, squirrel or whatever. Anytime a young pup starts treeing I’m happy we’ll get to strictly treeing coon only much later in life.
Good luck with your pup I hope this somehow helps.
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