Registered: Apr 2007
Location: Rayville, Mo.
Posts: 563

The best coondog and the most fun to competition hunt didnt have a brain, he was dumb as a rock. Made him Grand nite easily. Everything he did was the blood and genes he received at birth. He was also the best reproducer Ive ever owned. You dont train complete naturals like him all you do is take them hunting, the only thing you teach them is how to lead and jumb on a tailgate. Also had the most beautiful mouth ever heard on a hound.

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Registered: Apr 2005
Location: Barnesville, Ga.
Posts: 409

I need smart dogs, they are easier for me to train and easier for me to get along with.

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If It Climbs, It Ain't Trash

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Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Clarksville, AR
Posts: 1077

Foe the last few years I've taken one dog in the fall, hunted it through the winter, and evaluated it hard and either sold it in the spring, or or cut my losses.

The first was an absolute natural. She could tree any kind of coon, had tons of hunt, and would complete with anything. She finished to Gr Nt in no time, and won some money easily. I hated her. She would jump in her own crap, bark and pace all the time, knock you down coming out of the box, and couldn't be taught to handle. She was born with what she had, and there was no training or tweaking.

The next winter, I hunted a different kind of dog. He wasn't a deep hunter, trailed a little too much, and was dry footed to begin with. I hunted swamps and public land all winter, and he steadily improved in every department. He learned to handle water, he finished rough tracks in February, and with some adjusting he got where he hunted out hard enough to strike coons a mile away if necessary. I liked him alot.

This past winter, I hunted a little different kind of dog. He was about a year old when I bought him in the fall. Just a big pup, but would run and tree some. I was able to buy him because he showed signs of having a trailing problem. He'd bog some tracks, and struggle where there was too much scent, like a log jam or a downed tree a coon had climbed around in. The key with this pup has been exposure. I absolutely hunted his guts out all winter. Freezing, raining, snow and wind. Mountains, cattle pastures, swamps. To be honest he may always be a dog that trails a little too much. And I don't think he will ever blast a mile deep on a dead run. But this pup has developed an ability to produce coons. He has figured out where to look for them, and how to pick his head up when tracks break down. Only recently he has started really treeing layups, but two nights ago I watched him dance across 200 yards of pasture on his hind legs and tree a coon without ever dropping his head to the ground. He was/is by no means a natural, but with the amount of hunting he's been exposed to, some of his natural abilities have sure developed.

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Registered: Jan 2016
Location:
Posts: 624

You train a hound to handle, to stop running unwanted game, to come when called, etc., etc.

Everything about the way it pursues and trees game was decided the moment fertilization occurred in the the dam’s womb.

That being said, as a pleasure hunter I can’t be totally satisfied with the dog that excels as a hunting dog but is less than enjoyable to have around home when not being hunted.

At the end of the day, for most of us, our dogs lives are spent more at home than in the woods.

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Dan

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Registered: Feb 2012
Location: airville,pa
Posts: 2078

Depends on what someone calls smart. I have heard people say there dog is smart enough to open there pen or climb out or dig under. Not me I call that one stupid.

I like Cory 's experiences. Sounds like it keeps it exciting and interesting.

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5738

quote:

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Originally posted by James Garrison
The best coondog and the most fun to competition hunt didnt have a brain, he was dumb as a rock. Made him Grand nite easily. Everything he did was the blood and genes he received at birth. He was also the best reproducer Ive ever owned. You dont train complete naturals like him all you do is take them hunting, the only thing you teach them is how to lead and jumb on a tailgate. Also had the most beautiful mouth ever heard on a hound.

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Dave Richards Treeing Walkers Reg American Saddlebred and Registered Rocky Mt. Show Horses

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Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
Posts: 5106

I love this post. It kind of sums up my 50+ years experience with hounds.

Cory's description of having a somewhat different style in three different dogs. Is exactly what I have experienced over the past 50 years. They are all different. But that doesn't mean that with handling and hunting. You can't have a nice hound.

In fact I can relate to what everyone is saying here.

What I have also found and why I am not a big fan of most breeders. Or never wanted to be a breeder myself. Is the fact the inconsistency of our hounds is also found in most breeders litters. But like Corey pointed out. Inconsistency or being different as most are. Doesn't mean that there isn't enough genetic foundation there to be a decent hound. To me that is the difference in today and 50 years ago. 50 years ago you have better find the genetics that aligned itself with what you wanted. Treeing was the most saught after gene and the one needed. By the sales increase in thermal cameras. It is obvious that Treeing has found itself solidly into todays hounds. The other genetics are there also but scattered so most are different.

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Registered: Feb 2021
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 136

As far as smart goes, my dog seems to be brilliant one night and dumb as a rock the next. He might say the same thing about me.

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Tom Wood

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Registered: Aug 2008
Location: RICHMOND MO
Posts: 1083

My job requires me to get out of bed at 4am so my summer hunting time is very important. Last night I hunted someone else's dog because my female is injured. The hunt started with a 70lb redbone male literally dragging me to the truck and that involved doing 20 circles around me when he wasn't jerking my arm out of socket. Next, I had to clobber him repeatedly so I could get my tracking collar on him. He loads in the truck like a pro but once the door shuts, he starts destroying the piece of carpet I have for padding. The 10 minute drive was surprisingly quiet and we arrive to our destination. Next, he shoots out of the box, bashing my hand with the door. We have a conversation involving my boot and we're off to the woods. End result, he trees a coon, is loud, barks hard, looks classy, has a stacked pedigree, looks like the dog on the magazine cover.
Personally, I hate this type of dog and would love to remove this dog from the gene pool. He'll probably go on to make a titled hound but it won't be in my hands.

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Registered: Feb 2010
Location: Fairmont WV
Posts: 359

quote:

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Originally posted by Travis O.
My job requires me to get out of bed at 4am so my summer hunting time is very important. Last night I hunted someone else's dog because my female is injured. The hunt started with a 70lb redbone male literally dragging me to the truck and that involved doing 20 circles around me when he wasn't jerking my arm out of socket. Next, I had to clobber him repeatedly so I could get my tracking collar on him. He loads in the truck like a pro but once the door shuts, he starts destroying the piece of carpet I have for padding. The 10 minute drive was surprisingly quiet and we arrive to our destination. Next, he shoots out of the box, bashing my hand with the door. We have a conversation involving my boot and we're off to the woods. End result, he trees a coon, is loud, barks hard, looks classy, has a stacked pedigree, looks like the dog on the magazine cover.
Personally, I hate this type of dog and would love to remove this dog from the gene pool. He'll probably go on to make a titled hound but it won't be in my hands.

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Wayne Musgrave

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Registered: Feb 2005
Location:
Posts: 1745

Most "smart" dogs are the end result of Smart trainers.... Jmo

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Registered: Jun 2004
Location: 3515-38st-moline ill.
Posts: 558

quote:

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Originally posted by Dogwhisper
Most "smart" dogs are the end result of Smart trainers.... Jmo

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

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Mercer PA
Posts: 4837

Intelligence and ability are two separate traits in my opinion. You can easily have one and not the other, but to have a great all around dog you need both. I'm my limited experience, intelligence is very close to an all or nothing kind of thing. The difference between a smart dog and all the others is generally very obvious.

I really don't think you can teach a dog to tree a coon. You can hunt it but you cant teach desire, tracking ability, accuracy ect... That being said i need to be able to teach it all the other things that make it worth feeding for the 95% of the time its not treeing coon.

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Ron Ashbaugh
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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5738

quote:

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Originally posted by Ron Ashbaugh
Intelligence and ability are two separate traits in my opinion. You can easily have one and not the other, but to have a great all around dog you need both. I'm my limited experience, intelligence is very close to an all or nothing kind of thing. The difference between a smart dog and all the others is generally very obvious.

I really don't think you can teach a dog to tree a coon. You can hunt it but you cant teach desire, tracking ability, accuracy ect... That being said i need to be able to teach it all the other things that make it worth feeding for the 95% of the time its not treeing coon.

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Dave Richards Treeing Walkers Reg American Saddlebred and Registered Rocky Mt. Show Horses

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