Registered: Jul 2010
Location: Eastern West Virginia
Posts: 72

When do you guys start taking your dog to a feeder or showing it a caged coon? How early do you use drags?

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Registered: Jun 2005
Location: Prince Edward Island,Canada
Posts: 4589

I never use drags.. I show them a cage coon anywhere from 6 mnths to a year old

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Registered: Mar 2008
Location: Western N.Y.
Posts: 4005

The best pup man i know starts takeing them for walks in the woods 3 or 4 times a week at 3 Mos., usually has them treeing squirrels and useing their nose in a couple weeks. Once they show to be gamey he does the same thing after dark, and most are running and treeing alone by 6 Mos. No drags, no cage coon, no pup trainers, just alot of time one on one IN THE WOODS.
I know alot of guys dont believe in starting them young,thats because they dont know they can.. That young brain is just like a sponge and if you let them sit in the pen for a year it dries up.

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Registered: Jul 2010
Location: Eastern West Virginia
Posts: 72

I'll have to try that. Seems pretty easy way to do it john

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: North GA
Posts: 14395

I take mine with me at about 3 months old. Just to let them get use to stuff. Nowdays its not un common for one to tree a easy coon by 6-8 months. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Hasn't worked out to well for me in yrs lol. I might should change something.

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Michael Ghorley

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Los Angeles, MN
Posts: 4236

I have never messed with drags.

Best thing you can do with a pup is spend time with them running loose.....Once they learn how to be a dog, treeing coon is easy.

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Registered: Mar 2009
Location: ND,MT,ID
Posts: 52

quote:

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Originally posted by john Duemmer
The best pup man i know starts takeing them for walks in the woods 3 or 4 times a week at 3 Mos., usually has them treeing squirrels and useing their nose in a couple weeks. Once they show to be gamey he does the same thing after dark, and most are running and treeing alone by 6 Mos. No drags, no cage coon, no pup trainers, just alot of time one on one IN THE WOODS.
I know alot of guys dont believe in starting them young,thats because they dont know they can.. That young brain is just like a sponge and if you let them sit in the pen for a year it dries up.

---

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Registered: Dec 2012
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 2027

Yeah that pretty much sums it up, its all instinct.

Cages and drags, or hunting with other dogs, is just a way to expose a dog to the proper game.

All those won't do a **** thing if you don't put woods time on them.

Just get em in the woods. I know of a lot of experienced trainers that will show there pups drags and cage coons. But I think the mistake a lot of people make is they over do it. Less is more when it comes to these things.

Another important key, not mentioned here, is knowing your woods, knowing where to find thick coon and thin coon etc etc.

Start em in thick coon, and once they can tree track there, then start hunting in thinner coon, making the dog work. Use your daytime walks to get to know your woods, and scouting for signs of coon.

A good hound will track and tree with no messin with and its just a matter of breaking them off of off game, and getting them turned on to just coon.

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Registered: Mar 2009
Location: ND,MT,ID
Posts: 52

quote:

---

Originally posted by Fisher13
Yeah that pretty much sums it up, its all instinct.

Cages and drags, or hunting with other dogs, is just a way to expose a dog to the proper game.

All those won't do a **** thing if you don't put woods time on them.

Just get em in the woods. I know of a lot of experienced trainers that will show there pups drags and cage coons. But I think the mistake a lot of people make is they over do it. Less is more when it comes to these things.

Another important key, not mentioned here, is knowing your woods, knowing where to find thick coon and thin coon etc etc.

Start em in thick coon, and once they can tree track there, then start hunting in thinner coon, making the dog work. Use your daytime walks to get to know your woods, and scouting for signs of coon.

A good hound will track and tree with no messin with and its just a matter of breaking them off of off game, and getting them turned on to just coon.

---

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Registered: Jun 2004
Location: (Richmond IN)
Posts: 967

Everybody starts pups a little different . What might work for some guys wont for others. I know guys that could not train a pup if there life depended on it..Ive been working with dogs for 45 plus years. Ive found starting pups to soon is usually not a good thing . Guys anymore want pups running and treeing great before a year old. If not they give up on them.. Then the next owner or two get them and the dogs turn around and look pretty good . Thats usually because the dog was just had not mature enough . The average pup just starts at 8-12 months old...I will give a pup more time if they are treeing good. You can always work on other things.. But if they are not treeing you could be wasting your time...

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Registered: May 2007
Location: NE Iowa
Posts: 49

alot of walks in the woods starting when i get them, and playing w/ a coon hide. eventually show them a caged coon w/ my lab to help out gives them some confidence, i only show them a caged coon a couple times, then i start on drags during the day then transition to drags at night once they seem to have them down during the day, i very rarely hang a caged coon unless they're not treeing, then i hang it high and lower it for only a couple seconds then back up it goes, i also teach pups to speak, really helps when they're at the tree and not sure what to do. after they tree drags at night a couple times, drags are gone for good, then its just miles on the boots and woods time.

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Registered: May 2013
Location: Israel
Posts: 2

i never use a cage coon....i train my pup with positive treats and it works great !

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