Danny Glista
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Aug 2006
Location: Berlin Center,Oh
Posts: 2424 |
Msinc, Method I use to lay a drag for the pups
Well,before I go over some things,alot are probably wondering what good this net does for as of now,most know that they have been treeing by sight as they chase the net and you swing it up the tree for them to tree on it! Right on,that's excactly what has been taking place.Watch the videos and that's what happens.Just like taking your son or daughter and get them started into baseball,first thing to come is T ball so they can learn how to hit the ball,then onto baseball itself. It does nothing more than conditioning them to learn how to swing the bat and hit a ball off a tee at first and they move on from there. Why do we start our kids off in preschool,because we want them to do well so they teach or condition them to learn at a young age. If not,why have 1st thru 6 grade and just start at grade 7. Kids learn best early on,hound pups do the same!! What is actually going on in these young pups mind,without realizing it is nothing more than what they are chasing is eventually going to go up a tree sooner or later. Believe it or not,that's what is going on in the pups mind. You,are implanting the chase and tree in the pups with nothing more then a game or simple training program that is repeated over and over and always ends with a 110% controlled positive out come from the start to the end. You don't want to over do it but what it boils down to in time is where ever the net goes,the pups chase and follow wether it be chasing,treeing and yes,in the lake teaching them to swim. At this stage,you have conditioned the pups to the point that thier ready to move on but not before they go thru the tying out part on the chain gang. Only then does one move on. OK,? number one! I use nothing more than the net itself with the best coon scent one can get ahold,Tucker's coon scent! I spray the net down with scent just before I lay the drag and here's where most will get confused as how to or how long do I lay the drag. Well,let me explain what I do and why because at this stage of the training it has alot to do with the outcome. As I mentioned before,everything that these pups have been conditioned to has been a 110% positive outcome at the end controlled by me so for sure you want to try and keep it that way when starting to lay a few drags. OK,plain and simple,with the net being scented up and pups in the back of the truck in a kennel crate,tailgate down,I start off by teasing the pups with the net before I start a VERY EASY short drag. Point here is you want the pups to succeed,not fail. Very important! Yes,they watch me the whole time for 50 yards or so with the net extended out so my scent doesn't interfere with the scent drag and I first spray some scent on the tree and then try to hide the net the best I can in the tree and yes,I have selected trees I use most of the time where I can lay the net up in the leafy branches where they have a hard time at first picking it out! That net is in the tree for a very good reason,because if they locate or get there noses working in the air,which is the first sign you are looking for and just can't seem to quite figure it out, be patient and give them a few minutes but not to long they loose focus. If they can't get it,get that net coming down,raise their iterest level with a short tease a bit and back up the tree reinforces the positive outcome for the pups. A time or two,most will figure it out pretty quick if the training was done right. When done right,get right in there and pet and praise them up for a job well done and repeated telling them to get on that tree. That's the first command I teach my pups always! Sometimes,the first time but usually,three drags does the trick. Not always! I always start by laying the drags and putting it up the same tree till they have it down and I do move a bit further away but not much and not really needed to do so. Most smart pups start to antisipate what tree and at that point,if it happens,just switch to a tree close by and I let them earn it! One thing one has to realize is that a pup is going to use 2 main senses that it was born with,always eyes first off,and what they can't see is followed by getting thier noses to working. This is where they start to switch over from sight treeing to treeing by using thier noses and working the scent trail to the end to where the trail ends and tree is located.It just that simple and that's the way I like to keep it!!Once they tree and use thier noses in the air to locate the tree with the net in it or if far enough along,coon scent sprayed on the tree for them to locate and tree on,the netand drags is totally out of the picture and for me the laying drags part is done. If you continue to lays drags over and over,for your own well being, without the thought of the outcome you have unknowningly caused, what is going to happen is the minute you start to hunt the pup at nite,first thing coming out of the box that is going to happen is nose is going to the ground and start looking for a track just as soon as thier feet hit the ground and you cut them loose. Few drags and watching for them using thier noses is key. I like to put the wind in mine and the pups favor. By doing this,most pups will get the scent and have thier head in the air first and then work to locate the tree. Once that happens,bingo,you just won!! Laying repeated drags is not doing anything for the pup after it has it down to work the drag and tree up. From there,it's timber time. As far as when I lay drags,always early morn when the dew is still on is best. Pups have cleaned out from the day before meal and most are going to be full of p!!! and vinegar first thing in the morning. Never in the afternoon when it's the hottest time of day,evenings are ok but morning is best! As far as a 6 or 7 month old pup with the net,never have done it and for my likings,I would do like I have the Gauge and 6 Pack pup. Not saying it wouldn't work,I just never have done it myself!For my likings,I like for a pup that age to be treeing it's own coon. As far as wetting a coon down leaving more or less scent,I've done it both ways with the same results! With that being said,What I do when taking the pups from the net and scent to turning a coon loose and by the way if they tree the first one,it's the last one,is to still try and keep it simple and positive as much as possilbe so I take the scent they have been trained on and spray the feet and underside of the coon before it is cut loose. I always let them see the first one going away from them across and open field and when the coon hits the timber cut them loose. If all goes well and on key,when they no longer can see it and you know by this time they are using thier noses to locate and tree, thier noses will go into over time and I'm here to tell ya,if all is done right from the start, Condition to chase and tree with the net,the pups will have that coon treed in short order most of the time!! It works for me!! Thanks msinc,I hope I covered it for ya,Danny G.
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Danny G
Last edited by Danny Glista on 09-16-2014 at 06:45 PM
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08-31-2014 03:00 PM
