Registered: Aug 2011
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 124

I want to hear opinions on how early to start a pup when to give up how old is to old I hear the phrase late bloomer a lot so let's hear your input

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Registered: Aug 2011
Location: Arkansas
Posts: 124

I prefer taking them as eArly as possible round four months I also like one that starts eArly but I've seen buddies with a dog fourteen months old that wouldn't pay a coon any attention and they say he is a late bloomer I couldn't hAndle that

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Registered: Dec 2004
Location: Bearden AR
Posts: 1735

I don't hunt one until it's big and strong enough to stay with the other dogs. If they can't stay with them, then they stay at home for another month. I usually don't take one out until they are at least 8 months old.

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Registered: May 2012
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Posts: 629

I think some of the babbling problem people have is trying to start dogs to young. They have trouble keeping up with an older dog an will get excited and start barking trying to keep up and it becomes a habit they keep the rest of their lives. 10 months is a good age if the pup is mature and over the wanting to play stage of it's life.

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Registered: Mar 2013
Location: Alliance Ohio
Posts: 467

It depends on the pup. Some mature early some take longer. I like to work on obiedance loading and other handling at a early age. Don't do much in the woods until 8-9 months.

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Registered: May 2012
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Posts: 629

Chris you're right about the early training. I've seen so many dogs dragging the handler because they were never taught to lead when they were young. When they get to the truck they have to pick up the dog and put it in the box, the dog will put there front feet on the tailgate but will not jump up on the tailgate. Leading and loading should be the first two things a dog is taught before they are ever taken to the woods. A dog that knows how to lead in thick brush and woods is a pleasure to have.

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Registered: Jan 2004
Location:
Posts: 201

quote:

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Originally posted by J I Allen
Chris you're right about the early training. I've seen so many dogs dragging the handler because they were never taught to lead when they were young. When they get to the truck they have to pick up the dog and put it in the box, the dog will put there front feet on the tailgate but will not jump up on the tailgate. Leading and loading should be the first two things a dog is taught before they are ever taken to the woods. A dog that knows how to lead in thick brush and woods is a pleasure to have.

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Registered: Oct 2006
Location:
Posts: 188

I like to haul them young 3 to 4 mths I watch their hunting style at that young of age most 3 mth olds wont be able to keep up with the older dogs or dog if you just have a pup trainer.I want to see if they have desire and are out hunting at their pace or just running around back and fourth playing I watch to see if they will put nose to ground start wagging their tail,I like to see them busy hunting its really an easy thing be it daytime or night to tell. alot will depend on the terrain you hunt I have better success starting pups in easy terrain,That being said it dosent mean you cant have success starting a pup in harsh terrain either.I have had pups that started naturaly some I would make coon drags for, however you choose to train is up to you. I have a super high standard on pups improvement If they dont consistently want to go out and hunt be it with the older dogs or off doing their own hunting. If taken to the woods and given the chance to improve They must b running and treeing by 5 or 6 mths split treeing by 6 and 7 and treeing their own by themselves by eight mths old period.Guys dont get on here bashing I've been training pups up for 40yrs thats the part of coonhunting I love ,forget about an old coon treer thats boring.Let me see a pup progressing at a young age and I get warm and tingley and you should too.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Missouri
Posts: 4321

How young they start doesn't matter much to me. How young they finish matters alot.

I'll try to spend those first few months making them my buddy, teaching them to come, lead, load, get through fences, find out what a coon is and so on. I like to first start taking them to the woods at 7-9 mos. old.

As far as when to give up, a lot of that depends on the genetics and whether they were hunted right. They need to show they have a strong desire to tree coons and that's mostly genetic. So, they have to want to go hunting. They have to want to tree and stay focused about it.

They also have to be hunted right. All the best genetics there is, in the hands of someone who doesn't hunt right or have a clue will produce a cull, eventually.

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Registered: May 2012
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Posts: 629

Maggard, I don't know who you got your dog from but they apparently didn't have a clue on how to teach a dog to load. I'm in my sixties and I've never had to beat a dog to teach it to load. If people will start by backing there truck up to a bank or placing something behind the truck to make it so they can just about step onto the tailgate and gradually increase the height you don't have to beat a dog to death to get it to load. The problem is they lead a dog to the truck and think taking a limb to it teaches it to load. People don't want to take the time to do it the way I do it, but all of my dogs load and weren't clubbed to death in the process.

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Registered: Jan 2004
Location:
Posts: 201

quote:

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Originally posted by J I Allen
Maggard, I don't know who you got your dog from but they apparently didn't have a clue on how to teach a dog to load. I'm in my sixties and I've never had to beat a dog to teach it to load. If people will start by backing there truck up to a bank or placing something behind the truck to make it so they can just about step onto the tailgate and gradually increase the height you don't have to beat a dog to death to get it to load. The problem is they lead a dog to the truck and think taking a limb to it teaches it to load. People don't want to take the time to do it the way I do it, but all of my dogs load and weren't clubbed to death in the process.

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location:
Posts: 1176

Some of the worst dog fights I have ever seen came from dogs that loaded on there own. Some dogs are mean in the box, and when you have a dog that loads on there own watch the fur fly. I want my dog to only put there feet on the tailgate and I put them in the box. I've seen too many bad things happen with a dog that loads. O and the fights I saw were not from mean dogs in the timber.

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