Registered: Feb 2015
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 1108

Just wondering what your opinion of a silent track dog is. Not talking about whether they should be in competition but do you/would you hunt one. Also are there two types: one that really just ambushes coon and one that really works a track and then trees the coon? Please don't make this about competition rules just what do you like.

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Tom Wood

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Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Clarksville, AR
Posts: 1074

I like 'em. Just a personal deal I guess, but I never enjoyed one barking all over the woods any more than I did barking in the box, or barking in the pen.
I don't necessarily hate an open trailer, long as they don't have any babble in them and they're going somewhere soon as they open.

As far as trailing ability, I haven't ever seen any correlation between trailing and opening. While it does seem like some silent dogs are hot nosed, I think the same could be said for most dogs across the board these days. I've seen a few silent dogs that I felt like went sailing through the world looking for layups and ambushes, but I've seen that in rattle heads as well.

One attribute I've seen to be more prevalent in silent dogs (again, just my experience) is that they just seem smarter.

Last edited by Cory Highfill on 07-14-2019 at 03:43 AM

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Registered: Aug 2008
Location: SE Ohio, Glouster
Posts: 2244

I will tolerate a partially silent dog if it open on track on at least 70% of it's tracks. I will not keep a dog that is 70 percent silent.

I like to know when a dog strikes a track. I then like to see how skilled they are at unraveling a track, I like to judge that skill by the how fast they move from point A, where they first opened to point B, where they are now on the track, when they open again. I like to hear the different intensities of the bark, from what they sound like when the are trailing a cold track, to what they sound like when they are running to catch so to speak.

Half the fun of coon hunting for me is hearing the dog work the track, the other half is hearing the locate, and that steady pounding at the tree that only comes from building that trust in that hound that I will be at that tree, no matter what the obstacle may be.

There is just something in it for me that sooth's my soul when I gain that trust in that hound that it can tree most any track it comes across, and to watch that hound trust me as well that I will be there no matter what, to praise him/her for a job well done.

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5628

I love a real good silent coondog, they are a pleasure to hunt. I enjoy listening to a dog open on track, but I like hearing them tree the most. A real good silent coondog to me is the most fun of any dogs. You know when you hear them open that they are treed and that's what I want to hear the most, a dog treed. Dave

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

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Registered: Jan 2016
Location: sc
Posts: 160

I’ve had one, she wouldn’t make a peep until she was at the tree. Only heard her open twice on the ground and I’m guessing that those tracks were red hot. She never missed, ever. She was a quirky little dog. Quit hunting her and got rid of her. Regret it still. I didn’t have any sort of tracking equipment then, made it a pain to find her at times.

Dog I “upgraded” to gave the perfect amount of mouth for me. Honest strike and would let you know where she was, not too much mouth but just right for me. Dog was a deer running hard hunting knuckle head who was only 60 percent accurate at most. If this dog was silent she would have culled herself the first time I turned her out.

With that said I don’t what it is about a silent dog but in my experience they seem to be more accurate. I couldn’t tell you why. But she had coons sleeping on limbs and also saw them still trying to make it to the top when I got there. But I love to hear a dog work a track hunting alone it sure is boring waiting around for a silent dog to put one up. I feel like a part of the hunt when I hear the track progress. If I could have made one dog out of the two I would have a what I would consider a coon dog.

I would hunt a silent dog, but will never go out of my way to find one.

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

Love'em....I too go to hear dogs tree!

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Registered: Jul 2011
Location: tennessee
Posts: 2444

i dont care a thing about a dog opening up on track, ive hunted all kinds and ive seen a lot more coons with a silent dog then with a dog barking on track telling the coon iam going to get you lol.i hunt in the mountains and gulfs mostly and and you wont see as many coons with a open mouth dog as u will a still mouth dog.

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Yadkin County NC
Posts: 1657

I know I'm old school and I love a good locate and hear a good treedog but more so I love to hear a good race. Any mutt can ambush a coon and tree it but a good open mouth trackdog on a smart running coon tells me about the dog. I admit a silent dog will generally show you more coons and back in the 70's and 80"s when hides were at a premium silent dogs we at a premium also. But I sure can tell a lot more about the dog if it opens and to me the race is just as pretty music as the tree.

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Registered: Jun 2007
Location: Williamsville,Virginia
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she was Rocky bred. Out of Nat Powell's stock. Red Cloud to be exact. I sold her to a guy in North Carolina. I knew I screwed up when I drove away. I cried like a baby. That gypsy thought the sun rose and set on my butt and I was too stupid to realize it until the deal wasdone.Rob

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
Posts: 10790

I love an open drifting type track dog I have owned two that were pretty tight drifting type dogs not silent but tight. One thing you find out is how many mee too dogs you got on the cast they don’t look near as good if your dog ain’t barking enough for them to back pack on them.



Tar

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Registered: Feb 2012
Location: airville,pa
Posts: 2072

I have had both silent and open track dogs. I enjoyed both. Life would be boring if all was the same.
Best I have enjoyed was a couple dogs that changed back and forth over there life time. Silent for awhile then becoming an open track dog later or the opposite open to silent.

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Registered: Aug 2006
Location: milan,mi
Posts: 1378

I have never understood the appeal of a silent dog. Give me a track drifting open dog with a hair stand up on the back of your neck locate with the meat and I'm a happy camper. As soon as you say silent, I think meat hunter. The reason I keep in hounds is to watch or listen to the dog work rather it be my beagles or cooner.

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

quote:

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Originally posted by micooner
I have never understood the appeal of a silent dog. Give me a track drifting open dog with a hair stand up on the back of your neck locate with the meat and I'm a happy camper. As soon as you say silent, I think meat hunter. The reason I keep in hounds is to watch or listen to the dog work rather it be my beagles or cooner.

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Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 2765

Dog I'm hunting now is too tight for my liking. Opens decent in company but alone other then a couple barks now and again on a running track he's as close to silent as I've owned. He's hot nosed too when he parks load the gun but he just don't make enough trees in my country to suit me. I need a track dog.

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Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Chattanooga, Tn
Posts: 22461

I don't like a silent dog. I like to hear them open on track. I won't hunt a silent dog.

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Registered: Feb 2015
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 1108

Thanks for all the replies. I have not owned one myself. My brother had a young dog that started out open and then was nearly silent. He would tree coon ahead of the other dogs quite a bit. One advantage the silent dog has is since he doesn't open he never starts tracks he can't finish (at least you never know that he does) where the open dog puts his reputation on the line very time he opens on a track. So the silent dog might seem better without being better.

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Tom Wood

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Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Iowa
Posts: 2961

Personally, hate them. Love to hear them come on a tree, BUT I want to hear them GET TO WHERE THEY ARE GOING. Even though I hunt blueticks, I have had 3 silent ones in last 5 yrs. & have heard of many more around country & they haven't stayed here for a year. Last 1 I sold was just made NTCH., & the guy that has her made her GRNT & made it thru zones to UKC finals last year. Only thing I will say in their honor, or hers, is that when they tree, they usually get treed with coon over their head.

GRNT Spartan dog I had few years ago was just the opposite- opened way TOO much on ground getting where he wanted to go, BUT when he treed, he showed you a coon.

The ones in the middle are the ones I prefer. Open just enough to know where their going, but not to much to suck everything else along. you guys can joke all ya want about our breed opening too much, too slow on track, but I've seen several blue dogs lately that were silent & don't really understand where they're all coming from. JMO. Take care, Ron.

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5628

A dog being silent on track does not mean it's a good coondog anymore than one that opens on track. There are few really top coondogs both open and silent combined. I love a top coondog open or silent on track. I have mostly open dogs, but do have one that's mostly silent on track. Yes, I enjoy hearing a good track dog work up a track and tree, but I also, like a real good silent dog, knowing when it opens it is treed. If I only liked hearing digs run a track, I would have foxhounds. I enjoy hearing dogs treed from coondogs to squirrel dogs, it's treeing that really excites me, to each his own. Dave

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

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Registered: Jun 2014
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 3368

I've never been a fan of a silent dog. I have one now that trees plenty coons and is very accurate and I don't hunt her very often because she's silent.

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Donald Bergeron

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5628

You should do the dog a service and sell it to someone that likes silent dogs and will hunt it. No need of the dog wasting in a pen. Dave

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