Registered: Jul 2009
Location: Southwestern Michigan
Posts: 10

Hello everyone! I'm getting a redbone puppy in a few weeks and would just like some insider advice, so to speak. : )

I've had mixed breed dogs before, but this is my first purebred. And I LOVE the hound breeds, but have never dealt with them extensively.

I'm expecting my boy to be quite vocal, possibly drool, and exhibit 'selective hearing.' Is there anything else I can expect from a coonhound?

I also don't want to use a food-based obedience training method. Has anyone used the Koehler method? It seems a bit harsh, but if it produces a dog who focuses on you 100% then I'd like to try it.

Also, at this point I'm definitely thinking of participating in Tracking events and when I learn more, I'd like him to perform in coonhound events.

This dog is definitely going to be part of the family, but I'd still like to work him and let him use his talents and instincts. I've got maybe 10+ acres of woods right behind me now and my parents a few roads down have 68+ acres full of all kinds of wildlife.

Thank you everyone!

Oh, and we're calling him Satchmo, after Louis Armstrong : )

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Joanna Reichert
Current Veterinary Technician student
Southwestern Michigan
"Oh, yeah, what are you gonna do? Release the dogs? Or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouth and when they bark, they shoot bees at you?"
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Registered: Jul 2009
Location: Ohio
Posts: 131

hounds are very food oriented so you may not have a choice but to use that method... but they are also extremely intelligent and whatever method you choose I am sure it won't take long for your new pup to catch on..... Keep in mind that your pup is a scenthound and no matter how well trained it is there may be a time that it's nose overides everything you have taught it and it will follow whatever scent it finds interesting.... If you are just keeping it as a pet and not going to train it to hunt you may want to consider a fenced in area to keep him from wandering too far....Good luck and enjoy your new hound

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Registered: May 2008
Location: Sheridan Mi
Posts: 540

I have found that you can bond very close with hounds and they make great pets and most are willing to do anything to make you happy, I have a redbone male and he amazes me all the time, hes not a world beater but he can tree a coon right along aside any other hound ,and then come home and lye beside my chair and not bug anyone,good luck and enjoy.

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Registered: Aug 2005
Location: Port Washington, ohio
Posts: 192

Order a copy of Tom Solberg's books: Dog Talk, Starting your dog. Also Dog talk, Conversations/tip & observations. Very good reading. Alot of good insight on training. Koehler method does work. Give Tom's books a try also. You can get them at www.sportdogsupply.com He is also a redbone guy, so you can't go wrong. www.t-topredbones.com Good luck with your hound.

Mike

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Registered: Apr 2009
Location: Spring Grove, Va
Posts: 268

Sell him and get an ENGLISH hound!! LOL just kidding ,good luck!

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Registered: Nov 2008
Location: Hickory Corners Mi
Posts: 134

where abouts in southwest michigan are ya?

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Registered: Jul 2009
Location: Southwestern Michigan
Posts: 10

I'm in Niles - I could walk to Indiana in about 15 minutes. I also need to find tracking clubs or general coonhound fanciers in my area (say, a 40-mile radius from 49120). : )

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Joanna Reichert
Current Veterinary Technician student
Southwestern Michigan
"Oh, yeah, what are you gonna do? Release the dogs? Or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouth and when they bark, they shoot bees at you?"
~ Homer Simpson

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: In the boonies of Michigan
Posts: 673

Hey Joanna,

Happy to see you here!

You can rest easy on the drooling threat. All my coonhounds are tight lipped with the exception of my b/t pup trainer who has not and will not even be bred. (her puppy is coming from us) The only drooling some of the reds do is when hot on a track/tree and really worked up. The parents to your Satchmo have never drooled otherwise. Star, not at all. She, like her mother, is a very calm, direct and determined winder. She takes stock and BAM! Gotcha. Game over. Some don't like winders but I love em'. Her mama was the same exact way and the best pup trainer ever to boot. Silent winders make competition difficult or impossible, though. Buck is a heavy track dog so should even things out.

I do not use anything harsh with my coonhounds. They are too eager to please and too soft hearted. You raise your voice and the majority of them will really be broken hearted. Lots of praise for a good job and they will be EAGER to repeat anything that will get them the praise again. I'm also one who will acknowledge and love my dogs but praise only when earned, not because they just happen to be cute. You must be alpha like that.

Better than any book or video is one rule that holds true when training any coonhound. "When the nose is open, the ears are shut." Remember this and you'll do great. Get their eye/attention before asking something of them and they will be a star pupil. An earlier Star pup is in a competition obedience home and her training instructor swore a coonhound couldn't do it. Keeping that rule in mind, her redbone is now a titled Rally dog and last I heard still working on other titles. Have lost touch for awhile. I also enjoy training with hand signals/ sign language. Like border collies, coonhounds are often a good distance from their handler so this is good to know.


I wrote many coonhound articles. Go to www.ehow.com and type in 'Janet Ford Coonhound' into the article search bar at the top. (or Janet Ford Dog or Janet Ford puppy for other non-specific articles). There are too many and I'm too darn lazy to copy/paste all the titles and urls here.

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Registered: Jul 2009
Location: Southwestern Michigan
Posts: 10

Mike - thanks for the book ideas. : ) M Mauger, I admit that those English have lovely coloration; perhaps I'll get one someday.

Hi Janet! Thanks for the input. Drooling isn't a HUGE deal - I live with my in-laws and my mother-in-law has a black bear - I mean, a Newfoundland. : ) Just today I found more of his hair and slobber on my arm than skin, I think. lol

That is AWESOME about the obedience training! Def. something I'm interested in - and there are 2 clubs in my area I could join, I believe. Still not sure what to do about tracking - but what the hey, I'll just get a book or two, perhaps, and work him on my own until I can find someone local who does it as well. Have read about using hand signals, also something I'm def. interested in.

Thanks for the ideas! I'm sure I'll keep bugging you for weeks to come : )

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Joanna Reichert
Current Veterinary Technician student
Southwestern Michigan
"Oh, yeah, what are you gonna do? Release the dogs? Or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouth and when they bark, they shoot bees at you?"
~ Homer Simpson

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: West Kill, NY
Posts: 2047

Good luck with your pup.

First, go to the coonhound evrents page here and find a coonhound club near you holding an event.
http://www.ukcdogs.com/Upcoming.nsf...ound&Type=M

If you ask questions and explain that you want to learn about what coonhounds do,, you will be welcome. The events are free for spectators, but the club will appreciate the support if you buy something from the kitchen. Water races and field trials are especially fun to watch. If you want to watch the nite hunt, ask the master of hounds to find you a volunteer to take responsibility for you. Most often somebody will be tickled to take you on as a spectator Bring a change of clothes in case tthey take you to a swamp, and a flashlight to help see your way through the woods.

You may also be interested in the pet redbones group on Yahoo The woman that runs that group has Search and Rescue Redbones in Kansas City. There is also an all coonhound breed pet group on Yahoo called Coonhound Fanciers Several people on that list do Agility or obedience with their hounds..

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Registered: Jul 2009
Location: Southwestern Michigan
Posts: 10

Thank you Emily! I'm on some raw feeding groups, but actually hadn't bothered to find more dog groups - don't know why it didn't occur to me! : )

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Joanna Reichert
Current Veterinary Technician student
Southwestern Michigan
"Oh, yeah, what are you gonna do? Release the dogs? Or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouth and when they bark, they shoot bees at you?"
~ Homer Simpson

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