Registered: Jun 2005
Location: North of Panama City Florida
Posts: 1014

Do you think a puppy showing interest in a caged coon means the dog will turn out to be something? Or can a puppy who shows no interest in a caged coon turn out to be a super star?

I know a lot of people use caged coons as a training method for young dogs where I hear others just take the pup to the woods with a solid dog. Just curious of everyone's opinion

__________________
-Amanda

- In Loving Memory of -
DEEP SPRINGS BLACK MAX
&
LEVIS SOUTHERN BLUE DOC

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Aug 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 439

I got a pup here now that only shows an interest with a lot of encouragement. But let it go and turn her loose and she runs the track great! Can't see ever using more than a few just to let her know what is the good smell to track.

__________________
Pete Rhines

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2016
Location: Ark/Miss
Posts: 524

If you went to the local pound with a caged coon and turned all the dogs loose over half would go nuts!! Most dogs will bark at a wild animal in a cage, & if they don't it doesn't mean they won't hunt..

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2005
Location: North of Panama City Florida
Posts: 1014

i have a pup and i havent done any drags with her or shown her a caged coon, but i have taken her hunting and she goes hunting with the grown dog. she wants to use her nose and shes opened up on track a couple times. i was talking with a buddy about her and trying to catch a coon in a live trap (and the fact that i seem unable to do so), and was thinking of saying to hell with it and just keep hunting her and he was taken back that i wasnt in a haste to catch a coon to show her. hes been coon hunting a long time, real knowlagable guy, has some nice dogs and he said he always shows a pup a caged coon a time or two when theyre starting out. and he said if his didnt show interest they werent going to be much of anything. his theory is that if a pup doesnt have a natural hate for a coon in the cage, theyre not going to be running and treeing to catch the coon in the woods... which kind of makes sense but ive seen some nice finished dogs that are timid with a shot out coon. id like to see what yall think?

__________________
-Amanda

- In Loving Memory of -
DEEP SPRINGS BLACK MAX
&
LEVIS SOUTHERN BLUE DOC

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2013
Location: Maryland
Posts: 2633

I have to say that some of the best dogs I have ever known would not mess with a caged coon, they acted like they either were trying to ignore it or they didn't know what to do with it. Their job is to chase it, when one is sitting there stuck in a cage I think it confuses some dogs. I also agree and have seen it many times that some of the best dogs I have ever know showed little to no interest after a coon was knocked out to them. They wouldn't fight or kill a coon...they just acted like they didn't need to.
As to training, I have started many dogs and a caged coon turned loose in front of them is a good way to help get them fired up, but they don't need this much. You can really over do it with caged coons and set dogs back quick.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2013
Location: PA.
Posts: 1738

A caged coon is a "tool" to be used to help train a pup. Just like any other tool it's not the only tool you need to do the job but it can be useful when needed. Rather you show it to the pup or turn it loose and let the pup chase it depends on where the pup is and what "you" feel that pup needs at the time IMO. I really don't think there is an across the board answer as to rather you need a caged coon or not.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2012
Location: airville,pa
Posts: 2078

quote:

---

Originally posted by msinc
I have to say that some of the best dogs I have ever known would not mess with a caged coon, they acted like they either were trying to ignore it or they didn't know what to do with it. Their job is to chase it, when one is sitting there stuck in a cage I think it confuses some dogs. I also agree and have seen it many times that some of the best dogs I have ever know showed little to no interest after a coon was knocked out to them. They wouldn't fight or kill a coon...they just acted like they didn't need to.
As to training, I have started many dogs and a caged coon turned loose in front of them is a good way to help get them fired up, but they don't need this much. You can really over do it with caged coons and set dogs back quick.

---

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Aug 2011
Location: Emporia, Kansas
Posts: 383

A lot depends on some of the breeding.. way back in the 70's I had a very good blue that you could not make him bark at a caged coon.. he ran free until he was 2 years old. he loved to trail and treed a lot better on one he had run than lay-ups..surely could handle any one by himself. . The Freckles female I had a short time back would not bark at a caged coon... turn it out and the race was on... I do think she was pretty darn good.
all but 1 of my current hounds are decended from her.. her littermate would go nuts over a caged one.

Don Cummings

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2006
Location: Springfield, Ga.
Posts: 4252

quote:

---

Originally posted by H.W. Moore
If you went to the local pound with a caged coon and turned all the dogs loose over half would go nuts!! Most dogs will bark at a wild animal in a cage, & if they don't it doesn't mean they won't hunt..

---

__________________
Robert " Rock" Johnson

Johnson Creek Kennels
home of:
UKC Grand Nite Champion "PR" Yadkin River Addkis. Deceased 12/11/2016 RIP

2009/2010/2011/2012 AKC GA. State Leader and Supreme Grand Nite Champion Yadkin River Addkis

2010 ACHA Georgia State Champion Grand Nite Champion Yadkin River Addkis

PKC Champion Yadkin River Addkis

Bright Eye Lights


Treeing Walkers

912-663-5287 cell (perfered)

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jan 2006
Location: WV
Posts: 821

I believe that sometimes we need to see a caged coon more than the dog, just for assurance. The most important step in training is to give the pup or young dog plenty of time to develop. Many times we get in a hurry and expect the pup to develop before it's time. As mentioned before some pups out of the same litter react different. I recall my two hunting buddies and I all had litter mate males and were working on getting them started. Their pups started barking wildly at a caged coon as soon as they saw it at an early age. Mine wouldn't even get close to it. At 9 months old we caught a coon and showed them again and still mine would not show interest. We turned the coon loose and waited a couple minutes and turned all three loose. Mine trailed and found where the coon went up and sat down and treed every breath. From that time on he developed in leaps and bounds and went on to make the better of the three. So in answering the question at hand, I do attempt to show a pup/young dog a caged but limit it to one or two times. Time in the woods is MUCH more valuable than times in front of a caged coon. Remember, these are scent hounds, not sight hounds.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2014
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 3468

Caged coons and drags are for handlers entertainment. They have very little, if any, effect on what kind of coon hound your pup will be,

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2004
Location: 3515-38st-moline ill.
Posts: 558

Plenty of good answers here.What they do on a caged coon means little or nothing.

__________________
Always be yourself because the people that matter dont mind and the people that mind dont matter.Rock River Plotts

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2005
Location: North of Panama City Florida
Posts: 1014

Thanks for all the replies! this is good info and really helped!

__________________
-Amanda

- In Loving Memory of -
DEEP SPRINGS BLACK MAX
&
LEVIS SOUTHERN BLUE DOC

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2007
Location: Pomeroy, Ohio
Posts: 2843

I got two males back who were out of full brothers. Both owners stated that they had given up on these two males that were around a year old because neither of them showed any interest in a caged coon so they hadn't hunted either of them. On different nights I took these males out for their first turnout and they ran and treed with the other dogs on the first track they were on. Shot the coon out and these dogs just looked at the coon and the other dogs grabbing the coon and went back to treeing. They cared more about the scent than they did the actual coon.
I had another female who would go back into a rolling cage and pull a coon out of it that I couldn't get to tree a lick. I personally could care less what they do on a cage coon. I want to see what they do in the woods and naturally. The majority of my dogs are taken hunting with other dogs at first and they are usually running and treeing with the other dogs before they ever see or taste a coon.

__________________
John Smith
Ohio Valley Bluetick Kennel

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: May 2008
Location: lenoir nc
Posts: 307

Well I can't speak for everybody but as for myself I have a young male dog that I raised off of an old dog that just died and my nephew has a Litter Mate to him my pup won't bark at a cage tune but we'll run a track my nephew's dog won't run a track but will bark at a caged Coon so go figure I don't think it really matters

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged