Coon Hunting Info >> Coon Hunting Tips

While training a dog, obedience is the very first thing you should keep in mind because it will create a foundation from which you can develop your dog’s training furthermore. Without this foundation, it is very hard to train a dog the right way.

The training should start when the puppy is around 5 weeks old but you shouldn’t expect very much from the dog because he is still a very young puppy. The training should begin with the basic commands and also you should let him be aware of what he can and can’t do so you won’t have any problems in the future.

When it comes down to training a dog for raccoon hunting, choosing the right puppy will make your life easier. The most popular dogs used for coon hunting are : the Bluetick Coonhound, the Black and Tan Coonhound, the Redbone Coonhound and let’s not forget about the English Coonhound. But if you happen to have dogs from other breeds, don’t think that you can’t turn them into good coon dogs, with proper training almost anything is possible.

A very wise thing to do before you start training the dog is to consult with experienced coon dog trainers as you will learn a great deal about how to train them efficiently. You might want to learn the basic coon dog terminology because it will come in hand later on. When training a coon dog, there are different ways to do it, so the best thing to do is to combine these ways in order to get proper results.

The young coon dog needs a hot track to follow. The scent shouldn’t cross larger roads because you won’t get good results. During the training process you might want to use a scent trail bought from shops that offer these types of products. If you have the possibility to let your young puppy hunt along with other, more experienced coon dogs, then don’t hesitate because your puppy can learn a great deal from these experiences.

The first thing the dog must learn is to follow the scent and also to look up at a tree. To do so, you should use scent trails but be careful which ones you choose because the variety is very rich. Do some research first and see which one is the best for your dog. Once he has learned all these, he is programmed to learn more complex techniques.

By the time the puppies are 8 to 10 week old they should know that raccoons go into trees – and that is the place where the scented drag should be taken. By doing so, the dog will learn how to “look up”. You should train the dog in such a way that he will be interested in the scent and not on the sight of the pray because it is far more important to have them treeing without observing their “prize”. Once he has learned this, he will never forget these early experiences which will most definitely come in use later on.

A piece of advice: brutal punishment isn’t recommended while training the dog because it will have serious repercussions in the future. The dog shouldn’t be afraid when you raise your hand but the dog must be “punished” when he does something wrong by raising your voice at it because he will comprehend that he did something wrong so, at least theoretically, it won’t happen again. It is advisable to take the dog out for long walks in which he will explore the environment, this will come in hand because it will raise his confidence and also he will become a fast hunter as he will gain experience while navigating outdoor obstacles.

By the time the dog is at least 4 or 5 months old he should be able to recognize the scent of a raccoon. The best method to increase the trailing & treeing abilities of a puppy is to do everything in order so that the dog succeeds, make sure you offer the dog a generous praise. Training by example is a highly efficient way of training a puppy as he will get a glance of the real action. The dog will gain the needed experience which will prove to be crucial later on.

Another thing you should take into consideration is that all the time you should give your puppy the benefit of a doubt. If your dog trees at a sight of a raccoon but you are almost certain that he didn’t saw a raccoon but a different animal, you must simply follow the dog and wait if he is right or wrong without any brutal treatment because if indeed the dog was right and you will punish him then he won’t tree a coon in the future. If you were right, you will have the possibility to make a correction which will prove very useful in the future as he won’t make the same mistake again, at least theoretically.

Last but not least, keep in mind that not all dogs are the same so you won’t get the same results with all breeds. Experience and maturity are crucial in a life of a coon dog so bear in mind that without attentive training he won’t be the coon dog you have hoped.

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