To hunt raccoons from the field, the breed of dog that has helped humans is coon hound. This breed consists of both black and brown colored dogs. Thus their species varies from Redbone to American to Bluetick and many more.
This dog breed is not much popular as house pets so we would like to enlighten the probable dog owners about nature and the type of habits that this breed of dog possesses. Also, the training of such breed may seem challenging to the new owners and we thus will be helping them in this guide.
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Are coonhounds easy to train?
As the coonhounds are quite sharp and strong-willed, it is hard for the trainers to train them at the beginning. They are high on energy which keeps them alert and their fighting spirit alive. So they would not bother to listen or obey the directions of their owners easily. They also have a barking habit which is shrill and thus they show their aggression and disobedience.
However, if you manage to train them, they will become a much friendly and obedient dog breed. They are quite trustworthy and thus will follow your orders happily.
Nature of the coonhounds
Coonhounds are great hunting dogs and they are vastly directed by their nose. When they get some unusual scent in their vicinity they will follow it and will get to the source. Thus when you will adopt one, you must keep it in the fenced yard or unless the dog may escape the yard.
This dog breed is much loving and affectionate if bred well. They are much outgoing but loyal and friendly to their owner and the family. They are expressive and can show their affection towards their owner when they feel the love towards them. They also behave well with the children but they need to be trained to live with the kids first.
They are rather smart when trained well and get matured. But for most of the owners, this becomes a huge task to train them properly. So this breed of dogs is mostly found in the shelters when they are not looked after or taken proper care of.
Can you train a coonhound?
Coonhounds can be trained and it is a proven fact. It has been seen by the hunters of North America that this breed manages to follow the directions and do the scheduled chores when the owners go hunting.
Thus it is obvious that they can be tamed and will follow your directions after a short period of training. Though they have a knack for outdoor life and hunting, yet they can be tamed and manage to live a homely life, though they need to be left outdoors for some time every day.
When you should start training the coonhound?
The training period for coonhound should start from an as early age as five weeks. As this breed is pretty obstinate by nature, they tend to become less obedient with age, if not trained from a young age. Five weeks is the perfect age from when their brain will start to mature and they would be able to follow the directions as well as conversations. Also, they become aware of the duties and small tasks that are assigned to them.
What works for the coonhounds in the training schedules?
The dogs of different breeds need different kinds of training processes. Sometimes the nature of the owner also influences the dog’s training method, so it becomes a completely customized thing. When some process applies to some particular dogs, that same process does not apply to the other dogs of the same breeds.
Using treats
When you use to treat to train your coonhounds, you will find rapid progress in their behavior. But there should be some limitations to this practice. When you see that the coonhound is following your direction just when you show the promise of the treats, then it is simply not the way it should be. The dog should not only follow your directions by the temptation. You must try to keep the dog obeying you and not its own greed.
Love is the great initiator
When you show love and affection to your coonhound, you are sure to find some changes in its behavior. When the dog will understand the language of love and the expression of adoration then it will naturally become submissive to you and will try to keep you happy. This change of behavior is only possible when you just do not a command but also show your liking for the dog.
No spanking
As we have just now discussed, love can show the wondrous effect on the nature of the coonhounds, the opposite side of this fact is also true. When the coonhounds are rebuked or spanked, they get very shy and hurt. They stop behaving socially and that damages their mental health as well. So you should never think of punishing the coonhounds while training even when the dog is unable to follow your direction or does not carry out the task assigned properly.
Teach respect
The first and foremost thing that you should teach your coonhound is not only following the directions and obeying the commands. The training should cover respecting the owner as well. In fact, that should be the primary motto of the training. Coonhounds are strong-willed and they get obstinate when they are not properly trained. But then they would not offer respect and obedience if they are not taught from a very early age.
Say “no”
This is also another important aspect of training coonhound. When you are letting it follow the usual directions and make sure that the dog follows the commands, you should also prevent it from doing something that is harmful or unwanted. That you can only do by making it listening and obeying to you saying No. when you say No, they should know that it means that it is not good for them to continue with the thing or task. Also, it will prevent them to continue with bad habits like tugging at things or tearing the house furniture.
Which items are required by the trainer or owner to train a coonhound?
Always keep some dog treat handy when you are going to train the coonhound. Without the help of treats, you will not be able to train them. Treats keep them engaged and also keep them motivated for a longer time to the training session.
Keeping some artificial scent as part of the training session is also necessary. Coonhounds are good sniffers and they get excited with the new and different kinds of smells.
How does scent help in the training of the coonhounds?
Discovering the scent is one of the primary tasks that the coonhound should attempt. When the coonhounds attempt to get their prey, they follow some particular scent that will take them to their goal. If you plan to take the coonhound for a hunting session you can start from an early age. Make the puppy coonhound smell the raccoon and mouse. This way you can make the scent drag for the coonhound and the dog will be able to follow the trail.
Use the scented dummy for the first few times as the puppy will not be able to catch the actual raccoon. After you keep the scented dummy near the pet, you have to drag it away. Do not let it smell for long as then the dog will lose interest and will not follow the trail.
You have to drag the scent along in a trail so the dog follows that a straightway. Do not let the dog see the way through which the scent is trailed. Keep the dummy in a hidden place like behind a tree or some box. This way the dog will be able to find the item which is scented, from the place where this thing will be hidden.
How can you train the coonhound about hunting?
Other than following the smelling trail, you should also accommodate your coonhound with the process of hunting the creature that has been shot. When you are done with the hunting training, take the new coonhound with some experienced ones. Do not take the freshly trained dog to the hunting session all alone or else it may cause some accident or mishap. There are various things that the new coonhound learns from the experienced ones.
How you can keep the coonhound in hunting-ready condition?
Though coonhounds are pretty fit and energetic-natured dogs, they also get tired or exhausted when not fed well or suffering from any illness. Make sure that your dog is fit and fine before taking it for the hunting session.
If you see that the coonhound is not giving a positive vibe or showing excitement in its daily movements, then you should not take the dog to the hunting. Rather taking it for a visit to the vet will be an ideal option.
Does the coonhound need a professional trainer to get trained?
For the new dog owners, training a coonhound will not be easy. As we have already mentioned, this breed of dog is pretty smart and sometimes acts stubbornly. So when the owners are not much accustomed to the usual dog habits and may not make sense of various activities, it will become a tough situation for the dogs as well as the dog owners to get and be trained. Hiring professionals for the training purpose will be the ideal solution to such a situation.
But when the owner becomes experienced with the training pattern and has the chance of training different breeds of hunting dogs, then it can be managed without any professional help.
How you can modulate your voice to train the coonhounds?
Training the coonhounds or for that matter, any particular dog breed, you have to be very specific with the voice modulation. Always remember, dogs listen to your voice and they do not understand your language, not at the first instance of course.
If you keep your voice light and funny, the dog will not make out the sense of your directions. Keeping a commanding tone and yet not sounding rude is the key. You have to make commands in a dictating way so the dog understands that you are its master. The control over the dog should be prominent in your voice.
Do not break the sequence of training by suddenly changing the tone of your voice. Do not feel guilty that you are shouting at your dog. You should always remember that your authoritative voice will help the coonhound understand the directions in a better way and it will find a cause to follow the directions.
Keeping the coonhound aloof and segregated from all other breeds of dogs is the wrong way of training. Some owners make such mistakes. They think that this dog breed is particularly hunting dogs and thus they do not need the socialization skills.
Well, the reality is actually the opposite. Coonhounds are just another breed of dogs that excel in hunting. But they also love their share of playing, fun games, and mixing with other dog breeds. They sometimes feel awkward when they are taken to the dog park for the first time but it takes a few days or weeks to make them happy in the presence of other dogs. This provides also a chance to stay healthy and stay fit by exercising with other dogs.
How can you keep the preying instinct of coonhounds in control?
Coonhounds are much good at preying and thus they always act alert when there are any small creatures near them. When you plan to keep some small creatures like cats, guinea pigs, or rats as pets in the same house where you keep the coonhound, then you should have to be extra cautious.
You must bring the coonhound from a very early age and the other pets should be present at the home before the dog gets adjusted to the new house. That way it will be easy for the coonhound to get adjusted with the little pets of the house. This way the coonhounds will be friendly and act homely with their cohabitants.
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