mental stimulation

[mark]

I agree with most everything said on this subject. However i have seen and would like to throw out some of my personal observations. I am fortunate to live where i can and have let whole litters run free until they start getting out of control and into trouble. Usually around the 5 month range. I watch them as they start hunting on their own, usually squirrels and rabbits at first and as they age deer,elk,fox,coyote, etc etc. When they get to the point they are gone more than they are home i have a good idea of who is doing what and start tying them out. They have all been socialized to some extent by people coming and going and are pretty car wise. This is where i think we like to take credit for a lot of our training and mental stimulation abilities. These pups have been messed with since the day they were born but have had NO formal training. Now that i have my favorites as to how they hunt and run they go to the woods with the old dogs. My experience is that the ones that seem to hunt the hardest and stay out the longest and cross the roads together or at least in the front consistently are the ones that learn to obey my commands and simple things like loading up and honoring the old dogs quicker. They also seem to clean up on trash quicker.They just seem to figure things out quicker than the pups that didn't grab my eyes and ears. These are just my observations on my dogs and my area, i realize few people can raise their dogs this way but if you could i think you would see what I'm talking about.

[South Texan]

Mark,
I know exactly what you are talking about. My pups are raised just like yours. You & I are blessed that our pups can be raised in this environment. They "mentally stimulate" themselves, in my opinion, in this situation.
Robbie

[Gary Roberson]

Can't help but stir my buddies up on this one...Years ago, I was hunting down around Cotulla with my buddy Phil Lyne and conversation turned to dogs, hog, cat, whatever. He told me that his dad, always said "there is nothing more owl-headed than a running walker hound". If we all agree that "smarts" are what make the best hounds, why do we want to hunt the running dogs? This should liven up this thread...Sorry Rob, CJC and many others but the Devil made me do it.
Adios,
Gary

[Dads dogboy]

Ahh Mr. Gary.....you wrote:

"He told me that his dad, always said "there is nothing more owl-headed than a running walker hound".

Now the man who said this was Mr. Joe Rufus Lyne. He unquestionably caught more Bobcats than any man ever! He was a tremendous Houndsman. He would sell a Pack and six months later be catching as many as before he sold out. This was before tracking or training collars. If he told you a Hound was broke IT WAS and would only bark at a Bobcat or Lion.

The above paragraph is to explain just how smart Mr.Joe was.....He knew that those Running Walker old style Wolf Dogs were what it took to do the Job day after day where he hunted!

And if you reread His quote "Owl-headed" is not the Owl always referred to as "The Wise Ole Owl"! Ole Rowdy sure resembled one at times.

[Gary Roberson]

Great to get a comeback CJC. I was hoping that South Texas would jump on me but not too early to say he won't. Just checking to see who was awake out there.
It was an interesting comment that Mr. Lyne made in light of the fact that he generally had 20 running dogs in his pack at a time.
Adios,
Gary

[South Texan]

Mr. Joe must have been a little put out with one of his running dogs when he made that comment. As you said, Mr. Joe always had a pack full of running dogs, so he mustn't have thought they were all "owl headed".

There are smart and dumb in all breeds of hounds. We just have to sift through the dumb ones and search for the smart ones.

Right now, I have a 5 year old straight running walker gyp in my pack. I can put her in with the other cats dogs and she will start, trail, run and my best locating dog in the pack on bobcat. Then I can take her and put her on a blood trail during deer season and she will trail up and bay a wounded deer. When trailing a blood trail she will not mess with a cat, when cat hunting she want mess with a deer. I think she had to have something up there in her noggin to figure that out. Don't you?
Robbie

[Unreal_tk]

I have not raised a bunch of dogs yet. But the dogs i have, theyve been in the house, always with me on a trip or grocery shopping just to get socializing. Ive seen dogs that wereñt and just i didnt care for em. Example is my walker/plott, when I first picked her up she wouldn't let me even come close to her dog house, wouldn't tolerate any other dogs, wasn't much on game either, most guys would've culled her, and might still. Now this dog, loves people, loves other dogs, hunts good enough for me. Not so much a pup, but I think its related.

[Snow walker]

Some very good posts here with lots of good info..
Been around a few bird dogs and coon hounds in my time and now just getting into running coyotes with hounds..
I got a red bone hound from the county pound last year which was 2 years old, the dog was house broke but never hunted. When talking to the people at the pound they told me the dog was well mannered and house broke and during the month they had it, it was taken for walks every day and exposed to a lot of people and things that go on in a big town..
I spent roughly every week end during the summer getting it ready to track coyotes and due to its socializing it was a very enjoyable experience working with this breed of dog.. One of the things I did notice about this dog was it was a little timid to some things that was new to it, so knowing this I just took it a little slower with some parts of the training and she over came this issue. Another thing which helped this along was having the dog around when ever I was at home, allowing me to spend more time with her..

Well I thought since everything worked out so well with her I would get another dog to use for back up or for hunting bigger sections. So I picked up a redbone crossed with a black/tan.
I got my new dog home and found out she was timid as all hell or what we call spooked. Found out the seller just fed the dogs and didn't spend any time with them which just added or made the training process that much harder. Lesson learned..
I decided to keep this dog in the house as well to help speed up the training and get her to come around as far as being spooky goes.. She is coming along pretty good but you just have to watch what stuff you do as it could set her off at times if she hasn't been exposed to it.
When I take her out for a run though she is a totally different dog, she listens well and loads up when needed so I think once I get her on a few coyotes she will over come being timid...
A dog learns very little sitting in a kennel or being tied up all day and a owner should try to spend as much time with them as you would a child...

[Gary Roberson]

I thought that would wake the Boys up...Great to hear from you!
Adios,
Gary

[mefishme1234]

I had a real shy plot and since I have gotten another plot and a redtick, the shy one is no more.... different dog and she still listens good. hoping to run her with the other two on coon and then like to turn her in with the new plot and run them on cats this winter. the new plot is out of paul laneys dogs.. july is almost here....