BigGameHoundsmen.com

I will try to keep this as short as i can and still give you enough info. I have a 1 1/2 year old hound that I am having a problem with turning around and checking on me to see if I am coming. I am new to running hounds and only have the one dog right now. I live in town and do not have room for any more dogs. He is doing well for his age as far as I'm concerned but he turned around on me twice this weekend. The first time was on Saturday, I was roading him down the road when he stopped and ran about fifty yards into the timber. I stopped and noticed his tall wagging and his nose was sniffing a old growth log that was laying on the ground. I got out of the truck to see what he was investigating, when I got there I looked on the log and saw a nice bobcat track walking the log. I told him to tree it up witch is a command I have been working on with him. He took off and I went back to the truck to grab my pack. When I got back the the truck he crossed the road and headed down into a canyon. I followed after him and after about 15 to 20 minutes the gps showed him headed back too the truck. I was cutting him off at this time and so I walked to where he had turned around. To my surprise he had turned one bobcat into two and had them both running towards the next road. My wife and kids where with me so I called here on the radio and told here to load the dog and pick me up on the road. We had a birthday party to be at in a half hour so I had to leave the cats for another day.
Now Monday (today) comes around and I grab the dog and head up into the snow again to give It another try. I get about a half mile of the pavement and see where a bobcat has crossed the road and headed down a spur road. I park the truck and let the dog out and followed the track to where somebody had dropped off a old deer carcass. It looked like the the cat had been hanging out there all night and most of today. There where tracks every where, me and the dog both could not decipher witch way he went. So I decided to make a large loop around the carcass to see if i could find out witch way he left last. During this loop I believe we jumped the cat out of his bed (There was a impression in the snow that looked like a bed and the dog took of like a bat out of hell). He ran it hot and heavy for probably 500 yards and I tried to keep up the best I could. But no man I know can keep up with this dog on a hot track. Then here comes my disappointment again. The GPS shows him coming back. When he shows up he looks at me like "are you coming?" He will head back on the track after that but there is no way we are going to catch many bobbers doing this all day long. I trained him on squirrels because my folks have a 70 acre filbert orchard and squirrels are easy to come by. He will hold a tree forever and is almost impossible to get him off a tree. Only a gun will set him free. Witch is another problem and another topic for a post since I really didn't get into this to harvest many cats. My point being I don't think he is treeing them and them coming out I just think he is making sure I am coming. In familiar areas like the farm he will disappear for hours with out checking in but when it comes to new areas he seems to make sure I am following.
Now here comes the questions for you guys. I will keep dropping him on tracks and doing this same routine over and over again, since I am hard headed. But is there anything that I can do to brake him from coming back?
I am afraid to shock him just in case the cat walked back in his own tracks and to tell you the truth I don't know if he would understand why he is being shocked.
I think running him with a experienced dog would help but I dont know anybody around here and I don't have room for a pup trainer.

Sorry guys I know this ended up long. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Myles

I am no pro, But if he is taking them tracks I wouldnt walk in with him unless he loses it and your going into help or you think he might have tree'd but cant locate it. I have jumped cats out of there beds and have them go less then a few hundred yards before they clime. So maybe he caught it maybe he didnt. Doesnt matter how good a dog will tree coon's squirels and so on Bobcats are tuff for seasoned dogs to locate. Just keep hunting him seem's your on the right track. He will only get better with time the dogs young. Just help him when he needs it otherwise your gonna run into him expecting you to do all the tuff work if your always gonna be there... JMO

Thats a good one. Just taking a shot in the dark here but seems that you fallow him on track a fair amount im assuming that you help him sort out a loose from time to time going off of your statement about helping him sort out all the tracks around the deer carcus im just guesing maybe being a young dog hes just lacking a little confodence and comimg back to you for guidence or maybe reasurance? Im guesing if you just keep putting him on tracks the more hes out and the more trees under his belt he will gain confodence and quit comimg back to check in if thats what he is doin. I'll bet it will correct its self as he gains confodence but like I said im just guesing hope this helps. happy hunting

My GUESS would be that he's treeing the cat and then coming back to you.He hasn't learned how to locate them yet.The good news is if he's treeing on other game there's a good chance he'll learn to locate on bobcat.Mark the spot with your GPS where he turns back on the track.You might be able to walk in and see the cat in a tree,then you would know for sure .Work him on the tree every chance you get.If you're willing to do it give him until he's 2 or 2 and a half before you give up on him. I've seen more than 1 dog that was treeing on coon at a young age but was 2 or a little older before they would tree on bobcat . Good Luck!

Put him on the bobcat. You walk the bobcat track. Forget trying to keep up with the dog just walk the track. When he comes back keep walking the track and put him on it. You with him can walk it down. Pick a fresh track being a large tom in a area that you don't think the cat will be far. Your job is to stay on the cat track and put him on it until he trees it. I have walked out a lot of cat tracks with young dogs in my younger days. One of the best ways to make a complete dog by its self. You will also learn a lot about bobcats. Good luck Dewey

I'm with these guys as well, maybe run him on coons to help the confidence. Bobcats are my favorite by far but are a pain in the butt!

If you've got snow use it to your advantage. The answer should be there in the snow. If it was me I'd be going on in to see just what did happen.