BigGameHoundsmen.com

Anyone hunt opossom?
Caught one in a live trap and the dogs showed interest while it was in the cage, but when I let it out and gave it a 5min headstart, the dogs wanted it, but they did want it bad enough to find it in a patch of christmas trees, lol.

It sounds like the dogs might have been worked with cages too much. I had an old broke hound that wouldn't fuss with any trash and then one day he saw a cage of pigeons on the ground and he came un-glued. I've also had dogs that you could shake a trap near them and they would just bark at it.

The best thing a guy can do is just really go hunting for the game that you want the dog to eventually hunt. I don't think much of box trap training, drags, controlled hunting scenerios and such. I've had some very nice bear dogs that wouldn't even run a bear drag. The dogs seem to pick up on things that you don't want them to.

I use to raise some domestic pigs in a pen and would take pups up to have them bay it. Now everytime the same dogs see that old pen they get all excited even with nothing there and they act stupid all because of what I started.

Now to start a dog I just take them hunting with some broke dogs. Plain and simple.

Tim

Tim, IMO you are correct. Teach your young dog to handle and then take it to the woods with good broke old dogs. If it is not ready to go with them wait awhile and take it again. It will start when ready and that may not be as soon as you would like. Most do not start at 5 mos. like you read about on here. Most "training methods" you read about are more entertainment for the handler than they are of benefit to the pup. You may think you are teaching the dog something, but the reality is that well bred dogs learn and react naturally ON THEIR SCHEDULE.

briarpatch

Well I do take the dogs out hunting alot and they have picked up alot from the outdoors, and the whole cage thing was more of an experiment, since the one red dog I got needs to be reintroduced to hunting since he's been out of it for a while, but he did 'bay' up a coon that was under our grain shed, that wasnt in a cage, all by himself so I was pretty proud of him.
Guess Ill just have to hit the woods more.