PCH GRCH Cedar Grove's Mossy Oak after a tough hunt in a clearcut.
The Top Three Things that Influence a Finished Hound
When it comes to training dogs, people vary widely on what they believe influences how the dog performs or progresses. There are many factors, situations, and solutions to situations. That is probably the one thing that everyone can agree on. This article will address the three top points from my perspective. Some may agree, others may not.
1. Lineage
This is the first point on my list because it makes a big difference in how you progress through your training and how the dog responds to your training efforts.
First, you must know your dog’s lineage. This means you must research the parents and other dogs in the pedigree. Nothing is as beneficial as YOU watching the parents or grandparents in action. No one knows what suits your preference better than you do. So make the trip to watch the dogs yourself. If there is no way you can watch for yourself, then you should find a trustworthy source. Someone you trust, as well as someone who knows what style of hound you like, is the next best thing for doing the research.
While looking into a line of dogs find out the following things.
A. Hunt Ability: This is a no brainer. You are buying this dog or puppy to hunt with. Seeing dogs from its pedigree or the actual dog itself in a hunting situation is the main thing that can help you learn about the dog’s habits or inherited traits. Speed, nose, and other very basic components combine into this one category. Again, this should be the main concern in your research.
B. Temperament: A mean dog or multiple mean dogs might not be a great thing to see. A mean dog in your kennel will not be anything but a headache for you.
C. Ability to Learn: Do the dogs pick up on new commands quickly? Are they slow to comprehend new commands? Try to find out these things. These give insight to the amount of “brains” a dog is likely to have. A dog with a high intelligence level is always easier to work with.
D. Natural Energy: Do the dogs seem to always lay around? Do they constantly greet you at the kennel entrance? Finding out more about how high the dog’s energy level is might be beneficial when trying to predict endurance levels in the field.
E. Kennel Manners: Do the dogs behave well in the kennel or are they little brats the whole time? A dog that is good in the kennel is something that gives you one less thing to have to train. This also will make your neighbors a little more accepting. I have owned some dogs that are naturals in the kennel. They are quiet and never needed much training to understand that they need to keep the noise down while in there. This aspect shouldn’t be looked at with great importance, however, as this is definitely an issue that can be corrected. Just to clarify: Just because the parents of the dog or other dogs in the lineage act a certain way does NOT mean your dog will be just like them. Sure it probably will be in many ways, but in others you may see no resemblance. However, it never hurts to gather as much information as possible about the dogs in the lineage.
The first and foremost is hunt ability because you are buying the dog for just that. However, I believe many hound owners overlook the other points, and they get frustrated when they realize that their dog isn’t working out in some of the other areas. Do your research on as many aspects as possible, and you will end up with a better outcome.
2. Time Invested
So you have your young dog or puppy that you have picked carefully based on its lineage and the traits exhibited. So now just leave it in the kennel and it will grow into a perfect finished hound, right? No. Well just take it out a couple times a month and that should be plenty, right? No.
The truth is to see the max potential of a hound you must transport it to the woods or field several times a week. I believe 2-3 days a week are required to see the max potential of a hound. Five days or more is really probably the better bet, but lives get busy which makes it difficult to achieve this sometimes. This also might call for some rest time for the hound depending on how hard of running it is doing. Bloodlines also will influence how the dog responds to the time given. Some bloodlines are known for needing little time to stay in top form. These are known as your low maintenance hounds. High maintenance hounds on the other hand will require much more running to be in top form. I still believe that a low maintenance hound will only benefit from extra time given, though. Just make sure that the hound is holding up well, health-wise, to the extra hours.
If you don’t give the hound this much time then you are selling it short. Do not misunderstand me though. The dog still may turn into a nice hound and make you very proud. It is all in the eye of the beholder. However, the more time you can give a young hound, the better off it will be, generally speaking.
3. Productive Trips
To be a nice finished hound, the hound must have plenty of time. However, if the time given is not producing much game, or quarry, then it is not serving the full purpose. A dog must have productive trips in the field. It must have the repetitions of its desired situation. The desired situation is that the hound finds the game that you want it to and pursues it to the tree, until it circles back around, or until it catches it. To become a polished hound, you must provide good spots full of the desired quarry for the hound to practice in. A trip out with no races or chases is not as exciting for you, and it’s not as productive for the hound. With this being said, too much game can cause just as many problems as no game. A hound that doesn’t have to hardly do anything to find the desired game could very easily become lazy in his/her desire category. I believe a good, happy-medium of quarry availability is where a dog will find its max hunt because it has to work to find the game, but it will be rewarded after its hard work with a good track to chase.
Puppies are a different story. Puppies start much easier when you can put them in a spot where they can find the game very quickly. This ignites that instinct in them to go find the certain game. Once they get started, however, I believe it is important to gradually start exposing them to more difficult situations so that they understand every situation is not as easy as the way they started. This keeps them from becoming “spoiled” as I would say.
These are the few thoughts I had on the subject of the aspects that affect a finished hound and the performance level it is capable of reaching. Please understand, there are many other factors that come into play on making the best finished hound you can. These are just the few that were on top of my mind. By watching the bloodlines you purchase, giving them the most time possible in the field, and giving them a healthy amount of quarry to practice on you will maximize the potential for your future finished hound.
Jadon Miller
When it comes to training dogs, people vary widely on what they believe influences how the dog performs or progresses. There are many factors, situations, and solutions to situations. That is probably the one thing that everyone can agree on. This article will address the three top points from my perspective. Some may agree, others may not.
1. Lineage
This is the first point on my list because it makes a big difference in how you progress through your training and how the dog responds to your training efforts.
First, you must know your dog’s lineage. This means you must research the parents and other dogs in the pedigree. Nothing is as beneficial as YOU watching the parents or grandparents in action. No one knows what suits your preference better than you do. So make the trip to watch the dogs yourself. If there is no way you can watch for yourself, then you should find a trustworthy source. Someone you trust, as well as someone who knows what style of hound you like, is the next best thing for doing the research.
While looking into a line of dogs find out the following things.
A. Hunt Ability: This is a no brainer. You are buying this dog or puppy to hunt with. Seeing dogs from its pedigree or the actual dog itself in a hunting situation is the main thing that can help you learn about the dog’s habits or inherited traits. Speed, nose, and other very basic components combine into this one category. Again, this should be the main concern in your research.
B. Temperament: A mean dog or multiple mean dogs might not be a great thing to see. A mean dog in your kennel will not be anything but a headache for you.
C. Ability to Learn: Do the dogs pick up on new commands quickly? Are they slow to comprehend new commands? Try to find out these things. These give insight to the amount of “brains” a dog is likely to have. A dog with a high intelligence level is always easier to work with.
D. Natural Energy: Do the dogs seem to always lay around? Do they constantly greet you at the kennel entrance? Finding out more about how high the dog’s energy level is might be beneficial when trying to predict endurance levels in the field.
E. Kennel Manners: Do the dogs behave well in the kennel or are they little brats the whole time? A dog that is good in the kennel is something that gives you one less thing to have to train. This also will make your neighbors a little more accepting. I have owned some dogs that are naturals in the kennel. They are quiet and never needed much training to understand that they need to keep the noise down while in there. This aspect shouldn’t be looked at with great importance, however, as this is definitely an issue that can be corrected. Just to clarify: Just because the parents of the dog or other dogs in the lineage act a certain way does NOT mean your dog will be just like them. Sure it probably will be in many ways, but in others you may see no resemblance. However, it never hurts to gather as much information as possible about the dogs in the lineage.
The first and foremost is hunt ability because you are buying the dog for just that. However, I believe many hound owners overlook the other points, and they get frustrated when they realize that their dog isn’t working out in some of the other areas. Do your research on as many aspects as possible, and you will end up with a better outcome.
2. Time Invested
So you have your young dog or puppy that you have picked carefully based on its lineage and the traits exhibited. So now just leave it in the kennel and it will grow into a perfect finished hound, right? No. Well just take it out a couple times a month and that should be plenty, right? No.
The truth is to see the max potential of a hound you must transport it to the woods or field several times a week. I believe 2-3 days a week are required to see the max potential of a hound. Five days or more is really probably the better bet, but lives get busy which makes it difficult to achieve this sometimes. This also might call for some rest time for the hound depending on how hard of running it is doing. Bloodlines also will influence how the dog responds to the time given. Some bloodlines are known for needing little time to stay in top form. These are known as your low maintenance hounds. High maintenance hounds on the other hand will require much more running to be in top form. I still believe that a low maintenance hound will only benefit from extra time given, though. Just make sure that the hound is holding up well, health-wise, to the extra hours.
If you don’t give the hound this much time then you are selling it short. Do not misunderstand me though. The dog still may turn into a nice hound and make you very proud. It is all in the eye of the beholder. However, the more time you can give a young hound, the better off it will be, generally speaking.
3. Productive Trips
To be a nice finished hound, the hound must have plenty of time. However, if the time given is not producing much game, or quarry, then it is not serving the full purpose. A dog must have productive trips in the field. It must have the repetitions of its desired situation. The desired situation is that the hound finds the game that you want it to and pursues it to the tree, until it circles back around, or until it catches it. To become a polished hound, you must provide good spots full of the desired quarry for the hound to practice in. A trip out with no races or chases is not as exciting for you, and it’s not as productive for the hound. With this being said, too much game can cause just as many problems as no game. A hound that doesn’t have to hardly do anything to find the desired game could very easily become lazy in his/her desire category. I believe a good, happy-medium of quarry availability is where a dog will find its max hunt because it has to work to find the game, but it will be rewarded after its hard work with a good track to chase.
Puppies are a different story. Puppies start much easier when you can put them in a spot where they can find the game very quickly. This ignites that instinct in them to go find the certain game. Once they get started, however, I believe it is important to gradually start exposing them to more difficult situations so that they understand every situation is not as easy as the way they started. This keeps them from becoming “spoiled” as I would say.
These are the few thoughts I had on the subject of the aspects that affect a finished hound and the performance level it is capable of reaching. Please understand, there are many other factors that come into play on making the best finished hound you can. These are just the few that were on top of my mind. By watching the bloodlines you purchase, giving them the most time possible in the field, and giving them a healthy amount of quarry to practice on you will maximize the potential for your future finished hound.
Jadon Miller