# Blue Tic Pup



## mr.trooper (Aug 3, 2004)

just got a 5 week old female Blue Tic pup about a week ago. The house training is going well! she tells me when she has to go, and follows me outside. :beer:

How do i teach her to follow the correct scents, and will she tree on her own, or will i need to teach her? Her parents are both AKC registered, and the breeder was kind enough to show me that papers, and let me inspect them. the father was very alert and strong, but not hyper.

She is very intelligent, and a quick learner. what training will she need for ****/possum hunting, and when should i start?


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## rolly (Jul 30, 2007)

Get the book, "Walk with Wick". It'll tell ya everything you need to know about hounds.

When did the AKC start registering Blueticks? Why didn't the breeder give you a copy of your dogs papers? Are you sure it wasn't the UKC? They are more for hunting than the show dogs of the AKC.


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## mr.trooper (Aug 3, 2004)

https://www.akc.org/breeds/bluetick_coonhound/index.cfm

I don't know when they started, but they have a standard with qualities and disqualifications on their web page.

The pups don't have papers because the litter was accidental and they don't want to register them. I don't care much for having official papers anyway. No dog iv ever owned has had them

Thanks for the book recommendation!


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

5 weeks is too young, if possible the pup should go back to the litter for three more weeks minimum. Its will miss a crucial development period. Dogs need to learn to be dogs first and the next three weeks is when that happens. Then go get her and enjoy, they are nice dogs.

This really is important no kidding around.

Bob


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## mr.trooper (Aug 3, 2004)

thanks bob

I went back and checked the add, and they are supposed to be 8 weeks old. I believe thats what i was told in person as well. sorry, my mistake. I am prone to clerical errors.

Ill call and double check.


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## houndsman (Jan 30, 2006)

I'll share how I 'start' a trailhound (skipping some handling exercises,etc)

a) Live-trap a ****
- feed the **** dog/cat kibble thru the live trap
- use a guinea pig watering bottle to make sure it has fresh water
- place **** on cool, shaded floor of your shop/barn etc. It will get
extra stinky after just one night. (extra-stinky=easy-scent-trail)
- I don't keep them for more than 3-4 days this way before releasing them. That's 
just my rule - after 4 days I let them go so they don't overstress and die. A
otherwise docile **** will become downright hostile if you keep him much longer
and I've had a couple that blew out of the trap and chased me back to my vehicle.
- Note: If you catch a big 25+lb boar ****, just let him go and catch a 
different one. If a big boar catches your pup on the ground after a release, 
he will ruin him if he doesn't just kill him. (side note: Don't train your hound
to catch and kill - kill dogs get killed. It's that simple. And your 'kill' 
dog will get himself killed right about the time you have 5 years of training
into him and he's turning into that once-in-a-lifetime trail hound.)
b) Introduce your pup to the caged ****. Get him excited - and move the cage a little
so the **** 'hisses' at your pup. If pup is alarmed and withdrawn - stop and try it
again in about 2-3 weeks. If your pup foams at the mouth like a freshly drawn mug 
of root beer - praise him as you pull him away from the **** and wait a day.
c) Tie a dog lead to the cage and drag the **** thru the grass for about 100-150 yards 
and suspend it from a tree. Tie it up so you can raise/lower the ****. Only put the 
**** about 6-7ft into the tree. Release your hound near the beginning of the trail. 
He should find the 'treed' ****. If he trees nicely - great! If he doesn't tree
then he doesn't know the **** is up the tree - raise and lower the **** a couple of times
so he see's it. Raise/Lower the **** just out of reach of your hound - this should drive
your hound nuts. Bang the tree with a stick while praising the hound. Let him tree
for just a few minutes, then lead him from the tree with excessive praise. 
d) After having success with step 'c' 2-3 times, take a caged **** and your hound to an
unpicked corn field. (The semantics of this can be debated for hours, but at this step
I choose to let my hound see me release the ****. Some consider this taboo, but it's
my dang hound and I train how I want to and I like to let them see me release the ****
as it raises their anticipation to a fevered pitch, among other benefits. I want them 
to run a track with their nose, and if you intend to run bobcats and other fast-track 
game, you'll want the hound to learn to use it's eyes also. I want my hounds to run with 
their head up and drift a track - not bird-dogging the whole time...heck, I could go on 
for a long time as to why I choose this method - you decide what you want to do here) 
Turn your hound loose after just a few minutes head start for the ****. You know how 
far off the trees are, and that **** will too. Release the hound - he will have no 
choice but to rely on his nose to find the ****. 2 important points here:
1) If you turn the **** loose near where you caught him, he will know exactly where
he wants to go, and will get there in an impressive hurry. Take him to 
another spot so he has to hesitate a little, etc.
2) Do NOT release a large aggressive boar/sow on the ground where there is a chance
your hound will catch him on the ground - he will leave a lasting impression on 
your young prospect and empty your wallet with vet bills - or worse....

Well, this got a little long, but this is the short version of how I start my hounds. For tune-ups
in the off-season, I still use 'setups' with released ***** that I mist down with a mixture of 
lion/bobcat essence diluted in distilled water. When training this way, I don't set the **** down 
on the ground - I suspend them above the ground so they can't excrete on themselves before I 
release them - only because I want the hounds running the cat scent more than the abundance 
of **** scent.

I'll stop now - this got way too long.

Good luck with your young prospect. 
Good Hunting.


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Houndsman that was very good I enjoyed reading that, thanks.

I've always wanted to try hounds, I mean big ones I had beagles when I was akid they were alot of fun.


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