What do you think?

Dave H · Post by **Dave H** » Sat Jan 29, 2005 5:54 pm

I bought a 6 year old female 2 weeks ago. I paid more for this hound than I have ever paid for one before. This dog is shy I kept it in the house for a week and a half before I put her on the ground. The former owner had placed the dog before and the dog (while in a pack) can really push a hare. I put her down last week with my 5 month old pup and the new dog went and hunted pop up a cottintail ( i took her to sign on the lead) and circled it even though it was in about 2feet of powder snow and the pup was all play and kind of messed up the track. Today I wanted to see what the dog really had and packed my wife and 3 year old into the truck and took my shot gun because I want a hare for the freezer to train in the yard with. I drove 30 miles up to killington mountain. my wife carried my son back to the frozen pond In the middle of the woods as I went with the dog to find sign and turn her loose. The hare had their trails so packed down that I could walk on them in over 2 feet of snow. Had great fresh sign allover the place and cut the dog loose. That dog went nowhere. I walked around in the cover and she just followed me. She soon tiered of that and hid under a jack pine. I called the dog nothing. I even got down and sniffed the tracks my self to show her. I know she can run and do it well. I am thinking she has maybe been packed to much?????????? why doesn't she hunt by her self????? Why do you think she looses confidence on her own????? What can I do??? Seriously this dog has placed lph and spo hare. Did I spoil her to much by bringing her into the house? What do you think?

Emery · Post by **Emery** » Sat Jan 29, 2005 6:02 pm

First of all, NO you didn't spoil her too much by bringing her in the house.

Secondly, you have only had her for a couple of weeks and she is 6 years old. If the guy you bought her from was her only owner, she may be going through some seperation issues. Give her some time to get to know you, spend some time with her in the yard. Let her get used to coming to your voice... Just give some time and you should be ok.

Emery

Dave H · Post by **Dave H** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 9:35 am

thanks emery, I have worked with her a good deal but I see I may need more. Some argue about bringing a dog into the house will spoil them and take the hunt out of them. I was patient with her and my wife even tried to work her into the cover and did the same thing with her even though they have gotten closer than I did with the hound. We didnt yell at her or was mean to her at all. I even tried to coax her out with cookies and bealeve me this dog loves her food. I never seen any thing like that before one day will run aith a pup there and the next wont hunt alone??? Thankx for the sugestion emery I think I will bring her back in.

Tim H · Post by **Tim H** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 9:57 am

My dog has always been in the house and he has plenty of hunt. I think emery is right. Give her more time, maybe run her with a pack for awhile till she gets comfortable with the new situation, then try her on her own.

Jaz · Post by **Jaz** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 11:53 am

I am Dave H's wife, when we brought this hound out, after dave having no luck with her I gave it a try while he played with our son. I have gained the houonds trust and she listens to me well. I brought her out onto some very well packed trails, she did nothing, and just to get her to keep coming with me I had to put her on the lead. I brought her way up onto the trail and we came across FRESH, still steaming rabbit droppings, she put her nose down for a second and crawled under a pine and sat there!!! Now I don't want her running with our other hounds in fear that she will be teaching them bad habits, how to cheat. Is this a true case of a hound that has been packed too much and just uses the pack to it's advantage? Anyway any and all suggestions are appreciated. Thank You!!!

bluegrass · Post by **bluegrass** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 12:47 pm

Not trying to be a jerk or anything like that, but did you know the hound was shy when you bought her??? I unfortunately have had way too much experience with shy hounds and learned the hard and expensive way that for the majority, they cannot be broken and are a waste of time, and should never be bred!!!! I know there are those on this board that will roast me for saying a shy hound cannot be made unshy, but I have had probably a dozen hounds over the years that were shy and NEVER HAD A SINGLE ONE COME OUT OF IT. This includes hounds I have tried to coax out of shyness and hounds that I have enlisted help from "professionals" that claimed to be able to eliminate shyness in a hound...I know this doesn't help a lot, and I am sorry...I think perhaps she may never get out of this for you...If indeed she was raised by one person, that may be the only person she will hunt for...I recently tried to give a hound away that runs well and has never been shy at my house, and he would not let the new owner get within 10 feet of him. I had to go and get him back because the new owner said he tried to bite him. This hound was raised at my house and has never shown these tendencies here. He was just too slow for my pack. If possible, maybe you could get your money back???? Whatever happens, good luck to you....Tony

Farwest · Post by **Farwest** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 12:58 pm

Unfortunately some hounds just don't like to hunt by themselves. Whether it is genetic or the way they were trained, they don't like being alone in the woods. Also a lot of pack hounds have never learned how to search, they have always had other hounds make the starts for them. I think you will have to be patient with the hound, keep taking it out, it will be like starting a pup all over.
Also you didn't mention from how far away you purchased the hound. It could be totally different conditions then what the hound has been used to. This will take a bit of time to get use to it's new surroundings
.

gus · Post by **gus** » Sun Jan 30, 2005 1:07 pm

I think the dog just has no self confidence. I have owned a couple that when taken out with another dog they were fine. They hunted, did great check work, and in general, were brag dogs. If I took them out solo they wouldn't get out of your shadow. One, after two years of age, got over it and became the best jump dog I ever owned. In fact she became a little too indepedent. The other never improved. In a pack she would dominate.