Articles - Big Man Sports and Outdoors

How to Judge Progress in a Young Coonhound Without Lying to Yourself

Most handlers do not struggle because the dog has no ability. They struggle because they keep grading progress off emotion,

You drop a young dog in decent cover, conditions are right, and the pup works a track clean and trees

You had one hunt where everything clicked. The pup hunted out, stayed busy, hit a tree with confidence. You told

You cut the dog loose and it just follows you. Stays inside ten yards. Circles back every couple of minutes.

A drag is not a training program. It is a door. You use it to show a young coonhound what

Your dog runs hard, barks up a storm, and holds that tree all night long — as long as another

Most handlers push young squirrel dogs too hard before the pup has any reason to trust the process. The pup

Most people start a young coonhound the same way. They’ve got a good older dog. They figure the pup will

A young squirrel dog that quits a track too early is one of the most common problems handlers run into.

The dog moves a squirrel, runs it toward the timber, and then the track goes cold. And instead of working