Training Hunting Dogs

Ok, so I have this little monster who is slowly turning into a good dog.
I will start walking him on trails and stuff soon when his vaccinations are effective.
I don't have definite plans on hunting with him but I may pick up the sport. I want to train him anyway.
I have read allot of stuff on training and I have met a guy that is going to be running his dog now and I will run him with his dogs this spring.
I have a question on training them not to be gun shy. I have a couple Ideas.
There is a conservation area close by with a shooting range and I thought if I walk him on the trails near there when he is young that will help.
I also considered running down to the fireworks stand and getting some fire crackers and lighting them off at a distance and work with him that way??
I'm just asking my Fishing friends because I know allot of you hunt too.
Thanks,
Q

you wont need and dont shoot fire crackers arround your dog period, they dont like it and it is different than hunting. walk the dog through the woods, sit watch, let him search and be a dog. he will know what to do and it will take time, once he finds something to chase his brain will kick in and he will chase . if it goes up a tree try to excite him. shak a bush, rattle a branch, if it's season start out with a 22 rifle gun and shoot the rodent and let the dog have it, he will not eaven notice the gun,if he is barking and you shoot the game out to him. remember there are built in hunting skills and you just have to wait and watch. expose him to the woods, 80% of the training, then just help him a bit take him to a city park or house with lots of squrills and let him chase and tree. I have trained a few tree dogs and I never really done much but took them and just let them be tree dogs. once they treed I did everything I could to excite them and get the game to them and let them waller it arround,

probably didnt make much sense but it's the best I can do with out seeing your dog and you in the woods, bullwinkle

It makes sense to me, for starters, I just need to get him out, his obedience is coming along pretty good, he is still only about 11 weeks old and I see how he will mimic what the other dogs do around the house. He should be well behaved enough to stay with me with out a leash by spring and look forward to letting him run in the woods.
I'm going to get with some of these guys that "Run" their dogs, still not sure how they go about that, I'm learning.
As far as the gun thing, I don't have one now, not anti gun, just never got into them, kinda like to get some, but I can't scrape the money up to get the boat fixed up.
Not turning this "political" but I don't think it is crazy to think that those that can hunt and fish will be the survivors if things keep going the way they are.

Praise him with your voice and a good pat if he does good, scold him if he does bad. What kind of dog is he? I'm guessing a hound of some sort, they have awesome noses but they sure are stubborn! I have an 11 year old black and tan that I use to coon hunt with, he hadnt been in hunting of any kind in like 4 yrs and last weekend I put him on a wounded deer because we lost blood. I encouraged him and led him down the trail about 50 yds and cut him loose. I had to shoot the deer again, but he led us right to it. If it hadn't been for the dog we never would have found that deer.

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Originally Posted by wish4fish

Praise him with your voice and a good pat if he does good, scold him if he does bad. What kind of dog is he? I'm guessing a hound of some sort, they have awesome noses but they sure are stubborn! I have an 11 year old black and tan that I use to coon hunt with, he hadnt been in hunting of any kind in like 4 yrs and last weekend I put him on a wounded deer because we lost blood. I encouraged him and led him down the trail about 50 yds and cut him loose. I had to shoot the deer again, but he led us right to it. If it hadn't been for the dog we never would have found that deer.

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He's a "Mountain aka 'treeing' Fiest" they are bread as a "sight" hunter primarily used for squirrels, and raccoons from what I read. Not sure if this kind of dog will circle rabbits around like a beagle, but he will be too big to be a lap dog and I want to get him out in the woods. I suppose like Beagleman said, I need to watch and learn what he wants to do.
As far as the praise, scold, I have been using allot of Positive things with him (eg. plenty of toys) for him to tell him "good boy" when he chews them and not so often having to say "No Joe"' (gosh that name fits :D) when he gets into other stuff.

Researched the Mountain Feist a bit. Those are some smart dogs. The rat terrier is decended from them. And the Ozarks is a place of the Feist's origin.
I'll bet that little guy knows exactly what he was made for when he gets bigger and hits the woods. Obedience is most likely the only training he needs.
I saw some that would get a squirrel, bring it back to the truck and jump up on the carpeted top of the dog box to deliver it.
Interesting dog. Keep us up on his progress.

He's going to be fun, this is really the first time I got a dog and wanted to "do" stuff with him instead of just having a pet.
I'll have him treeing crappie by mid Summer :D

Thanks for your advice guys.

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Originally Posted by rugsrme

He's going to be fun, this is really the first time I got a dog and wanted to "do" stuff with him instead of just having a pet.
I'll have him treeing crappie by mid Summer :D

Thanks for your advice guys.

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Post those pictures!