How to Train a Coon Dog

A good coon dog can pick up the trail of a raccoon from a considerable distance.

Training a good coon dog is an essential element to hunting raccoons. A good coon dog can pick up the trail of a raccoon from a considerable distance, track the trail, corner the raccoon in a tree, and sound an alarm to let you know to come and get it. The relationship between a hunter and his coon dog is remarkable, and all it takes is a little patience and training.

Things You'll Need

• Dog
• Raccoon scent
• Raccoon tail/carcass
• Rope or dog leash
• Live traps
• Bait
• Gun
• Ammunition

Instructions

1. Decide what kind of coon dog you would like to have. Although many breeds of dog can be properly trained to perform as a coon dog, four specific types thrive on this form of hunting: the English coonhound; the black and tan coon hound, the bluetick coonhound and the redbone coonhound.

2. Teach your puppy basic obedience, including the commands "Sit" and "Heel," when he is 5 to 6 weeks old. Do not use brute force when training your puppy; this sends the wrong signal to your companion. Raising your voice slightly is enough to communicate to your puppy that it has done something wrong.

3. Take your puppy on long walks in a wooded setting. Your coon dog should become acclimated to the woods from a very early age. Let him stray some distance away from you to explore. Let him build his confidence in the woods and learn how to navigate nature's obstacles.

4. Get your coon dog accustomed to the sound of gunfire at an early age. Take your coon dog on regular target-practice trips starting at 8 to 10 weeks old.

5. Identify which raccoon scents are made for optimum training of your dog's breed, and stick to that formula during your training.

6. Start training your coon dog with scents at 10 to 12 weeks of age. Drag a raccoon carcass or rag saturated with a raccoon scent from a tree in the area that you expect to be the end of the course toward the beginning. This will make sure the trail gets hotter as you move towards the target, and train your coon dog to follow the trail toward raccoons instead of away from them. Start with short, heavily scented paths, and move on to longer, more complex routes. End with your saturated carcass or rag in a tree, teaching the dog that raccoons will go up trees and the dog should stay there until you arrive to shoot.

7. Catch a raccoon using a live trap and set it in front of your coon dog in a cage so the dog can investigate the contents and the familiar smell. Don't worry if your dog does not seem interested. Continue training and try again another time.

8. Drive to a location with a small clearing and a few trees when your coon dog begins barking at the caged raccoon. Release the raccoon, wait a few minutes, then release the coon dog. Follow him as he tracks the scent and trees the raccoon. If it's legal to do so, shoot the raccoon so the coon dog can have a taste for the prey and develop a thirst for the hunt.

9. Continue trapping raccoons and going on simulated hunts as part of your effort to train your coon dog to hunt. Every few hunts, move your hunt to more wooded areas and give the raccoon slightly more lead time before releasing the coon dog. You may also start your hunt from somewhere near the middle of the scent trail to keep up on the training of following the scent the right direction. Make sure to reward your coon dog every time he trees a raccoon.

10. Spend more time in the woods, even if you have not trapped a raccoon. This provides a transition for your coon dog to begin searching for raccoons on his own and affords you a chance to train him to run only raccoons up trees. Sooner or later, your coon dog will pick up the scent of a squirrel or other animal and call you to a tree that does not have a raccoon. Walk over to the tree and inspect it to make certain there is no raccoon. If there is not, tell your coon dog "No" in a firm voice, then walk away without reacting to the tree. The coon dog will quickly distinguish between treeing a raccoon and getting rewarded versus no reward for other animals.

11. Allow him to hunt with other dogs at 6 to 7 months old. Take your coon dog on regular hunts with more experienced coon hounds so he can benefit from their experience. Continue to take your coon dog on solo hunts as well to prevent him from relying on the pack too much.

Tips & Warnings

• Acquire your puppy from an individual who uses her own dogs for hunting, as opposed to being pets. This will increase your chances of obtaining a puppy with a strong, instinctive desire to hunt.

Resources

• Coon Dawgs
• Hunting Dog Supplies