How to Train a Bluetick Coonhound
Bluetick coonhounds were originally bred in Tennessee and quickly moved to the rest of the South, where they were used as hunting dogs for treeing prey. They have since become house pets as well, and guard dogs. As intelligent, eager-to-please dogs, coonhounds are relatively straightforward to train. No matter what you plan to use him for, it's important to start a coonhound puppy with some standard house training and obedience commands.
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Instructions
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Begin with house training. Buy a crate for your coonhound puppy and put blankets and toys inside. Buy a crate that is roomy around the puppy so he'll have room to grow into it and use it for a while. Put your puppy in his crate with a treat and some toys whenever he's sleeping, or when you're unavailable to supervise him. This will keep accidents from happening in the house, and will allow him to get used to sleeping on his own.
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Take the puppy outside immediately upon waking or when you take him out of his crate. Take him outside after he eats as well. These are the times when he will need to go to the bathroom. Keep him outside until he does so, and then praise and congratulate him. Keep treats in your pocket to give as an additional reward for good behavior.
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Maintain this process, and take the puppy outside once an hour during daytime hours, until the pup is trained to ask to go outside.
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Start obedience training with basic commands like sit, come and lay down. Train the coonhound puppy to sit by holding a treat slightly above his head and giving him the command "sit." Press down gently on his hips to demonstrate what you want. When he complies, feed him the treat.
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Teach your coonhound puppy to lay down from the sitting position by pointing to the floor, telling him to "lay down" and gently pulling his front legs forward until he's laying. Feed him another treat to reward him.
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Teach your coonhound puppy to come by moving away from him, pointing to the ground in front of you and commanding "come." Reward him with a treat when he gets to you. Repeat this training consistently as a foundation for future specialized training.
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Tips & Warnings
Coonhounds were approved to the AKC in 2008.
Coonhounds live for 11 to 12 years and can weigh up to 80 pounds at maturity.
Never leave a puppy locked in a cage without food or water for more than a couple of hours.
References
- Photo Credit Raccoon 12 image by Pat Lalli from Fotolia.com
