Learn train your Walker coonhound to hunt raccoons or other small game.
Walker Coonhounds are a breed of hound bred for centuries to hunt raccoons. Because the Walker Coonhounds are bred for this purpose, they will naturally hunt and do not require complicated training in order to track down raccoons or other animals that you wish to hunt. The key to training a Walker Coonhound is to have a full-bred hound with a strong bloodline in tracking as well as to use positive reinforcement to reward proper actions and to scold incorrect actions or behaviors.
Instructions
1. Catch or kill a raccoon to use for training the hound. If you want to train the hound to hunt rabbit or fox, get a live or fresh kill of either of those animals. Be sure to regard hunting laws and only kill the animals in season. Killing these animals is not inhumane, but a way to control the population of the animals.
2. Train your Walker Coonhound to follow a scent trail using the live or dead raccoon or other animal. Tie up the hound so that it cannot get loose and release the live raccoon or drag the dead raccoon around your farm or property to create a scent trail.
3. Release the Walker and follow the hound as it tracks the scent trail. Avoid correcting the dog if it gets off track, but scold the hound if it begins to track a different animal or loses interest completely. Praise and reward the hound when it finds the raccoon carcass or trees the live raccoon. When the raccoon is treed, the dog should naturally bark, though you might have to encourage the dog by taking it hunting with other, already trained dogs.
4. Carry your training to a real hunt. Scent training is effective, but the hound will learn the best from hunting with other, experienced hounds, whether they are Walkers, English Hounds or even Black and Tans.
5. Keep a close watch on the dog during its first hunt. Scold any improper behavior, such as chasing the wrong animals, such as deer or elk. Praise the hound during every successful hunt and reward the dog with treats to encourage the behavior at future hunts.
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