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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hunting Dogs, by Oliver Hartley
This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net
Title: Hunting Dogs
Describes in a Practical Manner the Training, Handling,
Treatment, Breeds, Etc., Best Adapted for Night Hunting
as Well as Gun Dogs for Daylight Sport
Author: Oliver Hartley
Release Date: November 9, 2010 [EBook #34259]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HUNTING DOGS ***
Produced by Linda M. Everhart, Blairstown, Missouri
Hunting Dogs
Describes in a Practical Manner
the Training, Handling,
Treatment, Breeds, Etc.,
Best Adapted for Night
Hunting as Well as
Gun Dogs for
Daylight
Sport
BY
OLIVER HARTLEY
Published by
A. R. HARDING PUBLISHING CO.
Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 1909
By A. R. Harding Pub. Co.
CONTENTS.
PART I--HUNTING DOGS.
I. Night Hunting
II. The Night Hunting Dog--His Ancestry
III. Training the Hunting Dog
IV. Training the Coon Dog
V. Training for Skunk, Opossum and Mink
VI. Wolf and Coyote Hunting
VII. Training for Squirrels and Rabbits
VIII. Training the Deer Hound
IX. Training--Specific Things to Teach
X. Training--Random Suggestions from Many Sources
PART II--BREEDING AND CARE OF DOGS.
XI. Selecting the Dog
XII. Care and Breeding
XIII. Breeding (Continued)
XIV. Breeding (Continued)
XV. Peculiarities of Dogs and Practical Hints
XVI. Ailments of the Dog
PART III--DOG LORE.
XVII. Still Trailers vs. Tonguers--Music
XVIII. The Dog on the Trap Line
XIX. Sledge Dogs of the North
PART IV--THE HUNTING DOG FAMILY.
XX. American Fox Hounds
XXI. The Beagle, Dachshund and Basset Hounds
XXII. Pointers and Setters. Spaniels
XXIII. Terriers--Airedales
XXIV. Scotch Collies. House and Watch Dogs
XXV. A Farmer Hunter--His Views
XXVI. Table of Technical Terms
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
The Fruits of Night Hunting
The Court Jester of the Nocturnal Tribe
A Pure and a Cross-bred Coon Dog
Veteran Coon Detectives
Descendants from Jamestown Imported Hounds
A Lover of Good Dogs
"The Fox Hound is a Composite Animal"
Fox Hounds--Graduates From the Training School
Typical Coon Hounds
Capable Cross-bred Cooners
Good Catch in Which the Shepherd Dog Figured Prominently
Opossums are Easily Caught Alive for Training Purposes
North Dakota Wolf Hounds
Typical Western Wolf Hounds
Termination of a Successful Chase
Good Dogs Make Good Luck
The Fair Sex are More and More Becoming Practical Nimrods
The Deer Seeks Refuge in Deep Water
Well Trained Hounds
Good Friends Get Along Best
Co-operation Between the Man and His Dogs Brings Results
Some Ideals
Embryo Trailers
A Versatile Ontario, Canada, Dog Family
One-half English Bloodhound Pups
Fox Hounds
Some Young Hunters
He Was Here a Moment Ago
Here He Is
A Group of Typical Sledge Dogs
Sledge Dog--Photo from Life
Rough and Ready Sledge Dog
Worthy of the Name, Foxhounds
Good Specimens
Bloodhound
"As Pretty As a Picture" (Beagles)
True Dachshund Specimens
A Pure Pointer
Royal Sports--Pointers in Action
Setter
The Fox Terrier--Useful in Many Ways
Airedale
Collie
Shepherd Puppies
Outline Figure Diagram
[Illustration: Oliver Hartley.]
INTRODUCTION.
As if hunting for profit, night hunting for either pleasure or gain
and professional hunting generally had no importance, writers of
books have contented themselves with dwelling on the study and
presentation of matters relating solely to the men who hunt for sport
only. Even then the Fox Chase and Bird Hunting has been the burden of
the greater percent of such books.
It remained for the A. R. Harding Publishing Co. (publishers of the
Hunter-Trader-Trapper magazine and a number of helpful and practical
books on hunting topics), to appreciate the demand for books and
reading matter adapted especially to the tens of thousands of hunters
who make, or partially make, their livelihood from hunting and
trapping, as well as a million casual hunters and farmers of the
United States and Canada.
The keynote of success was struck in this direction by obtaining
articles and letters from these very men themselves, written and
printed in their own language, depending for favor on their
explicitness and practical value, borne of actual experience, rather
than flowing language, high sounding conventionalities and impressive
technicalities so dear to the hearts of the Bench Show enthusiasts.
The title of this book quotes its object. To tell something of night
hunting, and especially to suggest how the ever necessary dog can
best be selected, trained, maintained and utilized, is the
consideration of first importance. To round out the subject all forms
of hunting will receive some notice, and the various breeds of dogs
will be so far dealt with, that their value and usefulness in their
given fields may be determined. Best of all, the contents of this
volume are based on the opinions and declarations of men who have had
years of experience in the matters on which they presume to write.
The Compiler does not assume authorship, the matter herein being very
largely from articles which have appeared in Hunter-Trader-Trapper
and elsewhere. Credit is hereby extended and our thanks offered to
all writers whose efforts contribute to the sum total of this volume.
If this book contributes to the success in handling of dogs or opens
new avenues of recreation, sport and profit for any of its readers,
we shall consider its mission has been fulfilled.
Oliver Hartley.
[Illustration: The Fruits of Night Hunting.]
HUNTING DOGS.
CHAPTER I.
NIGHT HUNTING.
Night hunting is a favorite form of hunting sport the continent over.
Prime factor of the joyous, though strenuous night quest is the
'coon, the court jester and wit of the nocturnal tribe of small fur
bearers.
Owing to the scarcity of other game and general distribution of
raccoon the country over, 'coon hunting is gaining in popular favor,
winning over many of the wealthy, city-dwelling red-bloods who
formerly were content with more or less pleasant and successful
sallies to the fields in the day-time.
Consequently there is an increased demand for properly bred and
trained dogs to afford the maximum of success and pleasure in this
pursuit. With the ownership of dogs go the care, maintenance and
proper methods of handling these willing helpers. Surprising is the
meagerness of the information available to the average hunter, though
night hunting is an institution as old as the settlement of
Jamestown.
The craft of developing dogs and using them to the best advantage in
this connection, has been by precept and example handed down from
generation to generation. Much has been lost in this way and not so
much accomplished as might have been attained by aid of the printed
and pictured methods of today. Most certainly more attention will
hereafter be paid to night hunting, and more painstaking records made
and kept for the up-growing practical sportsmen, in which direction
the present volume is a long and definite step.
[Illustration: The Court Jester of the Nocturnal Tribe.]
Our task is to offer guidance and advice as to the dogs. Yet to do
this clearly, the reader must know something of the nature and habits
of the animals to be hunted and the effort involved.
A southern gentleman of experience and training has the following to
say about 'coon hunting:
The 'coon is a wily little animal, and his habits are very
interesting to note. He is a veritable trickster, compared with which
the proverbial cunning fox must take a back seat. One of the 'coon's
most common tricks employed to fool the hound is known among hunters
as "tapping the tree," and which he accomplishes in this way: When he
hears the hound's first note baying on trail, he climbs up a large
tree, runs to the furthest extremity of one of the largest branches
and doubling himself up into a ball, leaps as far as possible out
from the tree. This he repeats several times on different trees, then
makes a long run, only to go thru the same performances in another
place. Onward comes the hound, till he reaches the first tree the
'coon went up, and if it is a young and inexperienced hound, he will
give the "tree bark" until the hunters reach the tree, fell it, and
find the game not there.
[Illustration: A Pure and A Cross Bred Coon Dog.]
All this time Mr. 'Coon is quietly fishing and laughing in his
sleeve, perhaps a mile away. But not so with the wise old coon hound.
The old, experienced cooner, with seemingly human intelligence, no
sooner reaches the tree Mr. 'Coon has "tapped" than he begins
circling around the tree, never opening his mouth--circling wider and
wider until he strikes the trail again. This he repeats every time
the 'coon takes a tree, until finally, when he has to take a tree to
keep from being caught on the ground, the hound circles as before
and, finding no trail leading away, he goes back to the tree, and
with a triumphant cry proclaims the fact that he is victorious. He is
not the least bit doubtful. He knows the coon went up the tree and he
knows he has never come down so he reasons (?) that the coon is
there, and with every breath he calls his master to come and bag his
game. When the tree is felled the fun begins. The 'coon is game to
death. He dies fighting--and such a magnificent fight it is! The
uninformed might suppose there would not be much of a fight between a
50-pound 'coon hound and a 20-pound 'coon. Well, there is not, if the
'coon hound is experienced and knows his business. Of course, the
'coon will put up a masterly fight, and some time is required to put
him out of business; but the old 'coon dog will finally kill any
'coon. But if the fight is between a young or inexperienced dog and a
full grown 'coon the chances are that you will suffer the
mortification of seeing your dog tuck his tail between his legs and
make for home at a very rapid and unbecoming rate of speed.
To prove this, get a good 'coon hound and let him tree a 'coon; have
along your Bull-dogs, Bull Terriers, Pointers, Setters, Collies, or
any other breed you believe can kill a 'coon; tie your 'coon hound,
cut the tree, and let your fighters on to the 'coon, one at a time or
in a bunch, and see them clay him. You will see the old 'coon slap
the faces off your dogs, and the shortest route home will be all too
long for them.
Killing a 'coon appears to be an art with a dog, and, of course, much
more easily acquired by a natural born 'coon hound than by a dog of
any other breed. A year-old hound of good breeding and from good
'coon hound parents, can kill a 'coon with less ado about it than
half a dozen of any other breed. It is in swimming that the 'coon is
most difficult to handle. I have known several hounds to be drowned
by 'coons in deep water. The dog goes for the 'coon, and the 'coon
gets on top of the dog's head. Down they both go, and, of course, the
dog and 'coon both let go their hold on each other. Again the dog
grabs the 'coon, and under the water they both go. This is repeated,
until the dog becomes exhausted, his lungs fill with water, and old
Mr. 'Coon seems to understand the situation exactly and seats himself
firmly on top of the dog's head, holding him under the water, till
outside assistance is all that will save him from a watery grave.
As there is but little chance--practically none--to kill a 'coon
while he is swimming, the wise old 'cooner, on to his job, will seize
the 'coon, strike a bee line to the bank, and kill him on terra
firma.
I once saw a big old boar 'coon completely outdo and nearly drown a
half dozen young hounds in Hatchie River, when an old crippled hound,
with not a tooth in his head, arrived on the scene, plunged into the
river and brought Mr. 'Coon to the bank, where the young hounds soon
killed him.
Another of the tricks Mr. 'Coon uses to advantage when closely
followed by the hounds, is to follow the meanderings of a stream
until he comes to a log reaching across to the other bank; then he
runs to the middle of the log and leaps as far as he can out into the
water, usually swimming down stream, as if he is not making for a den
or a tree in some other direction. This ruse invariably delays even
the best of 'coon hounds, as, being at about full speed, they will
run on across the log, and if the dogs know their job they will
circle out until they again find the trail; but during this momentary
bother, the 'coon is not waiting to see what they are going to do
about it. He keeps moving and I want to say that a 'coon is a much
swifter traveler than many persons suppose. He delays no time, but
keeps everlastingly at it, and it takes a speedy hound to force him
up a tree.
The 'coon may be defined as being a dwarf bear. They have many points
in common. The 'coon can lie up in his den for weeks at a time during
severely cold weather, without food or water. The only difference
between the foot prints of the 'coon and those of the bear is the
size. In shape and appearance they are exactly alike. The flesh, when
cooked, tastes similar, and not one in a thousand could tell any
difference between cooked 'coon and cooked bear, if served in same
size pieces.
By nature the 'coon is a very selfish individual. He deserts Mrs.
'Coon when his children are a day old and lets her provide for them
as best she can. The young 'coons grow rapidly, and at the tender age
of from six to eight weeks old they begin to accompany their faithful
mother in search of food. Fishes, birds, rabbits, nuts, acorns,
berries and green corn are the principal dishes on the 'coon family's
bill of fare.
At first the little 'coons stay close to their mother's heels, but
they grow more venturesome as they grow older, and soon begin to make
little journeys on their own account. This often proves their undoing
when dogs are about. Any sort of an old dog can tree or catch on the
ground a baby 'coon, but this is an advantage no true sportsman will
knowingly take.
That a mother 'coon will even brave death herself to save her babies
is evident to one who has studied the habits of the 'coon. When
closely pursued by the hounds and she and her young are all compelled
to go up the same tree, as soon as the hounds begin to bark fiercely
and the hunters arrive and begin to chop on the tree or to try to
shine their eyes, old mother 'coon picks an opening and jumps out of
the tree and is usually caught, or run up another tree close by and
then caught. But she has again saved her young, as in all likelihood
the hunters will not go back to the tree where the little coons are
serenely sitting on the leafy boughs, or never think of there being
any more coons there.
There are many reasons why the 'coon hunt is fast becoming one of the
most popular of the manly sports. The 'coon is found in many sections
of the United States. Other game is becoming very scarce. The wealthy
business man, the man of affairs who is tied to his desk six days out
of the week, can own a 'coon hound and in the stilly hours of the
night, after the day's turmoil of business, can enjoy a few hours of
the most strenuous sport now left to us and witness a battle royal
between his faithful hound and the monarch of the forest, the wily
'coon. Nothing that I can contemplate is more exhilarating or more
soothing to the nerves than the excitement of the 'coon hunt. From
the first long drawn note when the trail is struck until the hound's
victorious cry at the tree, it is one round of excitement and
anticipation. What or whose hound is leading? What direction will Mr.
Coon take? What dog will be first to tree? And then the fight! It is
simply great! And then showing the hide to the boys who didn't go,
and telling them about it for days to come.
The 'coon hunt calls for manhood. Tender weaklings cannot endure the
exertions necessary to enjoy this sport. It is too strenuous for the
lazy man or the effeminate man to enjoy. They shudder at the thoughts
of donning a pair of heavy hip boots and tramping thru swamps and
slashes, crossing creeks and barbed wire fences, thru briars and
thickets, maybe for several miles, and the probability of getting
lost and having to stay all night. But to the man with nerve and
backbone this is one of the enjoyable features. It affords great fun
to get a tenderfoot to go out for the first time and initiate him
into the "'coon hunters' club." The tenderfoot will use every cuss
word ever invented and will coin new ones when the supply of old ones
becomes worn out and ineffective. He will cuss the briars, cuss the
ditches, cuss the creek, cuss the fences, cuss the swamps, cuss the
slashes, cuss the man who persuaded him to go, and finally cuss
himself for going. But when the excitement of the chase is on and
when the fight commences he becomes reconciled; and if good luck is
had he is very likely to be the next man to propose another "'coon
hunt."
A half dozen hunts will make an enthusiastic 'coon hunter of any able
bodied man--and I might suggest that a half a thousand 'coon hunts
will make an able bodied man out of any man. It will throw off the
waste matter and dead tissues of the body, cause deep breathing,
arouse torpid and sluggish livers, promote digestion, and is a
general panacea for all human ailments of both mind and body.
(The foregoing contains much of value but is overdrawn even tho from
the pen of a "Southern Gentleman" who should be well versed in 'coon
hunting. Now and then a 'coon will go up a tree and come down or even
run out on a limb and jump off or may leap from a log across a stream
into the water. Such instances, however, are rarely done to fool the
dog. Generally when such happens, the 'coon has been feeding, going
up and down trees, etc. When a 'coon does go up a tree, jump to
another and similar tricks to fool a dog, that animal has been
trailed before and is apt to be an "old timer.")
[Illustration: Veteran Coon Detectives.]
Added to this is the promise of other game, if the hunter is desirous
of combining sport and profit. The skunk and opossum are common to
many sections of this country. They are less resourceful and gritty
than the 'coon, and their taking is simply a matter of choice and
method, rather than concern for opportunities. A dog trained to hunt
'coon will have no trouble attending to opossum and skunk, if his
owner desires it. Very frequently the trainer does not desire that
his dog pay attention to anything save 'coon.
Still another profitable animal taken by night hunters is the mink.
There is not so much sport in this branch, however, as the dogs
simply trail or locate them in their dens, and are captured by
digging or frightening them out, when they are dispatched by the
dogs.
A good mink dog will often locate a mink in the den during the day.
If the den has more than one entrance, is not very deep in the
ground, the animal will often run out by stamping or striking a few
licks with a mattock. The mink generally comes out at the entrance
nearest the water (quite often under water) when it can be shot, if
you are quick enough, or if the dog is an active one, caught.
When hunting at night along streams, or places frequented by both
mink and 'coon, it is sometimes difficult to tell, at first, which
your dog is after. These two animals travel about the same along
streams. Some dogs will not run mink unless especially trained while
others take naturally to mink hunting. Unless a dog is not afraid of
water, he will never make a good mink dog (or 'coon dog either for
that matter), as mink go into a great many dens both on the bank and
in the water.
Where the hunting is done in woods, considerable distance from
streams or ponds and mink seldom travel, your dog may "pass them by"
but if you should catch one in a trap and let him kill it, the
chances are that you will have a mink dog.
Again by hunting certain stretches of creek where mink frequent, your
dog will soon learn that you wish him to hunt these animals. A mink
holed is far from caught, especially after night. If holed in the
creek bank, the chances are that the animal will dart out into the
water and escape to another den.
The most successful mink hunting is done during the day by having
your dog along and following the banks of creeks, lakes, ponds, etc.
The dog locates the game and the animal is gotten out by methods
already described.
[Illustration: Descendants From Jamestown Imported Hounds.]
CHAPTER II.
THE NIGHT HUNTING DOG--HIS ANCESTRY.
Dogs of almost any breed, from the nondescript mongrel to the bred
and developed hound may be taught to hunt in the woods at night.
However, their success is, in a general way, in proportion to their
adaptability for the work and the plentifulness of game. For
instance, take a country raised dog of hound parentage, and he is as
apt to make as good a night dog as a pedigreed, handsome hound which
has grown up in the city, without opportunity to verify by experience
his instinctive notion of things. Everything else being equal, the
well bred hound should prove by far the better raw material for a
good night hunter.
The ideal coon dogs of most experienced night hunters are the half
bred fox hounds. Thus is enlisted the training of centuries to match
the wits of the 'coon which was born wily, and develops stratagem
from experience and necessity, affording as exciting and pretty a
contest (dog vs. coon) as sport provides.
The more one knows of the hound he follows, the greater will be his
enjoyment and success. He will avoid blaming the dog with his own
mistakes, and wisely refrain from trying to exact from the dog what
by physique and breeding he was not intended by nature to do.
How the modern fox hound descended from the blood hound and the coon
hound from the fox hound is an interesting study of more or less
importance in striking an estimate of the coon dog's prowess and
abilities. It is not such a far cry from the exciting man hunt of
other days to the coon hunt of the present.
What we call the native American fox-hounds are descended from dogs
brought over from England, Ireland and France. The settlers at
Jamestown imported the hounds that spread out over the southern
frontier, originating the superb packs to be found throughout the
South to-day.
The imported dog has never proven a good performer in the chase,
owing to very widely different conditions encountered. His value has
been in cross breeding to give bone and substance to native breeds.
Says one authority: By selection and a different character of work,
we have produced a lighter, faster hound than the ancestral type. Our
hounds are required to go and search for a fox. That quality has
become instinctive in them and it is an extremely necessary natural
quality.
What we have really done in this country with the fox-hound is, we
have created a new type. Our native hounds which are without any near
English or Irish hound crosses are not only faster than their
ancestors, but they get about in rough country, quicker and with
greater ease. The American bred dog, long accustomed to hunting, may
be readily developed to night hunting.
There are some strains of native hounds that train easier than
others. Hounds that have come down through an ancestry which have
long been in large packs have certain fixed notions or instincts
about hunting that are more difficult to change than are hounds which
have grown up singly or in couples.
Whatever manner of hound the trainer may undertake to develop it is
well for him to consider the dog's ancestry and the way in which they
have been hunted. He will find if his hound is well bred that the
ancestral influence will tend to assert itself. Knowing what is in
his hound, the trainer will know better how to handle him to bring
him up to the highest possible degree of efficiency.
There were many different breeds of the hound family existing in
England, when the fox hound, the great grandfather of the typical
night hunter under consideration, began to assume a fixed type and
receive recognition.
"A popular error" writes another authority, "into which many writers
have fallen is to associate the fox hound with any one or two breeds
of hounds for his common ancestry, for the fact is that both the
English and American fox hound is a composite animal, descended from
many different varieties of hounds which have existed in the past."
There are a number of breeds of hounds in France to-day that cannot
be intelligently traced to any peculiar origin and there have been a
greater variety of hounds in the past, which have found the way into
the kingdom by different roads.
It will never be known exactly what hunting qualities the hounds of
our crude forefathers possessed or with what melody of tongue,
accuracy of scent, or fleetness of foot they pursued game, which
consisted, with now and then an exception, of the stag, wild boar and
wolf, until the gradual advance of civilization drove the larger
animals from denuded forest and left the cunning fox as the logical
object of especial attention to huntsmen, who have spared neither
time nor expense to accomplish his death legitimately for nearly two
centuries.
Summing up we are impressed with the fact that the perfect fox or
coon hound is a superb physical being of most versatile and capable
properties, subject to our beck and call, if we learn the language of
the chase, before we attempt to tell him what is wanted.
Let us go to the next important topic. Training the Night Hunter,
with due respect and humility. Success in training a fine performer
is a credit to a man; failure is a discredit. Heed well the advice of
experienced men, and profit by their mistakes.
[Illustration: A Lover of Good Dogs.]
CHAPTER III.
TRAINING THE HUNTING DOG.
In training hounds, one should remember that they will always have a
hobby for the first game they learn to hunt; therefore, we should be
careful to start them first at the right kind as for instance: If you
desire to have an all around hound that will hunt coon, fox and
rabbit and to hunt each game well, and in order to succeed you must
break him in on coon first, then when he knows the "A, B, C," of Mr.
Coon, you can break him on foxes and then on rabbits in the day time
and when you will hunt coon he will pay no attention to the fox or
rabbit even if he would see one in front of him, providing there are
coons in that bush.
If you desire to have a true deer hound, train him first on deer,
then on foxes, but you must in all cases train them well on one kind
before you start on another; therefore, a hound thus trained will
always hunt deer in preference to fox. The same would exist if the
dog was first trained on the fox.
Some people claim that it takes from three to five years to train a
hound right. Well, this is not always the case. Young hounds twelve
to fifteen months old are often taken from the city into the bush and
in three days would hunt deer as well as other dogs of five and six
years' training. The reason for this is that these dogs take as
naturally to hunting as ducks do to water. These dogs are born with
the hunting instinct in them and being very intelligent, will start
at once to beat a bush as well as an old timer, as soon as they have
seen the game once they will remember it all their life and you can
train them to hunt any kind whether it is a bear, deer, fox, etc.
Of a necessity in treating on the general subject of training hunting
dogs, some suggestions are applicable to all kinds, while others have
individual bearing. Under the subject of this chapter will be given
subdivisions relating to specific training for specific hunting in so
far as required.
There are some fundamental lessons that all hunting dogs should be
taught to do and some things which he is not to do.
Let him begin to follow you when he is three or four months old; take
him through herds of sheep and cattle, and if he starts after them,
scold him; if he continues chasing them, whip him. I do not believe
in whipping where it can be avoided, but if compelled to, do not take
a club or a No. 10 boot, but a switch; and I never correct a dog by
pulling his ears for fear of hurting his hearing, as a dog that is
hard of hearing is not an A No. 1 dog. Never set your dog on stock of
any kind nor allow him to run after other dogs or house-cats.
[Illustration: "The Fox Hound is a Composite Animal."]
By the time he is four months old, he will likely begin to run
rabbits, but some do not commence until older. Let him run them as it
will teach him to trail and harden his muscles, and, should you have
more than one, it will teach them to depend on each other, and they
will soon learn to go to other dogs when they start a trail or pick
up a loss. If you have a fox or coon hide to drag or a pet to lead,
it will not do any harm, though I do not think it of much value as
they soon learn to associate your tracks with those of the fox or
coon, and I greatly prefer letting them run rabbits as a mode of
training them.
By the time they are eight months old, take them out with a slow dog
that runs and barks a great deal, both trailing and running, and as
soon as the fox is running, let your pup go, but do not let him go
until the old dog has passed with the fox. Should you let him go
meeting the old dog he may take the back track, but if you wait until
the old dog has passed your pup, he will come in behind, and, if he
is bred right, will go in and stay as long as he can find a trail to
follow.
If he should come out after a short run, keep him until the fox is
tired; then let him go again, and if he still continues to come out
after a few times, don't fool with him, but try him for something
else. If your pup has been in good trim, and has come out three times
on fair trials, there is very little chance of making a fox dog out
of him.
I have had pups of this kind which I kept until they were two years
old; have bought pet foxes, and let them catch and kill them, but
never yet made a runner out of a dog that it was not born in.
[Illustration: Fox Hounds.--Graduates From the Training
School.]
Should your pup go in and stay, don't run him too often unless he is
near a year old. Never take him out unless he is well fed, and in
good shape to run. After a race or two let him go as soon as the
trail is struck, and after a few races, catch the old dog, after the
fox is going, and see what the pup will do alone. Then take them out
on a good day, let the old dog pick up the trail, and after the pups
have started, catch the old dog and let the pups go alone, and if
they trail, start and run that fox to a finish, that is all the
pedigree they will ever need.
When you turn your dog loose, don't run and yell and get him so
excited that he doesn't know what to do, just unbuckle his collar and
let him go. If he does not understand going into a race, it will not
help matters to excite him, just walk to where the fox has passed and
he will likely take the trail, and will know better what to do the
next time.
When your dogs are running and happen to lose the trail near you, do
not run and call, trying to help them get started, for if let alone
they are far more apt to pick it up and go on in good shape; by
getting them excited and running wild the chase would likely end
right there.
My rule is this: Whenever I pull a dog's collar, he must look out for
No. 1 without my going to show him.
Should you not have an old dog to help train your pup, you can train
him alone, but it is more trouble.
If you have snow, lead your dog until you find a fox trail, then
follow it, still leading your dog; if there happens to be
considerable scent in the trail, he may want to follow it, if so turn
him loose, but follow him up and help him to start his fox. If there
is no scent in the trail, lead your dog until you start the fox, then
let him go and let him work for himself.
Should you have neither snow nor trained dog, you will have more
trouble, but I have made No. 1 dogs without either.
If you know where foxes stay, go there, turn your dog loose, and he
will start to running rabbits; this will scare the fox up and your
dog will likely cross its track; if he is a born fox dog, he will
leave the rabbit for the fox every time. You may have to make several
trips, but after you get one race, your dog will be looking for a fox
chase, and will soon take a cold fox trail in preference to a rabbit.
After you have trained your dog to running foxes or coon, you will
wish to break him of running rabbits; this is generally an easy
matter, for a genuine dog prefers the fox or coon and some will quit
it of their own accord. If not, try scolding him when he starts a
rabbit. If that fails, whip him, but where foxes are plentiful, you
will seldom have to do this.
My pups are accustomed to the crack of a 22 rifle, as I shoot near
them while young, so never have any gun-shy dogs.
There is just as much in feeding a running dog, as a running horse.
Some say a light feed just before starting and I have heard some say,
don't feed at all. Now for a grey fox, it does not make so much
difference, as the chase will only last an hour or two, and sometimes
not ten minutes, but where it comes to an old red fox,--one that you
start Saturday night and return just in time to accompany your wife
to church next morning, it is quite different.
A dog to do his best should be used to running. He should have a few
days' rest, and if his feet are sore, grease once each day with salty
grease. At least three days before the race, drop all sloppy food and
give rye or corn-bread with scraps from the butcher shop mixed in
before baking. Feed liberally twice each day and if your race
promises to be a hard one, feed extra before starting, some food that
will give the greatest amount of strength, with the least possible
bulk. Then arrange to give your dog a good heavy feed as soon as he
returns home, and he will be ready for the next race sooner than if
compelled to go to rest hungry.
Before closing, I will say something more with regard to
breeding:--We often see where someone has pure bred Walker, Williams,
Redbone or Buckfield Blues. Now to my understanding, these are
strains of dogs, bred by southern fox hunters, 50 or 75 years ago,
and to keep them pure, there must have been a lot of inbreeding, a
thing I do not approve of. Now why would it not have been better for
Mr. Walker to have selected one of his very best bitches and bred her
to one of Mr. Williams' best dogs, then called the pups the "American
Fox Hounds"--as grand a dog as ever put his nose to a trail?
[Illustration: Typical Coon Hounds.]
CHAPTER IV.
TRAINING THE COON DOG.
In training, we have been told to drag a 'coon hide, lead a pet
'coon, etc., but your pup soon learns to associate your tracks with
the trail of the drag, and when you carry the 'coon hide he simply
follows your track to where you start the drag again. Should you have
a 'coon so tame that it will follow you, start out and tramp through
the woods, along streams and just such places as 'coons frequent.
Your 'coon will run logs, go up on the side of trees, in and out of
the water, in fact will do just about as a wild 'coon would. After
you have been gone for some time, have someone turn your pup on the
trail and if he runs it, keep him a little later each time, and you
will soon have a trailer out of him anyway. Should you have neither
'coon nor old dog, you can train your pup without.
In nearly all places where there are 'coons, squirrels and woodchucks
(groundhogs) may be found also. Teach your dog to lead and when he is
about eight months old, attach a light cord to his collar; then some
good morning for squirrels, take him to the woods. Keep him until he
gets sight of a squirrel, then drop the cord and let him go; he will
likely see it run up a tree, and perhaps he will bark, but if not, do
not urge him, but give him plenty of time; then take him to find
another and if he does not get to barking, get one in small timber,
where you can make it jump from tree to tree; if he does not bark
then, he will never be much of a 'coon dog.
If he barks after he has learned to tree squirrels, take him to a
woodchuck country. He will soon get to working after woodchucks and
while they won't all tree, some of them will. Should he get one in a
hole, hollow log or tree, get it for him if possible and let him kill
it, and see that he doesn't get hurt much. If he trees one, shoot it
out for him, and after he has gotten a few, and trees another, go to
where you can see him, but do not let him see you, and watch until he
starts to leave; then go to him and by so doing, he will learn to
stay and wait for you.
After you have a good dog for woodchucks, you may rest assured that
he will tree a 'coon if he finds a trail. If it happens to be summer
time, take him where 'coons abide and turn him loose. He will likely
run rabbits, but when he strikes a 'coon trail, he will take it. As
soon as you know he is after a 'coon, keep after him as near as
possible, but let him have his own way. If he trees it and barks, get
to him as soon as you can, but do not urge him, for he will get to
lying as soon as you want him to without any help from you.
After he has barked awhile, encircle the tree with him; then if the
'coon has been up and gone on again, he will strike his trail, and,
after a few times, he will learn to circle before barking. If the
'coon is up and it is summer time or early fall, when 'coon hides are
not prime, take your dog back from the tree, keep still, and unless
it is a den tree, you won't have long to wait, for another 'coon
chase, and by keeping your dog longer each time, you will soon have a
cold trailer out of him.
This may seem considerable work for some, but it takes work and time
to make even a fair 'coon dog. Should you have a good dog to train
with, it saves lots of work, but even then it is a good plan to work
early in the season, and tree your 'coon several times in one night,
as you do not have far to go after the first tree.
In breeding 'coon dogs, the same rule applies as in fox dogs--if your
dog is bred from a line of 'cooners, he will take to it naturally.
Some one will say, I will take a house cat to teach my dog to tree.
Well I have done that myself, but after cutting several good trees,
only to get a house cat, I learned better. It is just as easy to
break a dog from running cats, as rabbits, and more so. I do not
consider a dog that will run and tree every house cat he strikes the
trail of, a No. 1 'coon dog, no matter what his other good qualities
may be.
Years ago, when timber was more plentiful than now, I always trained
my dog to take care of himself, when a tree was cut for 'coons, and I
never had a dog get hurt, nor had many 'coons to get very far from
the tree.
They are easily taught by cutting small trees in the day time and
making them keep back until the tree is down; but now, timber is
getting rather scarce and valuable to cut for 'coons.
When a dog is trained for 'coon so that he is first class, he is
valuable in dollars and cents as well as satisfaction. One of our
good friends sets the value in this way, and we agree with him,
except that where one is training a dog for his own use, love of the
pursuit and woods repays him in a measure for his trouble:
"A man ought not to expect to get a first class 'coon dog for five or
ten dollars. In fact, one can't be trained for that price, not saying
anything about his feed. In the first place stop and consider how
many nights one has to be taken out to get him to understand running
them, and to learn their tricks and to tree and stay treed. They may
do this in a reasonably short time with another older, well trained
dog to show them how to find the tree and keep them out there, but
then take him out by himself and when Mr. 'Coon goes in the creek or
around an old pond or bog your young dog lacks experience and a
year's work or more.
Then there is the rabbit which he must be broken not to run, and a
dog can always find their tracks before he can a 'coon. Now here is
where the right kind of judgment must be used, as all dogs cannot be
handled alike, and one may spoil a pup in trying to break him from
rabbits. So taking everything into consideration, it is worth far
more to train a dog for a first class 'coon dog than most people
consider,--what it requires to train a dog, and what he should be
worth when properly broken.
Of course, it is not so much work to train a dog to run fox, as there
is generally a lot of fox dogs one can turn in with, and that way get
a young dog started and he will take to running them naturally."
I think a good dog, either a fox hound, or one that has never run
foxes, makes the best dog, altho curs or 'coon dogs are not to be
kicked out, that is if they are good, true hunters. I wouldn't advise
trying to train a hound with a cur unless he is an old 'coon dog. Try
and get your dog on a 'coon right in the start, and do not let him
fight too much the first time, unless he is an extra fighter. Do not
let your dog stay out hunting when the other dogs have treed a 'coon;
make him come in and bark up the tree. Always climb the tree for your
dog and get what he has, no matter if it takes until daylight.
When I own young dogs, I always train them myself. I never permit a
stranger to handle them. It is all right for strangers to handle the
old dogs once they are trained but the hunter who wishes to have good
dogs should train them himself or have a man who thoroughly
understands the proper way to use young dogs. It is a very easy
matter to spoil a dog when you do not know exactly how to proceed.
[Illustration: Capable Cross-bred Cooners.]
On the question of the proper age at which to begin training a hound,
a successful Minnesota trainer takes issue with those who advise
taking the pup to field at eight or ten months of age. He writes in
part: "I disagree with those who advise the early initiation of the
pup. Any kind of fairly well bred pup will run, not only at 10
months, but at 5, 6 or 7 months, but the point to consider is, will a
dog put at hard work at such age, become a hardy one? Will he develop
himself as well as if he had been given a chance to grow some bones?
I say no; put a colt at hard work at 2 or 3 years old, will he ever
be the horse which he would have been, if he had only been broken at
4 or 5 years old? Every horse breeder knows that if he wants a good
roadster, he must give him a chance to grow, then he will not be
afraid to cover 60 or more miles in a day with that horse; not only
this but he will get many times the price for that horse as for his
brother which was put to work two years earlier. I have bred horses
and know of what I speak.
There are many reasons why a sportsman should not start to train his
dog to hunt before he is full grown, that is at least not until he is
12 to 15 months old. Before that age, a pup may have the will but he
has not the strength to cover the ground of an old dog. A man who has
a valuable pup should wait until he is capable to stand hardships,
and until he has also a good knowledge box. In allowing a pup of 6,
7, 8 or 10 months to hunt, he will learn more bad tricks than good
ones, such as to remain in the bush longer than necessary, and soon
become a long record dog. The risk is great that he will get lost, or
if not, will return with swollen feet and legs if he ran at all, also
be chilled and be rewarded with a fine dose of distemper. This is
often the cause why so many young dogs die with distemper or of some
other lingering death, but if a man gives time to his dog to develop
and get strong, the chance is, should he ever get distemper, it would
be but a slight attack from which he will soon recover."
We take it, however, that our well informed friend does not mean to
imply that a pup should not be taken afield and given a kindergarten
course earlier than a year old. His contention is, no doubt, that the
pup should not be permitted to over exert himself or to be thrown too
much on his own resources.
[Illustration: Good Catch in Which the Shepherd Dog Figured
Prominently.]
CHAPTER V.
TRAINING FOR SKUNK, OPOSSUM AND MINK.
All the foregoing has more or less application to the present topic.
We are still dealing with the nocturnal wanderers. Occasionally any
of the above may be discovered abroad in the full glare of day. Some
hunters successfully locate them, by the aid of dogs, in their dens
or burrows and capture them in the day-time. This is a cut and dried
operation that requires none of the resourceful tactics of man and
dog in the chase, and is, therefore, dismissed from the discussion.
Now, what are the dog's duties? The matter of still hunters vs.
tonguers, being of such variance of opinion, it will be discussed in
a subsequent and separate chapter.
Having impressed your dog with the fact that you want him to look out
for skunk, possum and mink, as well as 'coon, the next point of
importance is to insist on the dog staying with the quarry and
barking until you arrive; also not to take hold until the word is
given as the hide is apt to be all chewed up and full of holes if the
dog is too long and too vigorous in the task. Many hunters pick up
many of the skunk on the field, without even being touched by the
dogs.
In this connection a contributor writes: "We walk right up to the
skunks and pick them up by the tails; then hit them on the head with
a club and kill them or put them in the bag and take them home alive,
as the occasion may suit."
"Now I won't tell that I can catch skunks without getting scented,
but will say this, we have caught hundreds by the tail, and after
lifting them clear off the ground, never have been scented by them.
As I said before, I go for the business end of it, and am not afraid
to get some scent on me as long as I don't get it in my eyes. If you
get it in your eyes, it feels about as if you had horse-radish or hot
water in them for the next ten minutes, which is not altogether
pleasant."
The skunk is a foolish, unresourceful animal and were it not for its
natural, unique means of defense, would be utterly at the mercy of
dogs and hunters. Many dogs object to the scent and will trail and
bring to bay a skunk only with reluctance. Only those who hunt for
profit, care to take the skunk, and he must needs learn the finer
points by experience.
The Scotch Terrier and Beagle should be mink dog. The steel trap is
more generally relied upon to bag the sly mink and his capture with
dog and gun is oft-times very unproductive.
[Illustration: Opossums Are Easily Caught Alive for Training
Purposes.]
A Pennsylvania hunter contributes the following to the general fund:
a good cross for mink as well as rabbit. This combination gives the
requisite agility needed in coping with mink. Some even advise a
strain of water Spaniel with the above breed for ideal.
"Before taking him out you can teach the young dog when 8 or 10
months old, what to do by catching an animal that you wish to train
your dog on and leading it around. If it is a 'coon or opossum, then
put up a tree or on a fence. Loose your dog and let him trail until
he finds it. Teach the dog to bark by hissing him on and clapping,
whooping to him and such like.
If for skunk, kill one and drag it around, place it out of pup's
reach, and teach him to bark when he comes upon his game. You can
teach the habit of tongueing after night or silence on the trail as
you prefer. Let your young dog shake and chew at the game you are
training him to hunt for. After he has found it and he fails to bark
by hissing him, tie a rope three feet long to it and keep throwing it
toward him and pulling it quickly away to teach him to grab at it and
hold on, and also bark. A live skunk generally gives a young dog such
a lesson the first time that he is always afraid of one afterwards,