I'm a complete newbie! need some advice.

[majkowskid]

Hello everyone. I'm new to the site. I am a member at texashuntingforum.com and someone mentioned this site and it's exactly what i'm looking for.

I recently acquired a 12 week old redbone coonhound. just got all her shots caught up, snake vaccine, etc. I'm completely new to the hunting dog world, and i have no idea where to start. I really didn't think this breed of dog would be any good for birds, but while scouting this weekend on public land i came across a guy actually training 2 redbone's to retrieve. After talking he said he has used these 2 dogs for 3 years for quail hunting. never heard of such a thing.... so it got me to thinking...

I would like to start training my puppy the basics and have NO idea where to begin. I've never done any training other than the normal stuff around the house on my older dogs... but since i have this one as a pup, why not give it a shot.

can anyone tell me the basics, or point me in the direction of good literature that can get me going? dove season starts tomorrow and i thought about bringing her out just to get her used to the sound of the guns... good idea or not?

i look forward to being a member on this forum!

[luke0927]

NO do not take the dog to a dove shot just to introduce her to gun fire...Gun fire should be introduced in a controled environment in the proper steps...Here in GA the only redbones i have see were coon dogs never heard them being used for anything else but tracking. I actually have friends and family with them but they coon hunt.

You can train a dog to really do anything you want but with a dog like a short hair or english pointer the dog just has the instinct to point birds....I would say you could train a redbone to be a retireve but just not sure how much natural desire there is for it to be a great retriver. Do the other dogs point birds or flush them?

What are you looking for your dog to do?

[majkowskid]

thanks for the quick response. got it on the gunfire issue. won't be bringing her on your advice! that's what i'm looking for... solid advice.

let me say something first... i bought this dog from the local shelter. it was advertised as a redbone, but i'm not 100% sure. a lot of people have been telling me that she's a viszla, but her nose is dark, not the same color as her coat. i didn't think much of it but the more i watch her in our yard, she's CONSTANTLY pointing at things. i just figured it was her being nervous, but the more i watch her, she's definately pointing. i'll throw a ball out in the yard, and she'll just watch it, paw drawn up to her chest and everything. she'll sit like that for about 5-10 seconds, then run after it. maybe she has something in her... who knows. i think she's a redbone, so i'll go with that here's a pic of her... this was taken the day i picked her up from the vet. her coat is a completely different color than that of this pic... much lighter now, and the black around her eyes has faded.

as far as the 2 dogs i met the other day, yes, they do point and flush birds. i wouldn't have believed it if i didn't see it with my own eyes. i'm guessing he was working on them holding their tails up. when they would point he would walk up to them and tap the under side of their tails so it would raise up. it was pretty amazing. i haven't been around many bird dogs (my friends have a few), but this was the neatest experience i've seen in a long time.

moreso what i'm looking for is a dog to retreive dove i shoot. i'm an avid dove hunter, and i do hunt quail as well, but not as often. if i could train her to retreive my birds, that would be great.

[hpvizslas]

Do you have any other pictures of her? From that pic, I can tell you that she is not 100% a vizsla but she may be a cross. It is hard to tell from that pic. Vizslas, as it sounds like you know, do not have a black nose. Both the nose and the eyes should be the color of the fur. I would take her out and see what she does on birds without a gun. If the instinct is there, you may be able to bring it out.

Good Luck

[majkowskid]

i'll work on getting some more pictures of her. the nose is definately black, but all of her dark fur is fading, like around the eyes and nose.

i'd really like to find some quail for purchase to put in the field with her. i wish i knew someone around san angelo tx here that sold them!

[westexasrepublic]

just sent you a PM. I got quail in San Angelo.

[Sharon]

If I was starting out as a new trainer I would go with the instincts of the breed I have instead of trying to make her something she isn't.
If she's a pointing breed, train her as a pointing breed. If she's hound , train her as a hound. Get some good resources for training the breed she is and go with that. There's enough for a new trainer to learn without muddying the waters.

Your major priority should be SOCIALIZING. Get her out meeting people, other dogs, kids, cars and start crate training. There's lots of time for hunting training.

Whatever she is , she is a real cutie. ( and so are you. Most of the guys on here are old old...)

[postoakshorthairs]

and so are you. Most of the guys on here are old old...)

I think some of the guys on here went to school with the guys in the pictures to his right!

[Sharon]

ROFLMBO