How to Train a Treeing Walker Puppy to Hunt Coons

Treeing Walker coonhounds are natural hunters. This breed originated in Virginia from the Walker foxhound and was bred for tracking and "treeing" raccoons and other animals. The term "treeing" means a hound will track a raccoon with its scenting ability, chase it up a tree and keep it there until someone arrives to kill it.

Things You'll Need

  • Canvas dummy, 3 inches by 12 inches
  • Bottle of raccoon scent, 4 oz.
  • Treats
  • Clicker
  • Rope or 20-foot leash
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Instructions

    • 1

      Begin training your Walker hound at 12 weeks. Keep training sessions short at first, then build longer durations and greater distances into the exercises.

    • 2

      Create a game trail and teach your coonhound to follow it. Apply raccoon scent to the dummy liberally. Let your puppy smell the dummy, but don't force it. Click and reward your Walker hound every time it shows interest in the dummy.

    • 3

      Work in a small, quiet space. Drag the dummy by its rope and encourage your dog to follow it: Jerk the dummy in swift playful gestures. Praise lavishly when it touches the dummy.

    • 4

      Increase the distance between your Walker hound and the scented dummy. Keep your puppy inside. Go to your yard and lay the dummy on the ground. Apply scent on the canvas "baiting" and roll the dummy in place. Hide the dummy just out of sight within a few feet of the initial baiting area.

    • 5

      Bring your dog outside to the baiting area. Every time it sniffs the area where the scent was laid, click, reward with a treat or lavish praise. Continue this routine for up to two weeks.

    • 6

      Raise the criteria. Increase the distance between your puppy and the dummy gradually in 6- to 10-foot increments. Continue to hide the dummy, freshly "baiting" it at each exercise to keep the scent strong. Once your puppy is finding the dummy reliably at various distances in the backyard, move to an area with more distractions like a field.

    • 7

      "Bait" your dummy out of your Walker hound's sight in an open field. Lay the dummy on the ground to scent the area, then drag it about 20 feet out of sight. Hide behind a tree, if possible. Bring your puppy to the baiting area. Praise lavishly when it shows interest in the scent.

    • 8

      Keep your puppy on a long leash when working in larger areas. Maintain slack in the leash at all times. Stay with him as he picks up the gaming trail you created ahead of the training session. Don't praise as your dog works to track it; save this for the moment it discovers the dummy to reinforce the discovery. When your puppy discovers the dummy, praise and reward. Use a tone of voice that's light and happy to reinforce your puppy's newly learned skill.