An American English coonhound is a friendly and loveable breed of dog. If you are considering bringing one into your home it’s because you have probably already developed a fondness for them. These dogs are intelligent, athletic, and as their name suggests – excellent hunters! If you have decided to bring home an American English coonhound then you will need to know how to train your new friend. This article will give you some helpful tips on how to train American English Coonhound so that they grow up to be a well-mannered adult dog. Read on to find out more…
Positive Reinforcement
The rewards you give your dog should be a positive experience. If you use negative reinforcement or correction you will only teach your dog that something is wrong with them.
If your dog does something right, make sure you reward them with a treat. This is a great way to make sure your dog understands you want them to continue the behavior.
Basic Obedience
Coonhounds are very intelligent dogs, but they don’t realize that they are. Most of the time they think they are superior to humans because they are bigger than we are. Unfortunately, their size gives them more power than we have, which is what we use training to correct.
Training is an ongoing process that will continue for the life of your dog – but with a coonhound, you should begin training as soon as you bring them home. If your coonhound is young, you can start training immediately, and it will be much easier.
If your coonhound is over 6 months old, it is best to start with basic obedience training. When training your coonhound, start with the basics. Teach them to sit, stay and come when called. Once you have these three things down, you can move on to more advanced training.
Teach Your Coonhound to Hunt
American English Coonhounds are known as excellent hunters. If you have a large property, or if you have a rabbit or rodent problem in your garden, a coonhound is a good breed of dog to have around to keep rodents and pests at bay.
While you can train your coonhound to hunt, you may want to start with a younger dog so that they are ready to go once you’ve got your property properly fenced. If you want your coonhound to be an asset in hunting, you will want to begin training them as a puppy.
Start with some simple fetch games with a toy, and incorporate the scent of a rabbit or some other small game animal into the game. Once your coonhound is older, begin introducing them to the scent of rabbits or other small game animals. Make sure to use positive reinforcement when they get the scent right and use a correction when they get it wrong.
Concluding Words
Your American English coonhound will be a loyal and loving companion if you take the time to train them properly. For a breed that is naturally sporting and full of energy, this will require a bit of patience on your part.
Once your coonhound is fully grown, you should start training them. Use positive reinforcement whenever possible, and always remember to be patient. Once you have your coonhound fully trained, it will be a happy and obedient member of your family.
They are an excellent breed of dog that can be trained to do a variety of things, so once you’ve trained your coonhound, you can use them for hunting or as a guard dog.
