time frame on a pup starting

[island ridge hounds]

i have recently put two dogs in a starting pen one was eight weeks old the other year and three months old they have been there for thirty days and the guys says one may be starting to show interest and the other he thinks may never run. haven't had many in a starting pen so i was just wanting some feed back on how long it should take. i know all dogs are different.

[hcaplinger]

id say eight weeks old is a little to young to send to the starting pen.but to answer your question normally in a couple weeks they should be well on there way.

[island ridge hounds]

that eight weeks was error he is eight months. i'm wondering if it could be the guy thats trying to start them. yes/no maybe so. they are pretty high breed dogs.

[johns03272008]

Let them be pups. I wouldn't send them to a starting pen till they are 6 months old, not saying you can fool with them before that but they need time to be pups and grow up. The only thing your gonna gain starting them that early is you can say mine started at 3 months old. In my opinion the 3 months before 6 months old is not gonna make them any more or less of a world beater. Let them be pups till around 6 months old and most starting pen owners have enough common sense not to take them till they are close to 6 months old. Good luck with your pups!

[johns03272008]

Yes on the person starting them, send them to someone you can trust! I have been through plenty of starting pens that the people didn't have a clue what a started dog is and I got the dog back and the dog was not started. Send it to someone who has a sight pen and a starting pen, finding someone who spends time with it in a pen is also a good thing instead of just dumping it out and coming back 8hrs later

[new kid on the block]

8 months old and been in a training pen for a couple of weeks isn't enough time to determine a dog will never run. He can't be working dogs properly. Go watch and see how he work the dogs.I wouldn't get discouraged about it. I had two double bred turbo females that wouldn't start in a training pen. Took them to the wild and a light came on. Good luck!

[Swampman]

I use to start them in the wild on my own.
I work such long hours now that I take them to my friend Joe K. around 6 to 7 months old once they are yard trained well.
Joe does such a fantastic job, he puts an incredible amount of hours on them in one month that I could never accomplish.

I believe they need to be bred right, but there is no doubt in my mind, Joe brings out the best in them at a young age.
My point is, the owner of the starting pen makes a huge difference.

[Rcoff]

Normally ready to go home in 2 weeks.
Thanks,
Bob

[james p]

had a reggie male in a starting pen guy told me in two weeks no interest tame rabbits san wans and such took him to running pen with wild rabbits first track he came across took off on it anybody else have a dog like this ............james

[BB Beagles]

3 months old might be a lil young. They still have a ton of pup in them at 12 weeks old. Usually around 6-8 months old is good time to drop em in starting pen if you choose to. Another thing just because there high bred pups doesn't always mean they will be a guaranteed thing. All dogs/pups are different. If it's in them it's just matter of time before the bell goes off. There's a guy in our area who's starts pups, great guy and knows hounds. First thing he'll tell ya is he wants them around 7 months old and keeps them for around 2 wks. If they do not start he does not charge, instead bring them back lil later till pup matures a lil more. He's had dogs in past for 2 wks. show no intrest, guy returns with same pup2-3 wks later and pup is hunting track. What I mean is let em be pup and when there ready they'll let ya know.

[dhoundman]

SOME THING TELLS ME YOU NOW NOTHING ABOUT STARTING PUPPYS AND THE GUY WITH THE STARTING PEN JUST TOOK YOUR MONEY. ( UNLESS HE IS DOING IT FOR FREE )
Around four or five month old start taking the pup to the field just you and him let him learn your are his partener and he can trust you not to let him get hurt. Only take him tell he starts getting out of site then ( and take him to a couple places this will help him not to be afraid of the different wood ) when you get him out of the starting pin. Keep in mind all so that every dog is a little differnet some more then others so you may need to take a treat to get him wanting to come back ( but be carefull to meany treats he may never leave and not enough he may never come back ) you be the judge of how much to give them. Keep in mind they are hounds in order to hunt they may need to get out of you sight for a little pit but the treat will teach them to check back with you. Give him a treat then walk a little keep in mind his first time out the woods will seem like a million acers even if it is only 4 acres so go the speed that he moves and at the same time teach him to check with you as much as you want. Some guys like thier dogs close others not so close and some dogs hunt close and othes like to really wrang out some of that may be in the breeding or the how smart the dogs is. When the hound beginns going in out on his owne cut out the treats and HE IS READY FOR THE STARTING PIN Duing this time that you are giving him treats you can teach him how to get through a fences , how lead on a leash , how to load , and any thing else you like. This is not some thing that you need to spend a lot of time with once a week maybe twice and after two months he should be done with that and you can move to the starting pin.
Take the hound to the starting pin at 6 or 7 month old and they should only have him for two weeks and not much more.
Thier are a lot more details that i left out just trying to give you the baysic good luck.

[rabbitearl]

dhoundman I like what you say.I do the same thing but I wait till there 7 or 8 to start them. This is what I do. Around 8 month I will catch a rabbit and put hin in a small but long cage so he can go side to side. I then put the cage in a place in my puppy pen and then go back and get the young pup. I walk slow to the cage but let him find the rabbit. Most of the time he will be a little scare but he will get it. then the rabbit will go side to side. When the pup starts to open up and going side to side with the rabbit.I will get down and praise the pup then turn the rabbit out. Most of the time the pup will start then. Work great for me over the years.

[island ridge hounds]

hey guys thanks for all your input, although i think some of you have to much time on your hands. one of the reason's i put them in a starting pen is i don't have the time to get them started myself. i have started alot of young dogs at the house we have a few cotton tails around that i can get some sight races with. there's something about that white tail those pup's just can't resist. i just haven't used very many starting pens and we don't have a lot of guys that have them around in my area. the guy i really trust is very hard to get a pup in his place cuz a lot of others trust him as well. i've had good blooded young dogs that all i had to do was take them. the litter i'm trying to get some started out of was very promising and the first one i took out we lost. hit a deer and haven't seen him yet. i'm sure something two legged was in the mix.

[NorthBranch Rummer]

I have a 50 ac pen and a 4 ac pen. If you don't have the time to spend with the pups and do the things recommended above before you take them to a pen u probably shouldn't even count the first 2 wks in the pen. Ive had some tough ones to start over the years only had one that I had to send home without being started after a month. Giving the time and opportunity a dog will do what hes bred to do Weather its just dropped in a pen, or U walken him around til your legs fall off. BUT, its gonna do it when its ready!

[bigcfromrbc]

I start my pups based off size. I socialize with my older dogs, and once I feel they are big enough to keep up they go out. Normally they stay right with the dogs. I've had pups open up the first and second time out. I'm trying a starting pen, and going to see how the transitions over to the wild. Normally I do wild only.