advice

[Dillinger09]

Looking for some advice on a 7 month old pup. He's a branko/ ranger dan bred hound, who has great hunt and nose. But seems to back track sporadically . Things I don't really need to hear are , shock, he's young, more time in the woods, cull the SOB because all you should ever own are world beaters, pack him with older dog. I'm rather knowledgeable . But always looking to try/learn something new.

Whats worked for you?

[Newt]

Some times a seven month old pup just hasn't figured it out. Some dogs just naturally know the right way, some learn and some will never learn. The second beagle that I owned, I bought when he was about 9 months old. He was a fast pup, well started. When he jumped a rabbit he would run it to the first hard check then he would run it back to me. So I began walking out and standing on the marked line. When he came running it back I would throw sticks at him until he went back. It wasn't long before he quit coming back until he had the line. That was many years before the invention of shock collars but I wouldn't shock one for back tracking. If they don't understand they are backtracking, don't believe shocking will help.

[fasttrackpa]

If I know for sure, I'll block the back track and turn 'em around. I have had hounds that would turn around at a marked hole and try to run the back line. I will shock them lightly if I am not close enough to physically stop them. Back tracking drives me absolutely nuts so if they don't get it quickly I don't waste much time on it.

ETA...I agree with Newt, don't want to shock them to the ground with rabbit scent in the nose. Just using it to get their attention and head off the ground so I can call them off the back line.

[almilesq1]

sale him by a dog called rex!!!!!!!!!! he is faultles

[NorWester1]

Looking for some advice on a 7 month old pup. He's a branko/ ranger dan bred hound, who has great hunt and nose. But seems to back track sporadically . Things I don't really need to hear are , shock, he's young, more time in the woods, cull the SOB because all you should ever own are world beaters, pack him with older dog. I'm rather knowledgeable . But always looking to try/learn something new.

Whats worked for you?

If you're breeding or searching for bonifide serious nose power .... taking the back track to some degree is one of the pit falls when you run a hound with more nose power than is needed for the conditions. What I mean is that a dog with a colder nose will be susceptible to re-running old lines, cold tracking, & back tracking when the conditions are ideal.
He does it because he can smell what other dogs cannot and it takes longer for him to sort it out.
Another problem is that if you run ANY hound in tough conditions for a time it will highten their scent awareness to some degree, even hotter nose dogs. Put them back in better running conditions and all of a sudden these faults start appearing. Lots of times the dogs can make an adjustment.... some are never the same again and I can list off PLENTY of examples.

A fellow fancier told me once that he absolutely hated running his dogs when it was crap conditions....because it screwed the dogs up. In fact he wouldn't or won't go out once it gets even close to being nasty.

An interesting side note, personally, is that last winter up here was cold, dry, deep snow, a regular nasty Canadian winter for us.....and you know most of my dogs ran pretty clean.
This winter being almost at the opposite end of the spectrum has my pack looking like junk some times. Don't get me wrong.... we still get the job done but they're doing lots of things that would raise some eyebrows to say the least.
We just came off about a 3 week period of running on old, iced up, crusted up, packed and tracked up snow..... and my pack ran clean. They showed the kind of talent and nose they are bred for!
Now with a fresh blanket of "puppy" snow and warm temps it looks like a chinese fire drill in there at times

As far as your pup, he's young and will learn......that said, I agree with Fastrackpa, holler at him and get him turned around the right way, and hope for shitty conditions to clean him up

[Schag]

I am no expert by any means, but there can be many reasons why a hound might take a back line or backtrack at a young age.

1. Too much pressure put on the young hound. He just wants to run any scent because he is not getting enough done in the pack and wants to contribute even if it is WRONG!
2. Desire---- I had a young hound that had a ton of desire that when put to a hole or he could not pick up a check, he would backtrack the line because he wanted to RUN!! He eventually figured it out after a couple months, but I have to say he had so much desire to begin with that he did not want the line to end even if he had to backtrack... I realize all hounds with desire do not do this and some will never come out of the backtracking.
3. Breeding--- Is this something in his line? Sire, Dam, Grandsire, etc...
4. No brains. The good ones with brains eventually figure it out.
5. Tough tracking conditions. I agree that more nose would probably get you in trouble sometimes with backtracking. But, I still think brains should overcome this. Norwester, my conditions are not like yours very often sir and when they are a cottontail usually will not be out or run anyway for the most part.

Suggestions: Have patience, give him plenty of time to figure it out on his own (solo). I personally do not try to "tweek" faults like these because it may come back to haunt you in pups...
If he is worth his salt, he should come out of it if he has the brains to do so; however, they all don't make good ones, and I would not waste my time on him unless you can live with backtracking.

Hope this helps some.

[likeemfast]

Backtracking is a FAULT, like a dog that cold trails, or skirts the edges to take the lead. It's a FAULT, nothing else. It's not cuz he can smell the line backwards and other dogs can't . You can do it just like said or walk him where pup last had line and work him forward to pick up the line and help teach him to hunt it out. .... Can smell what a other dog can't,lol

[NorWester1]

Schag wrote,

5. Tough tracking conditions. I agree that more nose would probably get you in trouble sometimes with backtracking. But, I still think brains should overcome this. Norwester, my conditions are not like yours very often sir and when they are a cottontail usually will not be out or run anyway for the most part.

Schag, I wish brains would over come that too and I hear that all the time...... almost always from fellows who don't hunt in tough winter conditions. I know it's hard for most of you guys to see this but
I'm just telling it like I see it and like I wrote earlier I can give a boatload of examples.

But I'll say this and I've said it before, I've never seen a hound yet, with bonifide serious nose power that didn't cold track, back track or re-run old lines occassionally.... when dumped into ideal scenting/running conditions. Not one.

[littlewoody]

Let a pup be a pup .

[John Williams]

Take him to Al he can fix him hahahahahah. Its ok rick i'll be breeding trixie soon buddy.

[Jwagner]

sale him by a dog called rex!!!!!!!!!! he is faultles

lmmfao

[almilesq1]

RICHARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! rex told me to tell u he need u coom get him

[dingo]

I really think true backtracking is a genetic fault. Almost all dogs will go backwards for a few feet in tough conditions at times. Backtracking is when they go for longer distances backwards and do it frequently. If a dog is a true back tracker it should not be allowed to reproduce as it only perpetuates the fault and more back trackers are around some with it being a recessive gene so it gets perpetuated without the breeder being aware of it.

If your dog is confused or has a lack of experience and not a true back tracker then this is what I have done that worked for me on several occasions. First off you said your dog is a puppy so you should be able to keep up with it. Wait for a fresh snow if you live where you get snow and then go jump a bunny and walk with the pup constantly encouraging when it is going the right way. DO NOT praise when it is going the wrong way but get its attention and sic it on the track as you walk down the track the right way. Keep doing this and remember to make a big fuss when it is doing right and absolutely nothing when it is wrong. Walk with it as many times as it takes to show it what you it to do. If the genetics are there for it to be a decent dog this might help. Anybody can train a natural but real dog men are guys that don't sit on the road they get in the woods and see what is happening and try to help and encourage the dogs.

Chappy on here gets a lot of flack but I have read and heard that he can get in the woods when he needs to and maybe all that he says is not just bragging or b.s. but actual dog training and facts. He runs the hell out of his dogs but I do not think he lets them do whatever they please at a young age where they get bad habits or genetic faults running rampant. He gets in there and dog trains then lets them run the hair off their tails when they are trained enough to let run without him being there showing them the way to do it.

There is more to making a dog than just turning it loose.

Dingo

[Ky. Hunter]

I used to have a young male that had a little different back tracking problem than this but needless to say he didn't stay here. He was a jump dog deluxe and when running the track he could show the other dogs which way to go but the problem was that when the rabbit went to a hole he would track it all the way back to where it started but he didn't bark when doing this but if you killed the rabbit he wouldn't do it. At first I thought he was looking for me but I could be standing right by the hole the rabbit went in with him and he would still do it if I didn't watch him. Anyone else ever have a problem like this?

[Dillinger09]

Ran this pup today in snow/ slush. Did a good job, didn't offer to back track but did catch him running already ran track. Yes this dog is young and in experienced and I believe will come out of it.

Side note norwester is right most guys don't know what REAL. Nose power is all about. Or how to deal with it if given the chance!