EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

New to the site and I've got a 3 month old redbone that I want to train for hogs, How old do you start putting dogs in a pin with hogs. I've been told wait until they are a year. Just wanted to get some more thoughts on this. You guys have a great forum and I've enjoyed logging on for about 3 weeks or so and have learned a lot so far. Thanks for any help

Bob

Bob,

First off, welcome to the site!  I'm pretty new to the site also but sure like it here!

Personally, I don't usually put a pup IN the pen until about 7-8 months.  We actually have two pens at my partners place...one which we work young dogs in and the other that just holds hogs.  The holding pen doesn't have metal around the bottom edge so what I like to do is let the pup run around and bark from outside the pen.  Sometimes at first you might need another dog to bark and get the pup fired up and going but it usually doesn't take long.  If the pup doesn't show interest sometimes you can catch the hog and mess with it to get it squealing.  That will usually do the trick, and if still no interest wait a while and try again.  Some take to it faster than others.  In my experience if you'll work them a few times on the outside, when it comes time that they actually get to "play" inside the pen they are more fired up and ready to go.

Two things I have always believed in strongly when first starting a pup in a pen.
#1 - Keep it very short.  Try to get the pup out before he looses interest and stops barking.  A couple of minutes is plenty. 
#2 - Start with a small hog.  The worst thing you can do is get the pup hurt or roughed up enough that it looses its confidence.

I'm also new to this. I took my 5month to his 1st hog baying challenge, he didn't do anything the first time around. Then I meet some good pople,asked for some help to work with my dog. A month later we went back and was in a bay off 4 first. We didn't take it, but that is pretty damn good if I don't say so myself?

Here's the way i'm doing my young dogs now after talking to some old timers. Introduce them to a hog in a pen to get them baying at say 4, 5  or 6 months old. Just do this a few times to show them what a hog is, don't force it on them and make it fun. When they bay thr hog, praise them and let them know they're doing good.

Then when they're a year old, take them to the woods. Run them with experienced dogs only... no other puppies. They need to know what they are out there for... not to play with other young ones.

Now, this may not be the right way and a lot of people don't want to wait a year. I'm doing this now with two dogs and they are coming along real well... a 100% better than they would at 6 months old. A little age on them makes a big difference when you start them in the woods.