i have a 2 yr. old smokey river female . she will flat knock the top out of the tree, but she isnt vocal on track! and it seems to me that she has lost alot of her "drive" . she just walks around in circles not goin more tham 20 yds . from me . but when the other dogs open she goes to them , but when i hunt her alone she just hangs around, like she doesnt know what to do . and i know better than that. any ideas?

might want to take her to the vet or if she is fat and out of shape then feed her less and hunt her harder.

I agree with burdette. However, if she is not sick or overweight she might be over hunted. I have seen good dogs that are hunted to much loose interest in hunting. If that is the case lay her up for four to six weeks and start taking her out for one tree once or twice a week and she will pick back up.

STOP HUNTING THIS DOG WITH OTHER DOGS!!!!! RUN HER ALONE UNTIL SHE SARTS TREEING COON ON HER OWN!!!!! If you don't it sounds like the best she may ever be is a me-too dog. She is already a me-too dog based on how you described her in your post. You say in your post that alone she just walks around like she doesn't know what to do, but that you know better than that. How can yo know that? It's what she does unless there is another dog there to do it for her. Take that dog out alone from now on, and keep doing it until she starts running and treeing regularly by herself!!! I am also curious, did this dog open on track as a pup? Just a guess but if she did and doesn't now, it could be that she only opened then because she was trailing the old dog. Now that she is older she is able to keep up and doesn't have to do anything to get rewarded other than be at the tree treeing when you get there.

One of our female dogs, Lady, really benefits from being layed up a week or two when she seems to loose her spunk. She is normally a hard hunting, hard tree dog but every couple months she will just seem to loose some of her drive and act lazy and will slick tree on you. We put her up a few weeks and hunt the others and when she comes out of the pen, she's full blast.

well for one silence on track isnt that bad of a thing because it will give a coon less chance to den up mainly because your dog is on the coon before the coon even knows it. secondly, my dog was like that at the beginning of the season walk through the woods with it a bit and once it hits a hot track it will do the rest if its trained correctly. so once it hits a hot track it will venture out ion its own and learn its ok to be alone in the woods.

I think Razor has got this one right......I've seen way to may dogs that "shine" when they are running with other dogs and the next hunt by themselves, they are polishing boots. Me-too dogs!!! Get her out by herself on good ground and let her work. It might take a little home-work on your part by going out by yourself during daylight hours to find fresh coon sign, but it will be well worth the effort.


greggf

I agree run her by herself it might take a couple times, btu she'll catch on eventually. Right now she thinks the other dogs can just do the work for her.