Tango wrote:
I have a dog that did that for months, but he was much younger. I've seen three methods work to get a dog started off going on it's own.
1. Just wait. Bring a book, a campchair, and a reading light. Sit down and ignore the dog completely. Spend hours sitting there. Do not even acknowledge the dog. Let it get bored and go find something to hunt. They will figure it out. This is what has worked for me.
2. Trap a coon, release it in familiar woods (to the coon) without the dog seeing it. Release him a few minutes later. I'd do this maybe once or twice, spaced a month or so apart. But only if you have #1 a good shot for a few months.
3. Get a switch. Whip it off your feet. I know peopke who this has worked for. It may work for you. I wouldn't do it. Can make a dog awfully hard to catch in the woods.
How long have you been hunting this dog? How many times with other dogs? How many chances have you given it on its own. It may just need time to warm up to you.
I've had her for around 3 months now. She has never been hunted by herself until I got her. The guy I got her from has always hunted her with other hounds. I usually hunt more than one dog at a time myself but I do like to have each one of my hounds to have some independence in them. I have been turning her out & ignoring her. I'll sit on the tailgate of my truck & play a game or something on my phone. She does eventually go but it takes about an hour for her to do so. Thank you for the reply & advice Tango.