A common problem in training coon dogs today is making trees that are slippery or making trees that are empty. However, I am going to give you some tips that I have used to rid raccoon dogs of slippery trees. For beginners, you need to know your coon dog. What I mean is that you need to know how your dog will react to punishment.
If you have a shy coon hound, proceed with caution. With raccoon dogs that have this personality type, I will generally completely ignore them when they slither. I’ll just walk up to the tree and tie them up without saying a word. Then I’ll look for a raccoon in the tree. If the tree is obviously slippery, I’ll just untie the dog and walk away from the tree. The biggest reprimand I will give this dog could be a harsh word.
However, for this method to work, you must do the opposite when they actually tree a raccoon. But always approach them in the same calm way in each tree. Walk up, tie ’em up, and tie’ em up. After finding a raccoon, you can untie the dog, but keep it tied up and let it go back to the tree. Once they’re back on the tree, pet them and use an encouraging tone to let them know you’re praising them.
If you have a stubborn type of coon dog, you will need to take a different and more direct approach. This also works for older dogs that need a tune-up. In my experience, young raccoon dogs often try to be “lazy” and may look for an easy way out such as stopping in their tracks because the track became too difficult to work with. These raccoon dogs just need a little reminder sometimes. I recommend that you approach the hound as mentioned above. Once you’ve decided that the tree is empty, find a good switch. You can also use an extra leash if you wear only the leather part, do not hit a raccoon dog with the chain. Give them a few hits and a few harsh “no’s” and then immediately push them away from the tree and throw them again.
For this method to be effective, you need to turn them into a raccoon tree. You want to be able to praise them. Over time, they will realize that it is better and easier for everyone if they just try to have the raccoon when they lease. Keep in mind that no dog can be 100% accurate on tree coons. If coon dogs are constantly planting raccoons for more than 70% of the time, then you are doing very well. I’ve had some raccoon hounds that literally never seemed to miss a raccoon, while others were close to fifty percent or worse.
I should also mention that bloodlines also tend to sway some slippery trees. I have been fortunate to own some of both, as far as I can speak from experience. However, I strongly believe that almost any raccoon hound can be trained to cut down their slippery trees. So I hope these tips help you train your dogs.