Keeping Older Hounds in Shape by Ron Taylor

Nite hunt competitors who are savvy enough to continue running their older, experienced coonhounds long after their futurity years reap the pleasure of seeing hounds they have trained and developed perform at their peak level.

A coonhound reaches his potential around 5 to 6 years of age. Though most breeders aim to produce champions that win at a young age — 3 years and younger — a hound has many good performance years left beyond that early age. One key advantage in producing a 2-year-old World Champion is potentially you will have more years to breed this top coonhound.

The benefits of continuing to run a hound past 3 years of age are numerous. Older dogs have experience. They already know how to track a raccoon and how to work in tough conditions. These seasoned pros understand how to trail a scent across wet, swampy terrain in cold, rainy weather. These dogs can find the raccoon that shimmies up a tree.

My National Grand Nite Champion Bluetick, CH GR NITE CH 'PR' Northern Blue Levi, was in the national spotlight his whole life, but at the mature age of 7 he won the UKC Winter Classic. Later, that same year, after turning 8 years old, he captured Autumn Oaks. As a 3-year-old he won the Bluetick breed and placed fourth overall in the Purina Outstanding Coon­­hound Nite Hunt Award competition, and as a 1-year-old he won the Indiana State Championship.

My point is that as an older dog, Levi demonstrated many desirable traits that came only from experience. No way was I going to put him on a back burner. He was as much a joy to run in hunts as an older dog as when he was younger. Considering our history and his track record as a top performer, Levi was even more valuable to me in his senior years.

Finding competitive nite hunts for older coonhounds is no problem. The UKC Performance Program and the Purina Coonhound Award both encourage handlers to hunt older dogs. While many winners are young dynamos, others are veteran nite hunt competitors. Keep this in mind before benching your senior hound. The practice of benching older hounds, or older dog syndrome, is unnecessary.

Year-Round Conditioning
Among the challenges in hunting with younger hounds is simply not knowing what to expect. If you take an inexperienced coonhound to a major hunt, you are likely to be embarking on unfamiliar territory. Unless you've had a chance to train the dog in a similar environment, you can't be sure how he will react. Will he lose the trail of the raccoon in the South's coastal marshes or the Midwest's frozen winter ground? How will he handle an 800-mile road trip? Travel is more difficult for some dogs. He may not bounce back if you don't allow a couple of days for him to adjust.

On the other hand, a senior dog has been there, done that. These dogs generally are more adaptable to changing conditions. This puts the older dog at a huge advantage. This is not to say you don't need to exercise and condition an older hound if you want him to perform at his optimal best. After all, he is a "professional" canine athlete, and just like human professionals, he should be conditioned year-round.

You also want to feed an older hound a high-quality, nutritious dog food. Keep in mind that healthy older dogs need more protein than young adult dogs to help support immune system function. Older dogs are less efficient at metabolizing protein, thus they require more protein to fully replenish protein reserves and maintain protein turnover. Those that do not receive enough protein are more susceptible to stress from injury or infection.

To keep Levi in peak condition, or tuned up, I hunted him three times a week for two to three hours. This kept him physically fit and helped to keep his skills sharp. I would estimate he ran 8 to 10 miles a night during the workouts.

If you allow a hound to lay off hunting, it affects his skills and physical condition. An out-of-shape dog is not going to do well at any age. You can't expect him to perform like an athlete if he's not at the top of his game. It also helps to keep him mentally fit and eager to perform.

I get calls all the time, but especially in warm weather, from friends who complain their hounds are not performing well. The more we talk, the reason becomes clear. They generally have not been running their dog, and he's simply not in shape. Hot weather rolls around, and the dog is not ready to go. It's not reasonable to expect an unconditioned coonhound to perform well. If you are going to run your dog in hot weather, you should be training and preparing him under the same conditions.

Another consideration about older dogs is using them to help break in a newcomer to the sport. An experienced hound who knows his way around in the woods can teach many things. Importantly, this dog is less likely to make mistakes and thus possibly win competitions. Nothing is more addictive than winning.

Remember, it's easier to keep a hound in shape than to get an out-of-shape dog in shape. Older hounds have lots of mileage left, so keep them healthy and exercised for the best results.

Ron Taylor of Texas Ridge Bluetick Kennel in Gosport, Ind., is a breeder-owner-handler who has finished more than 50 Nite Champions and Grand Nite Champions, including the 1993 Purina Outstanding Bluetick Coonhound. Over the past 47 years, Taylor has won all major UKC coonhound competitions, except for placing second at the World Champ­ionship. He is past president of Bluetick Breeders of America and has served as vice president and board member. For information, please contact him at texasridgebl@bluemarble.net.