You’ve probably heard the saying “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.”, right? It’s something that’s been said time and time again about those stubborn old dogs that seem unwilling to listen let alone learn. But how much weight should we hold behind that saying when taking on a new recruit, and what difference does age really make when it comes to training a hound to hunt? It’s common knowledge when starting a hound that the younger the better and though this may be true, it doesn’t make an older hound impossible to train. You can definitely expect to see a difference when working with an adolescent hound versus a mature hound and while they both offer up their own set of challenges, getting a hound to flip the switch is always rewarding regardless of age. Choosing which challenge to accept is personally up to you. 

Puppies and young hounds have long been the standard for nearly every houndsman looking to start a new hunting dog. The potential can be limitless when you find a thoroughly vetted breeder or know a houndsman or two that you can trust. Not to mention all of the backyard breeders out there. You can build a bond within a matter of days after bringing your new hound home and you’ll get a fresh start at training them. Adolescent hounds are much easier to train because they are impressionable. They’re receptive to learning new commands and their developing senses can be easily tuned-in to the game you plan on pursuing. A puppy or young hound usually doesn’t come with any learned behavior, bad nor good. They will have plenty of energy and you can likely expect to get a good amount of hunting mileage out of them - God willing! They’re probably going to be curious and much more intrigued to play around rather than actually hunting, at least for awhile. While their young minds might be more malleable, it may take longer for an adolescent hound to develop their skill set and reach their full potential.  Though some puppies might “click” sooner than others it’s going to take some time for them to actually grow up and mature. Getting a young hound into that hunting mindset should be fairly easy. Keeping them on the right track can be tedious, but well worth it in the long run.


There has always been a stigma behind older hounds that come from no experience and they are typically less than standard for any houndsman trying to build their pack. Unlike puppies and adolescent hounds, nearly the opposite can be said about them and not many people are willing to deal with a mature hound that’s unbroke and unstarted. Inexperienced or not, hounds have the natural drive and ability to hunt - some have just never been given the chance to unlock that potential. And it seems like every time you turn around someone is offering up a mature inexperienced hound that they just can’t handle. Probably because they have neither the time or patience to manage a high energy dog breed like a hound and you’ve surely earned your reputation as the hound guy in town. Either way, if you’re in the game long enough you're more than likely going to come across an unwanted untrained old hound. But, “One man's trash is another man's treasure.” and you never know which hound will prove to be your top dog. That is, if you’re up for the challenge of course. Not only would you get a late start at training them, but they will have to unlearn any bad habits picked up from their previous handler. It can be a cumbersome process but if you have the time and patience to put in the work training, their skill can be honed in to pursue game and you can eventually create a trailing/treeing machine.

While starting age can play a big role in the outcome of a hound, it shouldn’t be the only factor that determines their ability to hunt. Giving a hound the opportunity to hunt and the chance to actually prove themselves should be standard for every new recruit, no matter what age you bring them home. Some hounds will be quicker to learn than others, and only time and patience will allow you to test their ability while putting in the work teaching/reinforcing the ins and outs of the job you’re asking them to do. Though there is nothing like making a finished hound out of a puppy, giving a misfit hound a second chance can be just as rewarding!