Good morning, A little over a week ago we adopted a 7-month-old plott hound mix. Not sure what she is mixed with. Some paperwork she came with said lab and other paperwork said husky. The rescue said lab. So far she has adapted pretty well to our family. We have also have a 12-year-old lab/hound mix that has set the bar pretty high for all of our future dogs. We also have three boys 9, 10 and 12. So things are pretty busy here. Anyone have any experience with Plott hounds? Also looking for some good training books to read. I am sure I will have lots of questions but just wanted to introduce myself. Thanks.
It's a month later now and I hope all is well with your new pup. I adopted my plott hound/lab mix when he was 10-12 months. He was found as a stray. We worked hard on training. He turned out to be a great dog and I'd get another plott in a heart beat. some his more notable points were:
1. Very high energy and athletic. (Common among plotts). Happiest streaking through the woods - long distances but (with training) always came back to me. I had a hard time getting him enough exercise as a young dog.
2. Very high pain tolerance. (Also common among plotts) If he seemed just a "little off" I knew something serious was going on and I had to get him to the vet.
2. Loved his toys like no other dog I know. Shared them well with people and dogs.
3. Very very intelligent. A bit of a trickster.
4. Food-driven like a lab. Never aggressive over food with people or dogs.
5. He was a very stable, middle of the pack dog. He liked other dogs and they liked him. It's strange, but even reactive dogs were calm around him.
7. Sweet disposition with people, but not overly cuddly. Perhaps a caution left over from his days as a stray?
8. Very good with kids - your situation sounds ideal.
I don't know how common this is with Plott's, but for all his "tough guy" on the outside, he was sensitive on the inside. Any kind of harsh sounding words/tone while training seemed to crush him. He blossomed with all-positive training.
We had to work really hard at walking on a loose lead and coming when called, but he mastered both. I think the critical thing in your case is doing your pup's training as a family. It's hard but your pup will learn best if everyone is consistent with rules and commands.
I like these two authors because they help you understand the world from a dog's perspective as well as training: Jeanne Donaldson ("Culture Clash") and Ian Dunbar ("Before and After Getting Your Puppy"). Both are very insightful and can help you train any behavior, not just "sit" and "stay". Also, one of the best things you can do is to read up on canine body language - it will pay off big time!
I hope you are enjoying your new pup and getting to know her "Plott" personality. Let us know how it's going. I'm happy to answer other questions if you post them. Good luck!
I just saw this. Thanks for your detailed reply. Almost everything you have said matches our pups personality. Our pup is adjusting well. She is very intelligent and has learned basic commands. She is very calm in the house but as soon as we take her outside she runs and plays and hunts. She is also great with our senior dog but is very anxious around other dogs. She is actually very anxious, but we are working on that and it has improved since we first got her. I know we are still getting used to each other but she is a perfect fit for our family. I can't believe that we can be this lucky 2x, first with our older dog and now with our newest addition.
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