{"id":9476,"date":"2020-08-18T10:00:53","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T15:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/?p=9476"},"modified":"2022-01-11T17:13:32","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T23:13:32","slug":"treeing-walker-coonhound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/blog\/performance\/training-performance\/treeing-walker-coonhound\/","title":{"rendered":"Hunting Breeds 101: Treeing Walker Coonhound"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s no single breed of hunting dog that is perfect for every situation, but with a little knowledge about the breeds you\u2019re considering, you can narrow your search for your next hunting partner. This series will offer a primer on the most popular breeds of hunting dogs. Today, we discuss the treeing Walker coonhound.<\/span><\/p>\n

Outdoor Life<\/em> has declared the treeing Walker coonhound \u201cperhaps the best all-around hound\u201d<\/a> due to the dogs\u2019 drive, speed, voice and versatility. Walkers have been known to successfully chase everything from raccoons and squirrels to deer and even bears. And no matter how far away their trek takes them, you will hear them once the prey is cornered.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s when hunting raccoons that the Walkers truly shine. While any coonhound worth its vest will tree a raccoon, and wait at the bottom for the hunter to find them, Walkers will sometimes get impatient and physically climb the tree. If the tree is at virtually any angle but straight up, a Walker can run it. A useful talent to have!<\/span><\/p>\n

Physical attributes<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the largest breeds of coonhound, the Walker averages between 50 and 70 pounds and anywhere from 20 to 27 inches tall at the shoulders. They generally live 12\u201313 years, and the American Kennel Club considers their shedding to be seasonal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Care<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While their big floppy ears are useful for tracking down all manner of varmints, they\u2019re also prone to infections and need to be cleaned regularly. Give those floppies a thorough check every time they come in from outside, because they\u2019re great hiding places for ticks. Otherwise, Walker coonhounds are relatively low maintenance. They don\u2019t require frequent bathing, but without regular baths, they tend to get that \u201chound-dog funk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Exercise<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Any coonhound is a high-energy dog who will wear out its handler if the handler doesn\u2019t wear them out first. They love extended walks and are perfect companions for runners, hikers or adventurers. It\u2019s vital to keep the dog on a leash, however, because if they see prey, they will chase prey. They\u2019re just so eager for the hunt that it\u2019s often hard to talk even the most trained coonhound out of it once they get the scent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Training<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Walker coonhounds are incredibly smart and therefore incredibly trainable. The American Kennel Club<\/a> says that \u201cthe treeing Walker coonhound is very intelligent and eager to learn. They love to please their people, but they also have a stubborn, independent streak. This can make them seem difficult to a trainer who doesn\u2019t understand the coonhound brain.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Walkers pick up commands quickly, but that doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019ll always choose to follow them. Often, if they\u2019re bored or just feeling saucy, you\u2019ll see them start to obey a command and then decide differently. It can be frustrating! But if you remember that they\u2019re actually eager to learn and highly motivated by food or prey, you can get over the hump and end up with an ideal hunting companion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nutrition<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Walkers are high-energy dogs and as such need a high-energy dog food. Caution is advised, however, if they\u2019re not working regularly. A Walker coonhound can easily become overweight if they\u2019re eating a high-energy food but not exercising regularly. In extended periods of downtime, it\u2019s recommended that calories be counted and weight watched.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other considerations<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a friendly, intelligent hunting partner who loves being around people, a treeing Walker coonhound can be ideal, but there are conditions where it might be better to choose another breed. Walkers love to talk, and they are easily excitable and not shy about letting you know it. Their loud, baying yowl may not be the best for apartment dwellers or people with sensitive neighbors. You will know when the mail has arrived, and so will everyone else on the block. They\u2019re also not huge fans of being alone, so keep that in mind if you aren\u2019t home very often.<\/span><\/p>\n

Walkers require patience when training and room to run, but they\u2019re friendly and loyal, and when they have the scent, there is no better hunting partner to have.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s no single breed of hunting dog that is perfect for every situation, but with a little knowledge about the breeds you\u2019re considering, you can narrow your search for your next hunting partner. This series will offer a primer on the most popular breeds of hunting dogs. Today, we discuss the treeing Walker coonhound. Outdoor […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":9750,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"All About Treeing Walker Coonhounds | Diamond Pet Foods","_seopress_titles_desc":"Find out all about the treeing Walker coonhound hunting dog breed, from physical attributes, care and nutrition to exercises and training. Learn More!","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[276,158,322,686],"tags":[450,134,54,451,452,449],"class_list":["post-9476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breeds","category-culture","category-performance","category-training-performance","tag-coonhounds","tag-diamond-pet-foods","tag-dogs","tag-hunting-breeds","tag-hunting-breeds-101","tag-hunting-dogs"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9750"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}