Her heart’s agenda is her agenda. That’s the genetic code she was built to live by so that she would persevere on the scent trail. Competing with her feelings is useless. You will be hard-pressed to change her mind by trying to sell her on the notion that your idea is better. And getting confrontational with her will only explode in your face—she is a drama queen, after all. You have to value and validate her experiences. Then you have to learn how to exploit them for the sake of the lesson.

So don’t let anyone tell you that you should try to make her “obey.” Your best move is to show her, time and time again, how totally awesome and resourceful you are at giving her all the good stuff she loves—for a price, of course. You aren’t telling her that she can’t have what she so desperately wants. You’re just making it so that you’re the quick detour en route to her desired ends. You make yourself the fastest way from point A to point B, asking for a brief moment of her attention and just a little self-control before you grant her wish. The force of her instincts is going to be a powerful river no matter what you do; but at least you can direct the current.

In order to do this, you will want to be one step ahead of her at all times. Shut doors that lead to open opportunities. Use leashes that prevent her from forging her own way. Think ahead, and try to manufacture positive, productive experiences for her that will form the sweet memories and helpful habits you can build on down the road. You don’t have to fight her passion, sensitivity, and drama in the process. You can embrace her the way she is, always remembering that she has a heart that can get the better of her in the heat of the moment. Don’t compete with what she wants by saying no. Find a way, whenever possible, to say “Yes, but . . .” That’s the only way you’ll get your impulsive scent hound to learning—by working with her DNA and not against it.

Lifestyle

To be perfectly frank, scent hounds sometimes have a hard time adapting to many of our modern conditions. It’s not that she doesn’t relish the comforts of home and the benefits of the easy pet life. In fact, she probably appreciates these luxuries more than most. But her emotional, rough-around-the-edges character can present challenges, especially in highly populated urban and suburban environments. That said, if you are up for the task of fulfilling her hunger for adventure and managing her more unrefined instincts, you will enjoy the splendors of a remarkably sensitive and fun-loving daily companion.

Treeing Walker Coonhound