Start em chasing bacon around 12 weeks old to get feel for nose and dedication to track.
Start dragging live pigs around 3 months old, short runs to begin with and tease them a bit when the find it.
When they successfully find the pig...make the drag longer and more complex.
If they get off track just wait patiently until they come back to it and slowly continue on but let them work it.
You continue to drag until they can successfully work a track across water, fields, thickets and cutbacks. For the more experienced ones you can even pick the hog up and make a complete break in the track. It will help them with being able to work the area until they pick it up again.
Usually have them done around 5 months to 6 and ready to hit the big boy woods by 6 to 7 months old if they aren't culled.
When they are young do not let them bay until they stop themselves . Pull them in the heat of the moment to keep them wanting more and build the fire inside em.
If they work correctly they should bay till they slober on their bellies and do their own hog finding by 1 yr or barely over ...if not......hmmmmmm time to ask yourself why?
Or could be one of them late bloomers! Haha
...........but its your feed bill.
Hope it helps bud. Good luck.
