Best way to start pups?

[RyanTBH]

I am really just wanting some input on the different ways people start pups and how old?

[DangerZone]

3-4 months old, shoat equal in size to the pup, I use a fenced pen 10ftx10ft want it big enough the pup has to go from side to side to get to the shoat, shoat in the pen, let the pup bay from the outside, that's one way, another way would be to stake the shoat on a lead and let the pup bay it, one way or the other would depend on the pup. I'm sure there's other methods.

[buddylee]

I also use a small pen. Take 2 cattle panels or sheep panels and make a round pen. 2 panels and 2 T-posts. Later I put them in a big wooded pen on an easy hog. Keeping them confident is the most important part.

[halfbreed]

exposure to small pigs at a couple three months depending on the pups . then hog hide drags and caged shoats .

[DangerZone]

And stop each time before the pup looses interest, always stop with them wanting more.

[Skeeterkiller]

X 2 Dangerzone on stoping the pups before they loose intrest. I also start trash breaking at  the same time as letting pups bay. I will let the pups bay a pig in the pen for 15 to 20 minuts then put them in the kennel for at least onr hour. While the pups or locked up I set mouse traps baited with cotton balls with deer, coon etc. scent. After all the traps are set I will let the pups out and let them find out what not to mess with.Then I put them back on the pig.I make alot of mock hunts and work pups more in the woods than in the pen after 5 months old.

[RyanTBH]

I like that idea about the mouse traps. I'd like to get the breaking done early as possible. Skeeterkiller, normally how long until you start to notice they are not going after the other scents anymore?

[Rusty Knife]

There is no baying over here in Hawaii, every single dog is trained to track and grab.  Keeping that in mind, working in a pen builds confidence in a dog but I want to build confidence on a bigger level.  I personally start taking pups out on trail about 5-6 months and just let them get use to correlating getting collared and loaded out means it time to run.  I don't expect much out of my pups because they still need to be a puppy and they act like one until they begin to find there part and role in the pack.  Any team is only as bad as there weakest player, but packs learn to pick up slack from each other instinctively and just taking a pup out to tag along builds confidence, allows the pup to witnesses kennel mates working and gives him fresh scent to smell, along with integrating a pup slowly into the pack.  I've trained many dogs doing just that and it's like one day they turn on a switch and they become hammahs! I'm impartial to bay pens just because I've seen many great dogs given away because they didn't perform in the pen.  I think I pen is great for training a real gritty dog to back off a bit, and to show a pup a hog.  But I prefer a more integrating approach within the pack method.  Hope you find your way!!

[RyanTBH]

Thanks for all the input guys... I really appreciate it.