I have a question. We moved into a new house about six months ago and in those six months my Lab has become quite the opposum hunter. He has killed 9 in the last 4 months. I know at least two have gotten away, at least for the mean time, and at least one raccoon has been able to escape his clutches. It's strange because we live in Fort Worth in the middle of the city. My concern is, with all these vermin being killed should I be on the lookout for anything regarding hard mouth or other bad habits that may arise?

My only concern would be that if he keeps going after these guys eventually he's going to get hurt. On the other hand I watched a female pointer of mine carry one around the yard for a while before I could get her to drop it. But sooner or later the dogs going to get scratched up or bitten.

Maybe the coons are something to wory about hurting the dog, but not the opossums.

I had weener dogs and now a beagle and they killed oposums all the time. We went on vacation once and a oposum had babies under our deck in the back yard wen we came home there was none fewer than 14, yes 14 dead oposums in our yard! I dont know about training the dog, but they should be fine to fight the invaders.

I had three in the trash bin this morning when I took it to the curb and the smell was unbearable. I can only imagine 14.

I wouldn't worry about it...I was keeping a running talley on the critters my old yellow dog dispatched. Skunks (4 killed, 13 times sprayed), Raccoons-5 (all in the water), porcupines-2 (what a pain to pull quills!), cats (several), pigs-2 (drowned 1), etc. etc. Duck hunted and dove hunted w/him and he did fine, soft mouth. Here's one of his pigs:

My Labs are pig killers too. I use them when I have killed a mama pig and then turn my Labs on the young ones. They all have a soft mouth for birds but they will rip a young pig into pieces.

[quote=Ol_Yeller]I wouldn't worry about it...I was keeping a running talley on the critters my old yellow dog dispatched. Skunks (4 killed, 13 times sprayed), Raccoons-5 (all in the water), porcupines-2 (what a pain to pull quills!), cats (several), pigs-2 (drowned 1), etc. etc. Duck hunted and dove hunted w/him and he did fine, soft mouth.

He was a great dog!!

Thanks Bro...you knew him! Next one is makin' his own legacy!!

My Nelly killed herself a coon about two weeks ago. Was fishing and the trees just blew up in noise, by the time i got there she was just a shaking her head like all get out. Has seemed do be fine since

Apparently most of you guys are not hound hunters and don't know
about Possum's..If you place a Coon & a Possum in a cage...guess
who dies..and it ain't the Possum...they do sull when handled but
not with other animals always...I'd suggest you start correcting
your dog to see if you can stop this and put out a live trap to
control the vermin..You could whip him with a dead animal, but that may not work and may encourage him..Killing Possums is a problem all of us who have trained hounds have had from time to
time..but it is correctable...they are dangerous for a number of
reasons and Rabies is one...Don