How do I?....

[Almase]

I just chopped off the tail of a raccoon and I want to use it to train my pup for coon huntin. A friend told me to freeze the tail and that will kill the germs. Will that kill EVERYTHING including rabies? I just want to make sure the tail is safe for my puppy to play tug a war with and chew on a bit.

 

[WFGinNM]

Did you skin the bone out of the tail or just "cut it of"? Freezing it will only keep bacteria from growing. As soon as it thaws out it will start to rot and the hair will slip out of the skin. I would suggest that you at least thaw the tail, make a slice from the base to the tip and remove the bone and what little meat and fat there might be. Then you can use Boraxo which can be purchased in your local grocery stores laundry detergent section and rub it into the flesh side of the tail. After a few days the skin will be somewhat preserved, not tanned, but will last until the pup tears it up. Good luck with the pup.

--Bill

 

[Almase]

Thanks alot. Will this boraxo stuff make it tough enough for a dog to chew on, and kill the bacteria as well? (I still have the bone in) I've never trained a dog for this stuff so this is all new to me.

 

[WFGinNM]

The boraxo will just give it a simple preserve, not actually tanned like leather. It is somewhat the same ingredient used in bird taxidermy. Any hide left out will harden, but with the bone left in it will rot. It will essentially be a rawhide with hair on it. I have a raccoon skin from 1984 that I treated with borax and it is hard as a rock but doesn't stink or have the hair slipping. That was a long time ago so I only use borax now to preserve the tails of birds that I'm saving.

I use coon hides to start my young curs on but you'd be better off finding someone with started dogs for your pup to learn from.

--Bill

 

[Almase]

Thats what I'd like to do is to find somone that coon hunts, but I think its kinda dying here in Washington. Most my friends that have dogs use em for birds....What about taxidermists? Do they carry raccoon hide that they would sell?

 

[WFGinNM]

Check your private messages...

--Bill