Is being 'part of a pack' not enough?

OMG a coonie who is not constantly carrying a sign that reads "WILL WORK FOR FOOD!"?!? []

I use food when we're in a place with no distractions. However, if given a choice between a squirrel or food, Marlowe's going to pick the squirrel every time. Yes, hunting can be used as a motivator for training, and in my case I used the opportunity to sit and watch a squirrel as a motivator for learning to not pull my arm out of it's socket every time we came across one. The negative punishment in those cases was turning and walking the other direction. The definiiton of a "reinforcer" is anything that will increase the liklihood that the dog will repeate the behavior that earned the reinforcer. By definition all dogs can be trained with positive reinforcement, but with some dogs you have to do some deeper thinking about what it is that will be motivating enough that it will increase the liklihood that they will repeat the behavior.

One thing I wonder about fresh-off-the-tree coonies is how the training they recieved originally as hunters has impacted their ability to do positive-reinforcement training. Older dogs of any breed that were originally trained with a lot of physical methods and positive-punishment typically have a hard time learning the new paradigm of +R. That doesn't mean they can't learn it, but it does take time. What they had learned initially is that there are set number of "acceptable" behaviors and anything other than those behaviors will be punished, so don't do anything except what you know is acceptable. That kind of dog can be extremely frustrating at first to work with in a +R way because they just tend to sit there and stare and seem uninterested in working to get the treats. I trained Conrad (bloodhound mix) originally quite harshly and when I moved him over to +R it was like molasses. Once he got it it was like overnight he understood, but it took a long time for him to get it. Had I not known before starting with him that this would be an issue, I may very well have just decided "Oh well, I guess this doesn't work with him" and given up.

What would use to reinforce or train a coonhound not interested in treats or rewards??
Depends on the dog and what I knew of its history..we have used a Raccon tail from the taxidermist...toys if the dog liked toys...and we have even used more conventional obedience with the correction/chain collar for the dogs who we just could not get interested in any kind of rewards system. ( the hunters are not gentle with their dogs, so sometimes we get dogs who just will not seem to learn any other way than a bit of "man-handling"). It is not our preference...but we on occassion get x-hunting dogs who do not even enjoy or understand petting...they look at you like "why are you touching me? stop touching me!! MOM he is touching me!!!"...those dogs are hard to get interested in reward style training. It is not that they are frightened or nervous about it...just that they just simply do not get it. They usually catch on sooner or later and learn to understand it, but in the mean time we have a dog who needs to be made manageable and adoptable so we have to go with what works.
 

i just saw hound love's post...
I think some of my previous post will answer some of the question about x-hunting dogs.
The history of a Coondog is much more of an issue than it is with the Beagles as an example. The Coonhounds have a longer memory and are a bit more "set in their way" than the Beagle ( and some of the other hound breeds). Whether or not they were hunting dogs and how that hunter trained them has a profound effect on the Coonies. The x-hunting Beagles...other than housebreaking...they find the couch and they are DONE with that outdoor stuff! Alot of times, after having lived outside all their lives, the hunting Beagles will not even go out in the rain after the find the house. The Coonies are different...
I will use Ranger as an example. He was a farm dog. Most of the farm Coonies are brought in either when it is really cold or only at night and many times will not have run of the house when they are inside. Alot of the farmers keep the Coonies as part time hunters and part time vermin control ( rats, cats, oppossums, coons, whatever).  This is not always the case, but it is pretty darn common. Ranger for the first 6 month he was here would not go on the couch and still will not stay on the couch or the bed with me. He will lie with my wife all night long...but once I come in the room he gets up and leaves...and it is not like he slinks away or is frightened...it is more like a respect thing. It is like he feels for some reason he cannot do these things when I am around. ( Not that I wouldn't love it by the way) He is actually MORE UPSET by me wanting to make him stay or trying to make him feel comfortable with me on the couch/bed than he is by getting down and going in the other room. He gets realy jumpy and pressured feeling if I try to hold him there and pet him. It is like he is telling me " No dude you do not understand, this just is not proper...we cannot do this...let me go". He loves me to death and in all other ways enjoys my company. In fact he looks to me for nearly everything he wants or needs and usually ignores my wife most of the time. Come to find out the guy who had him was also a truck driver...when he was on the road the wife let him indoors...the guy compromised and let him inside now and again but he was not allowed in the bedroom at all and not allowed on the furniture. Ranger will remember this forever. A beagle would forget that kind of training in 3 seconds. Ranger was taught to respect the man of the house and will likely always do just that. He remembers...
With the hunting dogs...they definately remember how they were raised and trained. I can tell after a short time with a Coonie if the hunter man handled him...if he was trained with commands and rewards or repremands...sometimes even if the hunter used a truck box or just put the dogs in the bed of the truck. How they were orginally trained will definately effect what they respond to later in life. The PKC Champion we had in the rescue...it was a year before she would not look at you like you were completely freaking crazy for petting her...she still will only accept petting when she is in the mood for it. She does not play with toys at all. Does not understand them and has no interest in them...

I think Marlowe must be part beagle! It took him about a month but we joke that he's now making up for lost time. I've never met a dog in my life so concerned about his personal comfort. He's a sissy about inclement weather and I need a forklift to wake him up for that first walk of the morning. I don't get the impression that he was trained particularily harshly though. He's from a pretty good breeder and was likely an outside dog but one who was primarily a "nite hunt" dog, not really a down on the farm working dog. Mainly the impression that I got from him when I first adopted was "blank slate." He didn't really know how to be a pet, but likewise he didn't have any problem with being one once he discovered the joys of a cuddle on the couch.

Note his expression in this picture: "You're not coming over here to disturb me, are you?"