5m old, started, please read...

[bluecollar beagler]

my buddy and i just got 3 pups back from the starting pen this past saturday... all three looked awesome in the pen... as soon as you opened the gate, they blew the doors off that pen. the woman was actually concerned bc my male pup had actually came real close to catching 2 rabbits in her pen they were so fast. after losing sight they would put the nose down and hammer them out. i couldnt of been more pleased. (granted she couldnt run them together in the pen at the same time bc they would of destroyed her rabbit population) but all 3 opened up good and looked great at working the track.
now the problem is.... i took them out all day yesterday. we jumped 3 rabbits and we took two older dogs (medium speed) with them and on the first jump the pups packed up and we heard a few barks and trailing out of the two females but once they made a lose, the pups came back and when they picked it back up,they didnt bother to come back, they were in the field nosing around. the male pup didnt even acknowledge the chase and he even walked right over the scent trail.
it is boggling my mind that these pups looked so good in the starting pen and were scent trailing awesome and running good lines and dont even pay atttention now that im trying to get them going. they were all buisness in that pen??

i took my older dog to this same place 6 years ago and started him at 5 months old, i brought him home and the next day he was circling rabbits to me with no problem...

am i doing something wrong here????? or am i being in too big of a hurry to get these pups going??? should i give them more time??

[moonshinekennel]

There young just be patient. Its a different game outside of the pen. They have plenty of time just keep them in the field. Some days they will be champs the next they will be chumps...good luck
Dale

[TOBY]

Just be patient. I had the excact same thing happen to me. Looked great in the pen got him home and acted like he never smelt a rabbit.
Then after a couple times out he just packed up with the older hounds and opeaned up on a rabbit. Been running great all year. Its just because their young and still have the puppy in them. Give it time he will go when he's ready.

[bluecollar beagler]

the past few times ive had them out.... ive taken them out together with my older dogs...
is it alright to have them both out at the same time or should i be running them one at a time until they figure out what im letting them out for???

[old blood beagles]

Take one out at a time with your older dogs and if you take all of them out and they start acting bad put them in their box and let them watch and hear the other dogs. If the pups are not acting like you want dont leave them in the field when the others are running.
I like to run my pups by themselves to start them. The way that I do it is I go out and let the pup hunt and if he/she jumps a rabbit then all is good but if I jump a rabbit, I will start barking like a hound and then saying tallyhoe at the same time. This will pull your pup to the scent and then I start walking the line of the rabbit and the pup will catch on.
I have had people hunting with me when I do this and they look at my a little wierd but the process has worked for over 20 years After I get the pups running their own rabbit, I will then put them with the older hounds and keep an eye on them to make sure they are running the rabbit and not the other dogs.

[bluecollar beagler]

well, i had a good and a bad day yesterday with the pups... i think im going to head your advice and not take them out at the same time or atleast not let them loose at the same time... my male pup is not paying much attention at all to the other dogs and only on 2 occassions yesterday did he act like he was getting excited like he was hunting.....
my female on the other hand is coming along alright. she did show signs she was hunting and was packing up good and even picked up a few checks during a few chases which got me excited. then her and the other female pup got on a deer for a few hundred yards and were flat burning it up until a push of a button give them a change of mind.... .... i hope to remedy that real quick...my older dogs do not trash so when the pups were headed in the opposite direction i knew something was wrong..
the other female pup is doing great(the one my buddy bought) she is packing up and hunting hard and even barking on track and trailing hard... when the dogs strike she runs to them immediately... my female seldom pays attention to them unless she is right there with them. this is really frustrating me.


i hate to not take the male pup out when i go though. do you think if i kept him on a lead strap while the other dogs were hunting it would help..basically not letting him go along..

i think im starting to realize i dont have the patience to fool with these pups like i thought i did... the pups i started a few years back were no problem at all... these are a totally different story...

[old blood beagles]

I would not put him on a lead while the others are hunting, this is teaching him to stay close to you. I would keep him in the box while the others are hunting and if he gets so excited that he is trying to get out of that box to the other hounds then I would let him go. I would then let him hunt and as soon as he stops hunting put him back in the box. He must learn that he is out to hunt and run rabbits and not play or be a me-too dog.
The other thing you might want to consider is that he is not ready to run yet, this does not make him a bad pup and I would not get rid of him at this early of an age just give him time and the opportunity to run.

[bluecollar beagler]

i see what your saying..ive seen the pup in the starting pen and he hunted pretty good... and had the desire to chase and trail... i would of just liked to of seen alittle more hunt in him after getting him back from the starting pen.....and out in the wild.

ill give it a try this week and see how it goes.. i appreciate the help and the input...

[Richard]

Most pups that I have had don't start at 5 months of age, usually at around 8 months before they do much. I would take the pups out without the older hounds and let them try to jump, run a rabbit on their own.

[bluecollar beagler]

they are burning the rabbits up now. its amazing what just a month will do for a dog. i hunted them 2-3 times a week in the evenings and all day on mondays since getting them back from the starting pen. now i dont even have to worry about them coming back to my feet during a chase... they hunt hard and they move fast.... they were 7 months old the first of april and tuesday they ran a rabbit(just the two of them) for almost an hour.... they look like they get alittle stupid on the track sometimes if they dont pick it back up right away but i know that will come intime... overall im really impressed with them......... other then the male being alittle too mouthy for my liking but he hunts hard and will tackle the brush... heck, as long as they run rabbits im happy...

[Randy Underwood]

they are burning the rabbits up now. its amazing what just a month will do for a dog. i hunted them 2-3 times a week in the evenings and all day on mondays since getting them back from the starting pen. now i dont even have to worry about them coming back to my feet during a chase... they hunt hard and they move fast.... they were 7 months old the first of april and tuesday they ran a rabbit(just the two of them) for almost an hour.... they look like they get alittle stupid on the track sometimes if they dont pick it back up right away but i know that will come intime... overall im really impressed with them......... other then the male being alittle too mouthy for my liking but he hunts hard and will tackle the brush... heck, as long as they run rabbits im happy...

First time I have posted to your thread here..
But I have been following it .

Its good to see the change in these pups, and im glad you didnt get rid of them bud...
They still young and will improve more every time you get to take them out
the more you work them if its in them the better rabbit dog they'll be.
You know they have the driven drive, just be patient and fine tune them by taking them out . As others have stated, if they go the other way or so it seems, put them or the one messing up back in the box. but let him or her hear the action and dont keep him/her on a lead when you have to do that. Put him/her in the box ...

I have a litter on the way, bout 12 days away, and 5 pups right now im working now
Well I say now... Its been so hot here I been affraid of rattle snakes so they are not getting as much time out as Id like SNAKES ARE OUT BAD HERE I dont want to loose them to a dang ole rattler. Im in central FL so from now to Nov I wont get that much time out with them unless its a night time running. Even then I dont like that cause I cant see my pups work and what they'er doing .
Good Luck with your pups and keep us posted please...

Randy

[bluecollar beagler]

thanks for the reply randy.... i have been running these pups religiously 2-3 times a week in the evenings and to be honest i think im learning as much as they are. its been almost 6 years since ive fooled with pups and i have my two older dogs right how i like them so to take on the adventure of starting two new "full of pizz and vinegar pups" has been a challenge for me to say the least especially when my patience is not what it should be but im having fun at it and really enjoying watching the pups take off. ive run into some concerns with them though and im hoping as they get alittle older they will grow out of them...(i hope)
i have had them run deer on me twice. both times i fried them good with the shocking collars, i mean real good. ...
second, ive noticed when they make a lose on a track that they tend to start acting alittle stupid. instead of staying close to the area they made the lose they will start making wide circles on it and instead of slowing down to try and pick it up they continue to run full tilt while trying to line it out. i dont know whether this is something they will grow out of and learn on their own to settle down or its something im going to have to deal with. i will admit im still taking my older dog with them and he is picking up most of the checks on them and lining them out but as soon as they get back in the chase they are just blowing him away... that is until they make another lose. i really need to leave him at the house but ive continued to take him bc he will not trash on me and i know when he doesnt open up and they are that its not good and i can correct it fast. im showing them plenty of rabbits though and they continue to show a ton of hunt and alot of speed. alot more speed then what im used to ill admit that...
im hoping to continue running them through the summer if weather permits... as bad as i hate to leave one behind the soloing will start soon... i guess thats when ill find out what kind of dogs ive got huh...