factors that make a dog hunt hard

[rabbitearl]

RABBITS Yall I would give anything to have some dogs that will run a rabbit and not hunt at all. Just to go back in the days were rabbits were everywere. When you put your foot down and rabbit dropping everywere. If I could hunt in places like this. Come on you no hunting dogs lets go rabbit hunting. Rabbits makes a big different. Like it is now a dog can hunt its tail off and maybe around here in nc he might jump two a day..No matter how hard a dog hunts. If the rabbits are not there. He not jumping any. Give me a place with rabbits and I will take the non hunting dogs and a place with no rabbits and some of the hard hunting dogs out there.I don t want no part of it.Were you hunt makes a big different..Rabbits or no rabbits.

[BB Beagles]

Factors that make a dog hunt hard.......
-genetic makeup/bloodline ( born with it) or (breeder controlled)
-how interested the dog is to pursue its game. ( desire)
-how much it was introduced to and worked with as a young dog. ( brain building)
- able to adjust to diff running conditions. (Adaptability)

[Casey Harner]

They are either born with it or their not.

[BB Beagles]

I agree Casey.

[warddog]

[Pine Lakes]

Interesting. I'm trying to make since of an experience I had just a week ago Tuesday. A good buddy of mine had a male and female. Both line bred of the same line. The male was a rabbit tracking hunting fool. He bred him to a female that I never seen go but knew she was from a proven producer. At the time he bred and whelped the litter the sire died and he completely lost interest in having hounds. He kept a male and female out of the litter for two year never taking them out of the kennel. I know this for a fact. Then he told me he was gonna knock them in the head as he was never gonna do anything with them. I asked him not to do so and that I would take them. Well I've had them for two years and have never had the female out of the kennel. Well last Tuesday for giggles I thought i would take the female out and put her in a aker pen with NO rabbits in it. (although we had put one in there a week earlier) You would have called me a liar by watching this 4 year old hunt and crawl up under anything and everything in the pen. Please explain why she acted like she had been hunted all her life with no time on the ground? Was it by luck or because of the way she was bred and had genetics she has bred into her.Anyways I think I'll keep her and take my chances on her producing something I like. Then I'll give them the opportunity to become a rabbit dog and cull the ones that don't. Which I pray won't happen if I line breed her.

Elliot, you touched on a subject that I hold very strong opinions on. First off let me say you said exactly what I think a smart breeder does, and that is "I think I'll keep her and take my chances on her producing something I like. Then I'll give them the opportunity to become a rabbit dog and cull the ones that don't. Which I pray won't happen if I line breed her." Probably the best producing female I've ever laid eyes on was not much of a rabbit dog. Fact is, if you determined what female you were going to breed based upon performance in the field, she would have never raised a pup and that would have been very unfortunate. Instead she was bred to different males and produced FC's in every litter. Successful breeders aren't that because they are gifted. They either luck into a good producing female, make a good cross, or raise several litters and cull hard. There is no magic book and you will never see me criticize an individual's choice of mating because not one person knows until it has been proven in the field. I've seen good dogs produced by less than desirable hounds. I've seen 2 IFC's bred that produced culls and everything in between. I'm certainly not advocating breeding every faulty hound there is, but it doesn't have to be a "world beater" to become a good reproducer. The key is to give it a chance but be prepared to admit that the dog just doesn't reproduce, but the descision should be based on facts not presumptions.

[brad stewart]

Good post pine lakes

[scott calkins]

its blood / genetics plain simple . i like what traits the blood ive been running for 14 yrs now and when i line breed i see the same traits in most the pups and hunt is one trait i breed for . and a lot of people ive run with will tell u i un snap my dogs and there gone. but i run a lott of hare so thats what i want them to do , get in that swamp and find me a hare. if u pay attention certain blood lines have dominant traits. and hunt is just one part of it . but if its not in the blood good luck teaching it. jmo.