pup

[rickie]

I got 9 month old male pup jumps rabbits will not run them very far was put in a starting pen at 5 months would catch them man told me to come get him bring back when he matures about fed up with this pup what could I do different this pup was only one in a litter grandkids would let him out played with all the time now he wants to play when carry him out will not pay attention to other dogs

[rickie]

sorry about so many times did not think it took

[Mo. Beagler 5000]

you can delete the extra posts...

[mybeagles]

Not all pups make it as hunting dogs. There is no substitute for many trips to the woods. If the instincts are inside the dog they will come out. For some that happens faster than others. Assuming you have been taking it to woods a couple times a week and its not improving its time to get another pup and start over. Some will tell you to to keep it for years to see if it develops......good dogs start young and just keep getting better. If you have not had it in the woods with any regularity your pup is getting "kennel dumb" and thats your fault.

[S.R.Patch]

If he was put in a starting pen and was catching rabbits, either the rabbits weren't wild, the pen wasn't big enough, the cover wasn't thick enough or there were to many rabbits in the pen. It had nothing to do with his maturity.
The way he's acting could have alot to do with what he learned in the pen,... hunt,... sight chase,... catch rabbit. Now he's out in the wild, the chase goes on farther than he's accustom, the rabbits are not so plentiful and catching is not so easy. Now, he has to learn to finish what he's started. At this age, he's like a goofy teenager. He'll make mistakes, have some bad ideas but he'll learn from them and hopefully become a productive member of the rabbit running club, but first, he has to pay his dues and prove his worth.
Your worth as a houndsman is now at stake also, you have to give him the opportunity to learn and become what you expect. Anyone can buy a running hound and kill rabbits, but when you buy a pup, your taking on the commitment of training and the responsibility of contributing to what it will be. Some hounds are quitters and some people are quitters, I never understood self-proclaimed houndsmen that displayed the qualities of hounds they despise, in themselves. Finish the job you started, you and the hound will learn alot from each other...jmho
There's an old saying, "Experience is the best teacher, but she's painfully slow". Best of luck with your hound...

[rickie]

will take any advice never had this much trouble getting one started

[Lone Pine Beagles]

Get yourself a bag of "goldfish crackers".
Give pup a couple crackers and go for a walk in "rabbitty" cover.
When you see a rabbit take off...keep your eye on it and walk over to the point of jump.
Drop a cracker in the round depression the rabbit had been sitting in.
If you find the trail the rabbit followed drop a few crackers here too.
Put the pup on the first cracker and if he is worth anything, he'll find the next cracker!
Eventually he'll run out of crackers but hopefully discover rabbit scent.