I agree Masonbeagles, I am tough but I ain't got time to deal with stubborn or slow starting pups. I have started 5 pups in the last year and a half. All 5 started circling rabbits in the 4 acre pen within 3 or 4 days. When I sell a pup at 6 months and I tell someone that the pup is started, I mean that the pup will run a rabbit. My friend that starts them for me does not let them sight chase. They must learn to get in the thick stuff and hunt. That teaches them to jump their own rabbits before they can run them. When he calls me, I know that they are ready to go to the wild and run. They ain't experienced dogs nor do I expect them to run like one.
Like I said, if I didn't have access to a starting pen and started them on my own in the wild, I would be a whole lot more patient. Heck, I never expected a deer dog pup to start the first time out. They had a few times to start atleast following the older dogs or they wouldn't go home. lol
What Age To Start Pup?
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AlabamaSwamper
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"No stronger bond exist than that between a man and his dog."
Link to RabbitDawg board. (Old Southernbeagles board)
http://www.excoboard.com/exco/index.php?boardid=6643
Link to RabbitDawg board. (Old Southernbeagles board)
http://www.excoboard.com/exco/index.php?boardid=6643
I believe your job as a trainer is to bring out all the ability the dog was born with. Every dog is different, some start very young and some don't start until later. Either one is all right with me. I just give them plenty of time out where there are rabbits, both by themselves and with an older, slow dog and let nature take it's course. If my goal was to breed early starting dogs I would do as Steve and some of you are doing but I am more interested in how they end up, not how they start.
I know most of you have heard this story but in case you haven't, Abels East Coast Trimmer was a very late starting dog. I believe he was two years old and hadn't started yet when his owner decided to leave him in the woods for a couple days. He went back with the intention to cull him if he wasn't started yet and found Trimmer pounding a hare. Trimmer went on to become one of the best large pack dogs and reproducers of all time. One of his more famous sons was Branko's Jack of All Trades so if your dog has some Jack in him (most Branko dogs do) don't get in too big of a hurry to get him started.
I know most of you have heard this story but in case you haven't, Abels East Coast Trimmer was a very late starting dog. I believe he was two years old and hadn't started yet when his owner decided to leave him in the woods for a couple days. He went back with the intention to cull him if he wasn't started yet and found Trimmer pounding a hare. Trimmer went on to become one of the best large pack dogs and reproducers of all time. One of his more famous sons was Branko's Jack of All Trades so if your dog has some Jack in him (most Branko dogs do) don't get in too big of a hurry to get him started.
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MasonsBeagles
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I agree
Tom,
I would agree. I like to see progress early and let it build. SOme of the best dogs I have ever seen were slow starters.
With running pens the education of beagling has come a long ways. Sometimes I expect too much from a young dog. But take My cousin for instance who only rabbit hunts gives a dog up until two years old, hunted with him this year had a couple of year old pups that werent started but at least going with the dogs. He has never used a starting pen or anything special just takes them out. Course he never solos and they are pack dogs the superstars just got to step up as he likes to say. He always has decent dogs and has had them for over thirty years.
I would agree. I like to see progress early and let it build. SOme of the best dogs I have ever seen were slow starters.
With running pens the education of beagling has come a long ways. Sometimes I expect too much from a young dog. But take My cousin for instance who only rabbit hunts gives a dog up until two years old, hunted with him this year had a couple of year old pups that werent started but at least going with the dogs. He has never used a starting pen or anything special just takes them out. Course he never solos and they are pack dogs the superstars just got to step up as he likes to say. He always has decent dogs and has had them for over thirty years.