The American Beagler Forum

This is a great web site. I have been reading for a year and have gathered a ton of information.

Background info:
I am 32 and have been rabbit hunting with beagles and with my dad since I was 6 or 7 (before I could carry a gun in the brush). Back then, I felt like one of the dogs because dad would always have me jump on the brushpiles.

We never raised beagles and have no intention of raising beagles. We will leave that to the pro's. We have always had one or two beagles at a time and trained them ourselves so they hunt the way we prefer to hunt. We get them as pups and use the older dog to help us train the young one. Some of the pups turn out better than others.

A friend of mine started rabbit hunting with us a couple of years ago and is really getting excited about it. He is getting a pup in a few weeks (He gets first pick at of 7). The guy he is getting the pup from is really into rabbit hunting and has good dogs(registered). He asked me if there was something to look for when picking the pup. I said, I don't know but I know the place to ask the question.

So, are there certain things to look for? i.e. runt, aggressive/dominant, etc.

Thanks for any help,
Mike

I never pick a shy pup and also usually do not pick the most agressive (boss pup) either. I also don't do as some say and pick the runt. It is a hard thing to pick the one that you think is the best, I like females better, so I would choose a female that is marked well and has good conformation and is not shy. I judge the pups more by looking at the sire and dam, how they look and hunt/run, etc.

At 6-8 weeks old, I don't worry too much about the shy pup. I have always been able to fix that with handling and tlc. Besides, around here, so many dogs are stolen out of the field that a "little shyness" could be good as long as you can handle the dog. The boss pup can sometimes be a problem as he may try to dominate his whole life if he is an alpha male.

I look for a pup that is bold and keeps his head down exploring the area when he is out of the kennel. Be sure to check for hernias and other deformities. Check for swollen bellies and pink gums as that is a sure sign of worms. Picking a pup is really a crapshoot. You have as good a chance as the breeder of getting a good one if you get first pick.

I am not an expert at this but it seems like I have the best luck picking the boldest (or maybe the most curious) pup. The first one to climb out of the box; the first one to fall in the creek; the one that is usually in trouble for getting into places it doesn't belong. As you can see, this requires an extended period of observation so may not be applicable if you are not in a position to see them daily.

As the man said, "it's a crapshoot". I like the dog who's not shy but currious trying to explore his enviroment. I find this type of pup will search fearlessly. Of course if you can see mom and dad run it helps. If its a male i like not the alpha dog but the second in line this one knows his place and tries to please you all he can. The main thing is to get one you like and spend time trying to put him in the field as much as you can.
Happy hunting

I also like the boldest pup, if he is also one of the most curious. Sometimes later these are the same hard headed dogs that won't listen but a beagle has to be pretty hard headed to chase rabbits through heavy brush naked. I have found with the pups I raise that what ever qualities are in them will show up very early in life. I like to show pups that are 8 weeks old dead road kill rabbits then pull them a short track maybe 5 steps or so then hide it . You would be surprised what you will see.