The American Beagler Forum

I have a male that is a little under 2 years old. He used to jump alot of rabbits and now he won't go in and jump any. If i take him with the other dogs he will go in with them then come out and wait for them to jump a rabbit. Then he goes in and will run with the pack.

But while he is solo he will just go up and down the edge of the field. Then come back and lay down or sit there. It's like he just doesn't want to do anything anymore.

Im loosing my patience with him and i don't know what to do.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks,
54

Keep you eye on his gait. Does he bunny hop, limp, or seem stiff in any way? He could have gotten a paw pad injury or may have pulled a muscle. Watch him for a few days, and if he continues to act like this, a vet visit is definitely in order. Some Beagles have spinal problems which sometimes appears though the legs are giving them trouble. It could also be arthritis or hip problems, or as I mentioned, nothing mroe than a strained muscle. But if it happens again, the only way to be sure is to have him checked out by the vet.

This is not a one time thing it has been going on for a while and i just didn't know wat to do so i posted.


If i let him in the yard he will race all around fine. But he just doesn't want to hunt. He will play with the other dogs in the yard if i let him.

I have a buddy his dog did the same thing turned out he had an anal gland infection. I would sugest taking him to a vet for a complete checkup.

Even if he'd running around normally in the yard, his body is not under the same amount of physical stress it would be during the hunt. If he's not in top health, he won't be able to perform int he field - AND ITS NOT HIS FAULT!!! Two year old dogs don't just loose desire out of nowhere if they had it before. Instead of getting frustrated and blaming it on the dog's ability or lack thereof, consider very strongly that something is not right, healthwise. Especially if this has been going on for a while I'd be even more concerned.
Take this hound to the vet for a physical and bloodwork and if that all comes out fine, only then would I question his hunt.

have you run him a lot at night? I had a male dog to do that after a summer of night running he just wanted to cruise the edges to pick up a hot scent.

Nope i haven't hunted at all in the night. But it might just be because when im walking through the neighbors yards with him going to the runnin spot he will see a rabbit and take off on it. And he figures that he can find them in the yards so why not in the open fields.

Don't take this wrong, I accidentally did this myself. Has this dog been shocked alot?

Chief,

I was talking to Southern Beagles last night and she said the same thing. This was when he was hunting good. But he ran down through the woods jumped 2 deer and took off on them. I didn't burn him into the ground i just put it on 6 and nicked him and said NO!!. He came back and then i went straight home with him because i never would of thought that he would of taken off on a deer b/c he had been shocked off them before. And after that insident he hasn't been himself. I guess he figures that he is getting shocked for running something. He will still run just not go in and jump anything.

I'd start him on something easy. Make it easy on him for a while. Take him out on a windless night, maybe a little dew on the ground, and put him on a track. Do this a couple times/week and see what happens.

When i do that should i not let him see the rabbit or what.

He will still run the rabbits its just like he is scared to go out of my sight or sumthing.

It's all right if he sees the bunny. Main thing here is to get the drive back in him. Make the tracking/hunting easy on him & go easy on the Vit. E also. You might have hit him a little hard for his liking and how he's kinda worried about being hit again.

Ok thanks for the help.

i have a male the same age doing the same thing. i solo him a lot and a coyote came in on him two different nights. i have just been taking him out and putting him on the rabbit. what really helped was putting him down with an older male which has started putting the drive back into him.

Hunt,
The pup should be fine

Just keep the collar on him but don't hit him with it except for emergency. If you get into a situation where you can't run him down then use the lowest setting possible. Do NOT use that collar for handling control. Some dogs are just hyper sensitive and do not tolerate the collar but on the other hand he can't be afraid to wear it. He just has to realize that he can get out of your sight without getting in trouble. He is just confused and not quite sure what he did to get bumped. He was doing what he thought he was supposed to do but did not put the deer scent with the zap, all he knows is that he didn't please you. Be patient with him, he is still putting things together.

I think where you made the mistake is by bringing him home without giving him the opportunity to get back on a rabbit. If he runs trash again and has to be corrected, you MUST put him back on rabbit scent right away!!! Deer scent BAD, Rabbit scent GOOD.

Try handling that dog as little as possible. Just act like he isn't there. Don't pet him, don't talk to him, just ignore him. Eventually he will get out from under foot.
Good luck young man!