The American Beagler Forum

What age do you normally start a beagle pup on rabbits? I've heard varying opinions, from never start before six months to start as soon as you get them. Also, does anyone do anything special before they take a pup out in the field, like introduce them to a tame rabbit first?

5-6 months and they better run within a few days or they are culled.

I think dogs are a lot like people as we are not all the same neither are pups. Some mature at a faster pace.No dog is going to start untill you can get his intrest in what you are trying to teach him.It is my experance with starting pups for other people if they have taken the pup out and exposed him to the outdoors other dogs and a few rabbits he or she will probaly start at 5 to 7 months old fairley easily,but if the pup has just been in the pen his whole live I belive I would wait till he was about 8 months old.This has just been my experance in running a starting pen.It is a whole lot easier to start a pup that you can handle so get the basics down first .Then your pup will be a lot easier to start and more enjoyable for you.Plus if you send the pup to a starting pen it will take less time to start and probaly cost you less.

I agree beaglerdan. I take all of mine to a friends starting pen and he works them several times a day for an hour or so. Nothing but wild cottontails in 4 acres with plenty of cover. If I started them in the wild, of course, I would give them more time. However, they have at max one week to be running, not bumping around, or they are gone.

All pups mature at different ages, even those from the same litter. I'm willing to bet many great dogs were given up on by someone else because they were too slow to mature to please someone.

I was talking about this with a friend yesterday and the conclusion we came up with is that a lot of folks get in way to big a hurry to get their pups started. And once started, put them down with older hounds that are too fast and blow them up.

Field work and handling up to six months is what I tend to work on. I'll take them out to the field and get them used to getting in the weeds, searching, coming to me, etc.

Take them out, expose them to rabbit habitat, and rabbits, when they are ready the light will switch on they will begin running. You have to understand, up to six or eight months, their body and their mind is still maturing. You wouldn't expect your eight year old son to compete against an NBA player, don't expect your pup to either. Let them mature at their speed, they'll come along!

I don't rush my pups. I start taking them out some at 5 or 6 months without older dogs or maybe a close, slow older hound. Most of my pups will start trailing rabbits in a short time after a few trips. I don't let them run with older, fast hounds until they are close to a year old, mostly do solo or two at a time.

Good points beagleman. I should have included that in my post. Even though I expect alot out of them when they go to the starting pen, I never put them with older dogs immediately. I like to run the pups together, solo or with another slower dog. I think it depends on the individual hound as to when they go to the pack. I introduced my new young dogs to the pack at around 9 or 10 months. I thought they were ready and they held their own just fine. Some young hounds may need to wait until 11 months or a year but I never just run them solo very much. They will hunt in a pack so I believe they need to get used to a pack. Running them with littermates or maybe one slower dog will do that just fine and they still get the work they need. I do solo them from time to time to check and make sure they are advancing though.

I take all of my pups to the starting pen at 5 to 6 months old, by that time I have already worked with them on handling and I have exposed them to the woods. I take my pups along when the older dogs are running and let them play graba_ _ in the woods. This gets them accustomed to being in the field, sometimes they will even see a rabbit and try to sight race it. I don't expect anything out of them when I do this, it is all about exposure. After they come from the starting pen I try to run them with a dog that is close to them speed and ability wise until they show that they can graduate to the Pack.

Big Dog

Your hard on them young dogs AlabamaSwamper. LOL

I will agree the starting pen is the best way to go. I generally take my pups out with the other dogs and get them used to everything I have had them just go and start and then I have had some that waited. Taking a pup out and just walking around with the other dogs can be an education in itself. They learn to cross creeks, fences etc. I have been told that an eight month old pup will generally start quicker than a six month old pup which makes since to me. So I guess the age would be between 5-8 months old. They get alot of leeway. Not in any rush. But if a dog that has been given plenty of opportunity (say a couple of months of open field or a month in a pen) did not start at a year old I would probably move him on. Just my thoughts.

Here's what I called hard on pups,every cross I make I keep 1-2 pups that pup has until 6mths old to start running and better improve real fast or it gets sold for a pet.Right now I have 1 female 1 male linbreed 14wks old tommorrow running loose jumping and running their own rabbits they started opening on wild rabbits just before 12wks.I strive for early starting pups I don't have time or money to waste on food feeding late bloomers.If they don't make my grade they get sold for pets.

Steve,
I agree that is rough

Alabama Swamper,

I agree with packing the pups as you say, but I solo more than you do. I do it more because I enjoy working one dog at times, and it completely forces the young dog to do it all on his own. He can't lean on a pack mate to help him jump, pick up checks, etc. Sounds like we're on the same page though! As you said, they need to know how to pack, too much solo and they can get muley about packing, but I'm with you, you have to solo to make sure they are progressing!

I start mine myself around 6 months.

I do this several differant ways.

But most of the time I take them out late in the evening or early in the morning and try and put them on a rabbit that I have jumped or have seen setting out.

Never had a problem with a dog not starting.
Usually don't expect much out of a young dog untill they have been running for a little while.

I usually start them solo or in pairs.

I spend alot of time with them when there young in the weeds and walking through creeks etc. So nothing is strange to them in the field.

When they start venturing to far off I keep them in the yard untill it's time to start them.

I only keep around 6-7 dog's so I can spend as much time as I need with the pups. Untill I have them listening etc.

Just started a 5 1/2 month old pup last sunday.
Put him on a rabbit that was setting out. Short sight chase and then he was off and running.
I will take my time taking him out only a hour at a time by himself untill he is 7 mnths old.

Gotta love hearing them open on track the first time.

I let pups run the yard and farm as well.They get yard work and lots of walks in the brush even as babies- 6 weeks old etc.I've seen pups start that young aka Stev's post on their own many times over the years.BUT most puppies never get that kind of attention muchless freedom.

I've seen some awful good dogs culled as babies only to bloom under another owner.True enough if a pup is bred right it will start itself around the yard - farm.But expecting to let a dog stand and put him in a starting pen at 5 months and bingo is a tall order.
Hunt6 (David)

I LIKE MY PUPS TO HAVE ALITTLE MORE FREEDOM. I LET THEM RUN IN THE YARD & TEACH THEM TO COME TO ME & DOWN . I DON'T EXPECT MUCH UNTILL AROUND 8 MONTHS. OF COURSE THEY GO ALONG WHEN I RUN THE OTHER DOGS. SOMETIMES THEY EVEN GET A SIGHT CHASE. BUT DIFFERENT PUPS START DIFFERENT, SOME SLOWER THAN OTHERS. ONE THING I NEVER DO IS TRY TO FORCE THEM, I CAN WAIT. THE LAST TIME I GOT IN A HURRYI STAYED ALL NIGHT. LOL