The American Beagler Forum

i am new to beagling and need some input . everytime i take my dog out by his self all he does is hang at my feet . he will not hunt unless i find the rabbit . when he looses it he comes right back to my feet . i know i need to run him more , but this drives me nutts . can anyone give me some ideas ? thanks for your help

Your dog is being dependant of you to jump the rabbit, and the more you jump rabbits for him the more he will rely on you. A good remedy for this is to take a chair out in the woods and sit it out totally ignore your dog dont talk to him or even look at him eventually he will take off. Now this is something that may not work the first time out and will take some patience but should do the trick

you can also try borrowing or buying a older pup trainer to take your dog with. just make sure it doesn't have too many faults and is a similar running style of your young dog. pull up a chair and dont jump any rabbits for that dog from now on. also do not sit on any paths or trails. young dogs are smart enough to realize trails are easier to run on than high weeds and multifora. good luck!

Running him with some seasoned hounds should help him out quite a bit. How old is he?

Carry a broom handle with you and when he comes in give him a reminder you don't want him there,not a big wack but enough to get him away from you without scareing him and he'll start wondering off and hunting. If you run him with other hounds he'll depend on them like he does on you to get the rabbit up or keep it going. Make him hunt and run him solo,he'll either like it or it may be time to get another hound.

Take a book With you..
Sit down on a nice comfy spot somewhere and start reading....
ignore the dog after a bit he will get bored with you and go start trying to find a rabbit to entertain himself.....when he comes back in Dont say squat just pretend he aint there and after a bit he will get the message.

cull hard

eddywilliams wrote:cull hard

That's the best advice i've heard on this board in a long while.
May not be politicaly correct, but all the beagle world would be better if we culled A few more hounds. There are people who claim the have never produced a cull from their stock of dogs.

Set your chair in the most likely spot for your dog to jump a rabbit. If you see a rabbit never put your dog on it just walk him to the general area and if see if he finds it. If he is at your feet when you see one get close and sit down or just stand still and ignor him. Older dogs are also good but a dog can become good all on its own.

Your problem is one that I have seen many times over the years. In my opinion the desire to hunt and jump a rabbit must be bred in the dog. I would much rather they would hunt and run a deer than not hunt and not run deer. You can break a dog from bad habits most of the time. I have never known a way to get a dog to hunt. I have seen my father and others kick them, throw them in the briars etc.. If they don't hunt after a fair shot with me then I don't waste my time on them. I will get rid of them period. I breed my dogs to hunt and hunt hard. They have the desire and love it. I want them to run a rabbit like the need it for supper. If they don't hunt and jump a rabbit then nothing else matters.

In your situation I would give the dog away as a pet. I am not a dog killer. Most will make someone a good pet. I would look for a dog that will hunt. Try before you buy. There's no way I would waste time on a dog like you described. A dog doesn't have to be perfect, there are none. There are some that will give you pleasure in hunting without all the agrivation.

i know this dog can run a rabbit , if i take my other dog out with him they both hunt real hard . it is only when i have just him with me that this happens . i feel like there is alot of good in him , i'm just having problems getting it out of him . thank you for your input , i will try some of what you all have said .

How old is this dog? If he is less than 4 months old his instincts are pulling him back to the safty of your feet. If he is older than 8 months, kick him to the curb. MEDIPHORICALLY SPEAKING!!!

This Absolutely sounds to me like a young beagle and it will take time.

How old is he? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that he's still young, if not young, just getting started?

I agree with windy hollow,sounds like a young dog. The dog needs to build its confidence to get out and hunt from you.