The American Beagler Forum

I have a year and eight month old beagle and a two and a half year old the spot i run them is five minutes from my house so i like taking them every chance i get for a hour or two.
A guy at work said dont you rest them now and then i told him the more i can get them out the better.
Is there a too much he got me thinking.

when you are running them real heavy you should feed them accordingly...also some vitamins would be good for them...

If you are only running them 1 or 2 hrs then they should be fine as long as you feed them well. The guys that run 5-7 hours a day 7 days a week can over do it if they don't give the dogs muscles time to recover every now and then and don't feed them a quality food. Too much of anything ain't good.

JMHO

Big Dog

Prior to my retirement I was running no more than twice a week with two retired guys that was running four or more mornings weekly. At that time it was very noticeable that my dogs had more excitement and desire than my friends dogs. Now that I've retired and run dogs everyother day, my dogs excitement and desire has gone downhill. I've got better rabbit dogs but I miss what they lost.

Can you run a dog to much?

Not if they are trained to run daily. Some dogs have more endurance than others. I personally like dogs bred that can go all day.
I run mine a few hours about five days a week but when hunting we go from daylight til dark. Usually, they are still wanting to go when I put them back in the truck. This is something I try to breed for - desire and endurance.

If they are still hunting and running good - No, you haven't ran them too much.

I have hunted my dogs days in a row, all day long. You can see when a dog needs a break.
They won't hunt well, and start falling back in the race, and dropping out of tough checks.

1-2 hours a day - I thought everyone ran their dogs like that?
I wish I could run mine more.

That's not too much, however running in the same spot day after day can lead to some dogs getting to know the area so well that they lose some check control.My 11 month old was starting to search wider than usual for checks after running in the same spot 1 or 2 times a week for a few months. I took him to a new area the last 3 times out and now he loops back to the check as he should. One or two hours a day of running should be great fo a dog.

I agree.
I used to run my dogs at the same place by the house.
It got so that they would not hunt until they ran down by the bridge and jumped the rabbit that always stayed there.
I tried to hunt in from the back side of the property and they would take the path for 1/2 mile straight to the bridge.

After they looked for that rabbit (some times it wasn't there), they would start hunting other places.

I think as long as your dogs act like they are ready to go when you are, they should be fine. Just pay attention to how they act, it's usually a good indication that they might need a day off.

How many hrs. a day are you running them? If only a couple, they need more running time!!! If 1/2 day w/ no break in between, maybe a day off here or there would be good. Lately, mine are run every other day for a min. of 3-4 hrs. and are in good shape, I just wish I could run more!

I try to run mine solo for 3-4 hours a day 4 days a weeks and 1 will put them down 2-3 together once a week and give them sunday or friday off depends if i am going to a trial or not if you run a dog like this for a few months if you miss a day or two the next time you take them out they will hunt super hard.

If you are running 1-2 hours most your fine the only way i think you can run a dog to much is if you say had a really young pup and put alot of pressure on it to run with a pack with alot of foot for like 4-5 hours a day everyday and never shoot it rabbits i have seen a pup blow up like that she was 9 months old and was really an impressive prospect already had some UKC wins he ran her everyday with his best hounds and a few friends of his and one day he went to get her out of the box and she just wouldn't go if you go by the guy who owns hers house she runs around in the front yard now she won't hunt at all not one bit you take her out with other dogs she just sits at your feet he has tried everything she absolutly is done now.

Mine cant take 5 or 6 hours per day everyday. I guess I need me some IBOA beagles.