question about young male!!!

[jon cornett]

Ive got a young 8 month old male pup that just started. he has been ran in wild several times now, been gunned over and just loves a rabbit. Nice mouth and harks and packs well while running. Now the bad, he will not hunt with other 3 dogs, just follows along way back of them even if he follows at all. He is not hunting much at all and acts like he could care less. Now if another dog jumps one then he will join in and runs just fine with them. Like i said he harks and packs while running but doesnt want to stay with them while hunting. Sometimes he will just set down and look around like he is confused which he may be but in 20 years of rabbit hunting, raising and breeding my own pups, this is the first pup ive ever raised that did this. It is trying my patience to no end. At least he could go with other dogs cause he knows if they jump one he hears them and goes to them and runs with them. Im at my wits end, i kept two out of this litter and had them started and i kept him and im very dissapointed in them but i know not all pups turn out or maybe my patience isnt what it should be on pups but its like he has no desire to hunt with them and just lay back or sat down till they jump one then he is fine. any opinions out there? maybe i should put him up and see if he matures some, he has a super mouth, good line control and great in the check area and has gotten some checks on my old female. any opinions appreciated. jon cornett

[letumrun]

he may never hunt but i would say just give him some more time he is still very young.

[Casey Harner]

Ive got a young 8 month old male pup that just started. he has been ran in wild several times now, been gunned over and just loves a rabbit. Nice mouth and harks and packs well while running. Now the bad, he will not hunt with other 3 dogs, just follows along way back of them even if he follows at all. He is not hunting much at all and acts like he could care less. Now if another dog jumps one then he will join in and runs just fine with them. Like i said he harks and packs while running but doesnt want to stay with them while hunting. Sometimes he will just set down and look around like he is confused which he may be but in 20 years of rabbit hunting, raising and breeding my own pups, this is the first pup ive ever raised that did this. It is trying my patience to no end. At least he could go with other dogs cause he knows if they jump one he hears them and goes to them and runs with them. Im at my wits end, i kept two out of this litter and had them started and i kept him and im very dissapointed in them but i know not all pups turn out or maybe my patience isnt what it should be on pups but its like he has no desire to hunt with them and just lay back or sat down till they jump one then he is fine. any opinions out there? maybe i should put him up and see if he matures some, he has a super mouth, good line control and great in the check area and has gotten some checks on my old female. any opinions appreciated. jon cornett

Putting him up in the kennel won't do anything for him Jon. I'd take him out by himself and let him walk around...he might end up jumping a rabbit. Or even jump a rabbit for him and see what he can do. Putting him up in the kennel won't mature him up, only ground time will do that. My 02 cents.

[Anderson Upland Beagles]

he is young ! give him time you can put a dog out running sew he can hear it hold him on leash let him hear the run
see the other dog he will want to run trun him loose he may hark in

[jon cornett]

he is harking in and running with the other three dogs he just isnt hunting with them and could care less about going with them untill one of them jumps a rabbit. He is showing no hunt or desire till another dog jumps a rabbit then he will join the race and run. I have also took him out with one other old dog and he runs good just not hunting or staying with them in the cover. He has to play catch up when they jump one, meaning he has to run to them cause he wont stay up with them. He is either way behind or just setting looking around.

[Alabama John]

Jon,

He may be observing what you're doing and think that's what he is supposed to do too.

Is he sitting around close enough to you to be able to put a boot up his butt?

I think he's liking your company to theirs. Make him like being with the other dogs more fun that being with you. Absolutely do not pet him or speak softly to him.

Come to a brush pile or real thick briar patch, grab him by the collar and throw him as far in it as you physically can. May not jump one going in, but may jump one coming out!

[Anderson Upland Beagles]

Jon,

He may be observing what you're doing and think that's what he is supposed to do too.

Is he sitting around close enough to you to be able to put a boot up his butt?

I think he's liking your company to theirs. Make him like being with the other dogs more fun that being with you. Absolutely do not pet him or speak softly to him.

Come to a brush pile or real thick briar patch, grab him by the collar and throw him as far in it as you physically can. May not jump one going in, but may jump one coming out!

[jon cornett]

to be honest he isnt even walking by me or following me just walking along way behind other dogs or just setting around looking like a idiot. He is a great looking dog and has a huge mouth and runs a line great but this is nuts. Ive never had a pup male or female act like this in the field im afraid if i put a boot up his butt then i will ruin him for good, not that he is any good now. jon c.

[mobeagle]

. Is he penned with any of the dogs your hunting him with. I've done that before penned a dog with another that will hunt hard thats my go to move! Thats my recomendation. Put him in with your hardest hunter.

[beagledogxxx]

Sounds like a self confidence issue. I'd solo the heck out of him before giving up. Good luck.

[snowhound]

1) dogs aren't robots. Within a litter each and every dog can be different to some degree. Just like your children, they aren't all the same either
2) how old are the dogs you are running him with? If they are older, and he's not penned with them, for sure he'll be insecure for while
3) remedy: never run a young dog with older dogs. They leave nothing for him to solve and gain confidence, rather all he winds up doing is run after them all day. We never run dogs that young with older dogs. The only time you can brace him is with an older, slower dog, that will leave something for the young one to do and use whichever innate skils the pup may have.
4) if you have dogs of the same age, pen him with those, run him with those.
5) patience, he's only 8 month old.
Good luck and hope this helps?
Frieda Krpan
Branko's Beagles

[fulcount]

Snowhound is right give him the time to gain confidence with younger dogs and a dog that lets him get something done
NEVER KICK A DOG OR THROW HIM IN THE BRUSH!!!

[Anderson Upland Beagles]

run him with the same calibar go in the brush your self and call ..em..in with you sooner or later he will find out why
hunt him kill some rabbits with sew he know why you want him to find ..em....

[warddog]

Although this is a young dog it would appear to me that if it was in his breeding he would have "some" desire to hunt at 8 months old. This is exactly why we went to a line that posseses hunt. We had bought many dogs in this area that could and would run a great rabbit BUT had little to no hunt to go find one themselves. Once we switched to the Ranger Dan breeding we absolutely do not have a problem with hunt and that is a must in these thick mine properties of southern Indiana. I'm getting too old and fat to bust through that brush. As I said he's young and may come out of it but it appears to me that he just didn't get that desire gene even if others in the litter did and that's the most important thing that I look for in a pup. I figure I can work with them on many other issues BUT if they lack the desire to do something I can't help or correct them with that.

[jon cornett]

thanks for all the comments. I agree with warddog. This male has ran and will run with my older dogs, either just one of them or the other three. He does very well when he runs, staying up with them, running within the pack never in the back and getting some checks. He just doesnt want to hunt or stay hunting with the other dogs. Heck he doesnt want to even walk along with the other dogs he just lays way back moping around or setting around looking like a idiot. As soon as one jumps he will go to them and hark in and run with them the whole time. I dont think he has any desire or hunt. Like i said, ive never had a pup do this in 15 years of breeding some pups myself, at least all others ive had will go with other dogs and stay with them the whole time but this is awful. He would rather set in the field or just mope along in the field by himself and not go to the other dogs unless they open. I dont hunt like this. We pack hunt, 3 to 6 dogs or more depending who goes with us. Ive had pups run and stay with other dogs as young as 5 months old and yes he is penned up with my other dogs. This is a big male pup and i run a medium speed dog so its not like they are running off and leaving him either and he can stay with them and get his own. I just think he dont have it (desire, hunt). Now he has also been gunned and is nuts about a dead rabbit also.