The American Beagler Forum

To go along with the other thread it got me to thinking this morning. I don't know that I really want a very competitive dog, I want a dog with intensity..........and to me they are two different things. I want a dog that searches with great desire to find the rabbit or a hot track...........I want that dog to run that line as fast as "it" can trying to get to that rabbit without letting the other dogs influence how it runs the track. I want a dog that goes SCREAMING after that jumped rabbit on a site chase and then drops it's nose to the ground when it loses sight of it because it wants that rabbit.

On the other thread we started talking about a "run to catch" type of dog but to me that has little to do with being competitive and has more to do with the dogs intensity about what it's doing in the first place. To me a competitive spirit is good to a point but if any dog lets any other dog influence it's ability to run a rabbit because it switches part of it's focus to what another dog is doing then it takes away from running the rabbit. You guys have all seen it, dogs that are intense all the time or dogs that just pick up their level of intensity when there are other dogs on the ground.

Tell me if I'm wrong but I'm thinking they are 2 different things.................and same as always, everything is good in moderation.

I want desire in my dogs also. I wouldn't want them to be too competive. Desire and competivenes are twin sisters. Desire makes a good wife while competiveness is like a hooker. A cheap thrill with bad effects that gets spread around.

Shotgun John wrote:I want desire in my dogs also. I wouldn't want them to be too competive. Desire and competivenes are twin sisters. Desire makes a good wife while competiveness is like a hooker. A cheap thrill with bad effects that gets spread around.

John thats good good stuff right there Donald

I call intense a 5min.run and there down on low blood! I can`t wait till spring!

I agree. I want a hound that just helps out the pack and just flat out run the rabbit. Too much competitiveness in a hound will lead to a lot of losses.