The American Beagler Forum

Sorry if this is a stupid question but i am new to all this and a dedicatied info junkie. I will ask a lot of questions in hopes that when i start my son in trailing next year (hopefully) i will have a some what decent understanding of what is going on. So here is my question, What does it mean if a dog is rough or rough in the check area. I have seen this several times and i do not know the terms used in beagling just yet. Thanks for any info on this subject.

In my opinion a rough dog in the check area is mouthy (barking when not having scent or moving the track) not staying in the check area,whatever that area is to you,or in the type of trial you are competing in.Not everyone agrees on how wide the check area should be,some like it very small and close,others are ok with a wider ranging dog at the check.Alot want a dog that works close at first and then move out on larger circles.Al

what pine said

Thanks that helps me understand. I hope to get some of this lingo down! This is a great board for information and i want to say thanks to everyone for all their help. My youngest son is so excited about the thought of all this that it almost drives me nuts but hey he takes care of all the dogs on his own and works them by himself when i cant go so i would say for 11 years old when he figures it all out you boys better watch out!

Too rough means, my dog can't keep up and get any of the action.

A rough dog to me is one that always stays on the outside and does not know a check area. A dog that barks in the check area is mouthy too me not ruff.

ROUGH means the dog is not going where the rabbit went! This is a pretty simple job for the Beagle, go where the rabbit went. If the rabbit turns left dog should turn left, not right. If the rabbit turns right then the dog should turn right, not left. Just go where the rabbit went. Go fast or go slow but stay on the rabbit. If the rabbit turns don't keep going straight, dog should also turn. I was once told, run him fast or run him slow but always go where the rabbit went and you will get him killed. George

Barking in the check is a mouthy dog. A rough dog to me is a dog that does not have the brains and patience to look for the next track close to where it last smelled the rabbit. Instead it over runs and starts to wip and turn wide in hopes of hitting the line too far out in front of where it last had it. That to me is rough. The only thing worse is a dog that runs like that and then never has the brains to come back to the point of loss after it did not find the rabbit 30 or 40 yards out. Put 2 or 3 dogs like that together and you have have runs with 50 to a 100 yard drives with 10-15 minute checks at every turn.....deerhost

Staying in contact with the scent trail (the line). Some do this at a slow pace, some do it at a medium pace, few can do it at a fast pace. If a dog can't keep close enough contact with the scent trail to discern the direction of travel the rabbit took its "rough". Not all slow dogs keep contact with the line and not all fast dogs lose contact with the line. The faster a hound runs, the more skill it takes to maintain contact with the scent line and not be "rough".

Definitions of the word rough vary greatly depending on personal perception of what constant contact with the scent trail should be.

I have two female beagles that run very similar speeds on a track. One runs rough and the other runs smooth and both at approximately the same speed. The one that runs smoother is more talented than the one that runs rough.

Mybeagles

mybeagles wrote:Staying in contact with the scent trail (the line). Some do this at a slow pace, some do it at a medium pace, few can do it at a fast pace. If a dog can't keep close enough contact with the scent trail to discern the direction of travel the rabbit took its "rough". Not all slow dogs keep contact with the line and not all fast dogs lose contact with the line. The faster a hound runs, the more skill it takes to maintain contact with the scent line and not be "rough".

Definitions of the word rough vary greatly depending on personal perception of what constant contact with the scent trail should be.

I have two female beagles that run very similar speeds on a track. One runs rough and the other runs smooth and both at approximately the same speed. The one that runs smoother is more talented than the one that runs rough.

Mybeagles

But which one is the prettiest?

Mapel Valley Kennels LLC. wrote:A rough dog to me is one that always stays on the outside and does not know a check area. A dog that barks in the check area is mouthy too me not ruff.

+1

But which one is the prettiest?

Neither one of mine are "pretty" dogs. They both go back to Ranger Dan and one has Turbo blood as well so they have snipe noses and lack a little ear. I would go as far as to say they are not all beagle back in the pedigree even though they have registration papers.

Some of the faster bloodlines today obviously have some terrier or fiest in there....

Mybeagles

Pretty dogs are nice to look at. What counts is how they run. Of course I would take a nice looking dog any day that can also run a rabbit well. But I haven't found any like that yet.

My Speedy Sport female Katie is the second place dog in the bottom photo. She is lacking ear, has a small head a snipe nose and looks to be about 11 3/4 inches but she will never leave my kennel......DH

A rough dog generaly has a tendency to overrun the track then instead of hustling back to the point of loss will loop out and look for track.This has a tendency to get worse with age and the more they get beat, some get so bad they will run on the outside of a pack in hopes of cutting the track.The only way to fix it is to solo or to run the dog with another dog that doesnt pressure him.I pesonaly like a dog that runs the line with power and accuracy with enough scence to gear down if he has to.If you got to reach or guess you better guess right.usally the way a young dog runs when he first starts is the way he runs when older.

Hey thanks to everyone for the info! Thats why i love this site. Good people and good info.