UNIFORM PACK

[rabbitsmoker]

Is there anybody as picky as i am on having a uniform pack what im saying is i like all of mine close in the same size 121/2-13 inch i like for them all to have outstanding mouths and the same speed i like them all to have same type of nose The reason i ask this the guy i hunt with has a pack 12-15 in some little cold nose and some faster and some slower I know i have seen viedos on here where thier races at full cry thier dogs was scatterd from the lead dog to the back dog 40 foot That is the way my buddies dogs are there good dogs but totally not equal to me he has 2 or 3 different styles of dogs maybe im just to picky

[mybeagles]

I like a uniform pack, but my pack never consists of more than 2-3. I sold a real good Shooter pup this spring because she was just too fast for my other female. The faster your pack is, the harder it is to get uniformity. You don't get fast hounds that slot up, they are usually very competetive.

Mybeagles

[rabbitsmoker]

Yeh your right i have 6 and run 4 they run 7-8 on speed but have good line control dont swing that makes them look slower than they really are but i can take any 4 and a different one is in the front bout every check

[bill huttozac]

Rabbitsmoker- So...... what is the point you are tryimg to make? Sounds like what you have and what you would like to have is miles apart.

[DINGUS MAN]

When mine are running you could throw a blanket over them all they are tightly packed and i like it too.

[rabbitsmoker]

When mine are running you could throw a blanket over them all they are tightly packed and i like it too.

Thats the way it should be getting a pack togather like that is a battle I got it now but geting all the same size wasnt easy

[beaglerof4]

I am very picky over my pack. They better be working together or i will find the weak link and send it packing. I dont have dogs that slot up but they do run very similar speeds and style so they dont get behind each other to far. Now that i have found my opinion of a perfect pack for me i am going to start line breeding and inbreeding to get exactly what i want everytime.

[TOBY]

For me I like EM rough. Maybe a little uniform but for the most part I want all my dogs fighting for the front but slot up when need be. I would describe it like rock and roll. Total chaos but everything in sync.
So to answer the question. I'm not really concerned with them being uniform.

[rabbitsmoker]

You know for the most part just about all rabbit dogs are competive even slow dogs are but when you get up the scale on speed its harder to find them that will slot i dont have that trouble because my dogs arent real real fast i would say 7 7.5 but you put them with 8-9 speed they will do what they can to stay up I like mine to be so close you can cover them with a blanket I seen a clip on here which i enjoy watchin but from what i seen the pack was a 5-8 on speed that would be quiet a margine to me

[Mo. Beagler 5000]

I only have two running dogs right now so I guess my "pack" isn't much but No way could you throw a blanket over them unless they are in a check or smelling each others A88es before the hunt...

sometimes one will get in front and flat out haul and then they will get in some dense brush and the other one will take off like lightning...

It would be neat to see but i think the faster and faster of dogs you get the harder uniformity comes by..

[littlewoody]

Yeh your right i have 6 and run 4 they run 7-8 on speed but have good line control dont swing that makes them look slower than they really are but i can take any 4 and a different one is in the front bout every check

What bloodline do you run?

[bill huttozac]

A "uniform pack", often referred to as a "level pack" is an extremely difficult goal to reach. The term is all encompasing with each quality being equal; , ability, size, color and markings, speed, hunt, check work, mouth, competiveness and disposition. In short, one being identical to the other in all aspects. In my entire life time, I have only observed not more than three so called "uniform packs" and in my opinion there was not a single good dog among them. The main reason being that too many of the better qualities were sacrificed in order to make the pack uniform. These packs ran about a 5 in speed, had any of the pack members been any faster, I do not think that the pack would have held together. Those packs reminded me of the Brace style hounds of years past.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

I've heard that term"throw a blanket over them" as long as I've been in beagles.The problem for me is that when ever I've seen those type of hounds that you could "throw a blanket over" when running they are moving much too slow for the kind of hound I prefer.
My hounds pack up good [not slot up ],hark to each other immediately honoring their packmates find/claim and definetly run as a pack and I would consider them all quite uniform.They are uniformly fast and hard hitting but when searching to jump a rabbit they are strictly individual effort and quite often in several different directions.
I'm sure some of you have heard the term "head and tailing" a pack? This refers to your fastest and your slowest hound and having to eliminate them from your pack if you are trying to have the smoothest running pack [most evenly matched ] that you can.Obviously you will ALWAYS have a hound that is the regular front runner and the one that seems to always be the caboose and as long as they are not WAY out front or WAY in the rear this is usually no problem.But,if your scenario is one of having a U.B.G.F. type hound in with a pack of Large Pack on Hare or Mid-West hounds or vise-versa well it's not going to work.
My pack runs well together because I've line bred them and as a result they are very similar in their appearance,running style,noses,voices,personalities,etc.Not saying that every one of them is a carbon copy and fits the bill but they come much closer to being what I want in the kennel.

[rabbitsmoker]

Yeh your right i have 6 and run 4 they run 7-8 on speed but have good line control dont swing that makes them look slower than they really are but i can take any 4 and a different one is in the front bout every check

What bloodline do you run?

I run line bred gay and haunted hill cross they run 7-8 speed hadnt owned a pack in a while that could run that hard and stay as close togather as they do with hunt and drive but ther mostly litter mates or mom and pups i have 4 generations of my own to get what i like thats a 1st for me they look like a train when drivin a rabbit and are long ways from being slow When culling i measure my keeper pups on which one does the best job running a rabbit solo some look good in apack but not worth a dime running alone i think thats where you get your best pack when each one in that pack can run the heck out of a rabbit solo And i dont consider a uniform pack having the same kind mouth just outstanding mouth screaming high pitched hair raising mouth which is something you get get from haunted hills that is one reason i chose that cross

[Beagle Huntsman]

I wish some of you fellows could see my pack. There are probably as uniform as they come, but I have bred for 30 years to get them. I generally run 16-18 at a time, go out alone, and always in big country, never in enclosures. They are as deer-proof as they come, and I test that every time out. They are linebred, black and tan, and nearly impossible to tell apart at any distance unless you know them very well, and even then it is hard. They drive their rabbits enough that I seldom get chases of more than an hour because the rabbits will find a hole to keep from being caught.

I think the key to a uniform pack is having them all the same speed so that you have no leader and no hounds dragging in the rear. The best way to do this is have them all bred alike. In my pack, there is no leader and no "anchor". At any given moment, you may see any of them leading or in the rear. Most of the time, I have several leaders, all striving for the front. I hate the term "slot up". Hounds that are content to "slot up" may give you a nice smooth, easy chase, but they do not put pressure on their game the way my hounds do and give chases to make your hair stand on end at times.

If this type of hunting interests you and you want to read more, you can check out my website at www.woodpontbeagles.com. There you will find pictures and accounts of chases to tell you more.