What do you consider a good dog?

[Tonyallen83]

I have been following these posts and have realized that as hunters we differ a great deal on some traits that our dogs display. I'm curious on what the beagle world considers a good dog? What is your it factor what traits turn you on and what traits make you sick. How do you start your pups and what must they do to be keepers. At what age do most of you give up on them and what are some of your training techniques?

[Casey Harner]

I cannot stand a hound, who over runs the line and keeps opening up. Shows me he/she has a lack of brains. I love a hound who can turn with the rabbit, make it look easy. I also like to see a hound shut up in the check or when the hound over runs the line, he shuts up.

If I start a pup at 5-6 months and they haven't improved on their hunt say by nine months or ten months, they go. If they hunt hard, I will keep them until they make me think other wise of keeping them....

[Tonyallen83]

Although I am not as interested in a so called front end dog as some of my family and hunting buddy's I do want my hou ds to push a rabbit when they can,it's just really difficult to find a dog that is fast and runs the line correctly. I caint tolerate dropping out of the race and cutting the pack off or dogs that won't bark unless they are on the front. I want a dog that flies with it's head up and runs the line turning when the rabbit turns is there such a thing?

[PREACHERS KENNEL]

1- A DOG WITH BRAINS .knows when to bark and when to shut up..
2-hunt hard hunt .
3-good speed.
4- not trashy ,not gunshy ,,gives plenty of m outh ..
5- gears ,, can run fast ,but also can slow walk it if need be . so= good nose.//
6- did i mention hunts hard lol..
7- handles good , quiet in kennel.

thats what i keep all others go elsewhere. ..

[See low]

i myself have several must to keep a hound.. they must be able to circle a rabbit at the speed of at least 7 or 8. but. the faster the better.. to see a dog constantly runnin with its head down is like watchin paint dry to me...i can deal with a dog that doesnt hunt really hard but it cannot stand under my feet.....i cannot stand extra mouth but they have to bark good when there rockin...mouth is important but not a must...if my dog aint lookin at the rabbit.. i want to be tryin to... little things please me as well ..like, not ever turning his water pan over,,, or loading himself from the kennel and unloading and going strait to the kennel...i want a dog that keeps me excited bottom line....

[See low]

and i forgot to mention,,,,, i dont day hunt much at all,,,, but i cannot own a dog that is gunshy or if it has dew claws or over bite or under bite....

[#1beaglesNeil]

1 Extreme hard hunt 2 Very hard hunt 3 Brains,one that knows how to run a rabbit,knows when to walk an when to push. TONY, Keep looking for what you like,and dont worry about anybody else.Enjoy this great sport the lord has give us to enjoy, and dont worry about ( see-low) train-wreck .But that just me, call me Tony and we're go hunting and have some good running on a dry time.

[dog]

a dog that will hunt and find its own rabbit , circle it in a timely manner , can circle it again in a timely manner , loves the gun , dont run off game , handles good and has good kennel manners , dont take much to make me happy , im generaly a pretty patient person when it comes to my hunting but i will say this , no matter how good a dog is it better have the last 2 things i mentioned it it will go , absolutly nothing i hate more than a dog that dont mind , if it dont listen and handle it will be gone quick ! i will give a dog all the time i feel it needs , wether it be 3 years or 6 months , every dog is different . i finally give up on a male i had at a little over 3 yrs old , that dog was everything i ever wanted in a rabbit dog ,he was my dream dog in every way , the only fault the dog had was he wouldnt run with more than a couple dogs , if there was more than 2 other dogs down with him he would go find his own rabbit to run , if he jumped it he would stay till the end , no matter how many dogs there were , but he would not honor a bigger pack , it absolutly broke my heart to get rid of him , still does when i think about it and i think about it alot , regret it everyday !

[bucks better beagles]

The dogs that you folks describe, how many of you own one? Are they hard to find? Do you settle for less? If you can't find the ideal, what do you look for?

[augerhead]

To me most of what is being mentioned is a given, Hard hunt, running a rabbit ect. .I would like to hear what you like, what makes the dogs you keep special to you. To me its all about the thrill, the rush, a dog that stands out from the rest. It doesn't have to be the fastest dog around but he has to stand out, maybe a super mouth,or the way he moves dead run or what ever. Lots and lots of dogs hunt good and can keep a rabbit going, a good dog to me has to have some thing that makes him special.

[Tonyallen83]

Auger head I understand what you are saying about something special. I caint really put my finger on it but I have had only two young dogs in the last 15 years that excited me. They were different in a lot of ways but I liked them both. Due to jealousy and envy my hunting partners caused me to get rid of the first one and he ended up making a field champion up north so my judgment was correct on him. I refuse to let them pollute this one and we will see how he finishes my guess will be rabbit dog.

[littlewoody]

I think most guys here are to impatient to let tbe hound fully develop. To find out it's full potential in life. That would be at age two.

[augerhead]

Neil, extreme hunt and very hard hunt are number one and number two, brains number three what does that mean. Are you saying if he hunts extremely hard really hard thats the main factors that make a good dog. I think you want more than that, you and I have owned alot of dogs if it was that simple we wouldn't be lookin all the time. And whats wrong with seelow, I don't think Tony is worried at all about seelow. They like a little different style dog maybe, but seelow is far from a train wreck. Those brothers spend to much time trying to make the others dogs look bad. Old Seelow has had some pretty good dogs over the years so has Tony, I haven't seen either off them think too much of the others dog. Just brotherly love, if Seelow owned old conflict I think he would think a little more of him, and heck Tony owned stubby and thought enough of him to get a lot of money out of Seelow.

[Tonyallen83]

Neil, SeeLow definitely claims to prefer a different type of dog than you and I. But some people are bad to promote what they have. I believe He truly wants the same kind of dog as we do and most other hunters do as well but dont worry about me I'm pretty hard headed so I will continue promoting the type of hound I think is best suited for my type of hunting. There are these types of hounds out there I've seen them.

[augerhead]

Tony, I would say the chances are good, sure has some good qualities run him bub put him up with the best you know of his ready. If he has got what it takes to make you can't stop him, the cream will come to the top.