10 DOGS IS IT POSSIBLE

[deerhost]

I feel a dog needs both some solo time when they are just started and some pack work. I feel a pup can learn a little faster to circle its own rabbit if its given some solo trips. Of course with brace and pack work. I don't think just throwing a pup or young dog into a pack of ten every time out is the way to go. They don't get enough of the track as a young dog to become well rounded. I feel eventually they will but it takes longer. I feel running a young dog or pup brace, with two other dogs and in small packs gives the young dog more access to the line so that it can at least progress into a finished dog a little faster. Thats just my opinion. Gosh, what kind of beaglers are we if we throw every pup into a pack of ten and let it sink or swim. Give the young dog a chance to learn something. My uncles and family trained dogs like that in the past just throwing them into a huge pack. Every so often they would get a pup that was exceptional and would shine, but most dogs turned out to be just average dogs that needed a whole pack to circle a rabbit , some would blow up and like I said, every blue moon they would get one that would stand out........Deerhost

[Beagle Huntsman]

Sure 10 is possible. With the right bloodlines and a little time to train them, I would even say it is relatively easy. Try keeping whole litters until you get enough that run alike. Stick to the same bloodlines and outcross only as a last resort. The more related your hounds are, the more they are likely to run the same way.

I run 16-18 every time I go. I never solo them because I want my hounds to think like a pack, not like individuals. Because they are used to running in a pack, they want to stay in a pack, so I get fewer splits, and splits don't last long when they do occur. After 30 years plus with the same bloodlines, mine are very similar in the field.

Anyone interested in a pack should attend the National Beagle Club's Pack Trials in the spring or fall. You can get a lot of good ideas and inspiration there.

[S.R.Patch]

Anyone interested in a pack should attend the National Beagle Club's Pack Trials in the spring or fall. You can get a lot of good ideas and inspiration there.

I bought a couple of 1913 American Field Magazines an they were talking about them NBC field trials in thar....

[jason38]

Well if you don't hunt close to roads and have no wife and have a lot of time on you're hands I would say you could run 20 dogs together I run three at a time during the off season but when rabbit season comes in its all dogs to the field no dog is left behind dogs learn better soloing or with no more then pack of three from what I can tell.

[TC]

It can be Done!!! If ya ever get a chance Do like Huntsman says and go watch the pack trials You will be amazed how well a good pack works together for One goal CATCH the PREY If you ever get the chance go watch the Woodpont hounds run they Will leave an impression!! With Lots of work and careful study and consistant breeding you can get there!!

[bigdogpace]

MAYB IM JUST UNLUCKY IVE RAN SAME BLOODLINES FOR 17 YRS I DID LET SOME NICE FEMALES GET AWAY FROM ME AND IT HURT MY BREEDING PROGRAM I DO SOLO SOME PUPS AND THEY R NOT PUT UNDER PACK PRESSURE UNTILL AROUND AYR. OLD . BUT IM SAYING ITS HARD TO GET 10 FAST LINE RUNNIN CLEAN DOGS N 1 PACK THAT HONOR EACH OTHER NO EXTRA MOUTH I HATE EXTRA MOUTH ITS NOT IMPOSSIBLE BUT FOR ME ITS A HARD TO DO OUT OF LAST 3 LITTERS IVE NOT ADDED BUT 1 PUP TO PACK .I JUST BRED BEST FEMALE I EVER PUT ACOLLAR ON SHE LOST ALL 8 PUPS NO MILK . WAITING ON ANOTHER FEMALE NOW TO COME N SHE AGOOD ONE TOO . MAYB SHE WILL B MY SALVATION THANKS FOR ALL THE INPUT I APPRECIATE YOUR THOUGHTS THEY MEAN ALOT TO ME.

[mobeagle]

One thing here confuses the hell out of me. And I certainly mean no disrespect to anyone here, but why would anyone want to run a 10 dog pack in the first place. Hell if you're just rabbit hunting in the woods to run them back to a gun one good dog will do the trick. Look I run big dogs but a hound is a hound. I run 2 or 3 dogs 90% of the time. I hear this stuff about they compliment each other where ones weak the others strong......wth does that mean? From what I read that means people are keeping incomplete hounds, and one dog does this and another dog does that? Why not just cull those and keep only a complete dog. Sure this will upset someone but I just dont understand this. Alot of the old timers I know would laugh at me if I told them I run this pack of 5 dogs because they compliment each other well. Every dog I turn loose better be able to jump, track, pickup a check and do it all in a timely manner or it'll take a dirt nap. An old man told me years ago two things that I took to heart. He said never be satisfied with what you have always look to get better, and never keep anything that doesnt do everything you want it to do and eventually you find yourself with some good dogs. Hope this doesnt ruffle any feather jmo on the subject.

[Haire-Bear]

Why would anyone run 10 or more hounds? BECAUSE it's awesome to hear and watch a pack of compatible hounds run its game. I run 99% in the large pack on hare trials and hunt 99% hare, usually 6-8 hounds. We forget our hounds are pack hounds. I don't have time to solo hounds and own 4-6 at a time. I see hounds that are rabbit machines when alone...drop 1/2 doz. hounds down and they can't handle the pressure and they come unglued. All my hounds that i have now are related except 1, but she slid in seamlessly. The hounds sort each other out and you can watch pack dynamics take over. I like to mix up to some degree..drivers and checkers....it makes for an exciting hunt. Some say if you have the " checkers " you dont need the more drive hound..maybe but it's more fun to watch and listen to. And my "drive" hounds are just a touch more in the pack. I judged a bunch of lp-h and it's awesome to watch when you pick up a few disruptive hounds and a pack leader emerges and she strings out the pack, like a train going thru the swamps and dry ground. Saw NLPC/FC Nemasket's Big Spring do such a thing the first time I judged her and said gotta get me some of that! And so I did. Run what ya brung and enjoy. Campbell

[Beagle Huntsman]

Thanks TC! Merry Christmas to you and JC.

mobeagle: Ideally, every hound in the pack would be a good one, maybe not great, but good enough to do well should they be hunted alone. So it's not a pack full of specialists that we strive for, but instead a pack in which every hound can contribute to the jumps, driving, and checks. If you ever watch a pack like that perform, you will understand why we do this. As Haire says, it is awesome to watch. Makes you start to feel sorry for the rabbit! And makes you wish every day that you had more time to hunt.

[rabbitearl]

I agree mo,but the sound sure dose sound good and you would not believe the hunters that I ve seen thinks the more beagles you ve got the better they run.(smelling nots good today,or rabbit gone to a hole)I ve dont know how many times I ve said that.I ve seen a lot that cannot put 4 dogs together and I am one of them.You can have all the bloodline you want and alot just can t put a pack together.I remember in the late 80s we had a pack of 12 and we kill 125 rabbits at a place,some would think we had good dogs.No not at all they were alright.Go somewere that they want that many rabbits, you would want to cull eveyone of them.When we hunt we just had to go were they were lots of rabbits.It justs got harder an harder to find these places.After about 12 years of this I relize It want all the dogs an it want the smelling or hole it was me an somemore that hunting with me.We just didnot know what we were doing.few years these men stop hunting But I justs stay in for 38 years and at the last 12 years i had the best pack I ve every had( 6 pack).Lucky i would say.I dont have any dogs now.Its just hard to put a pack togeter.A lot of work.Oh by the way in the late 80s I ve build my first rabbit pen and took these same dogs and solo them and run in pack of two or three and would blieve that i would have a great pack of dogs.Nope same thing.I just starter over.I know some guys that can put 10 together,but not me.I can t do it.I just don t have that EYE.

[Alabama John]

I know some packs around here that have an unbelievable working together to bring the rabbit around pack.

Talk about cooperation among dogs, these have it.

Some run to catch, some lag back to pickup any overruns or way back in case it doubles back, some run ahead of the pack 20 yards cutting back and forth silently hoping to see the rabbit and then open to pull the pack before a check occurs and when near a road run silently to the road and watch for the rabbit to cross to keep the pack from having a bad check in case it was to run down a hard to get the scent road. Some run silently off to each side 10-20 yards with their heads in the air looking for the rabbit in case it turns their way then pick up that track and start opening to pull the others to it.

Now, training and breeding for a pack that will be able to think and work together like this takes an old timer with unbelievable training skills!

very few can do it!!!!!

[gwyoung]

I have seen quite a few packs like that , I see it fairly often on videos posted on beagle forums, at trials and on occasion while hunting I will meet up with others running one of these well put together packs that are covering every possible scenario. Invariably, Others will be making comments about how good they are doing, I thought this was bred into them, but it is actually a matter of training? I guess I just don't have the talent for it, my hat is off to folks who can do it, actually and I don't want to minimize your training skills but it seems that a lot of folks have caught on to your method, are you training beaglers as well as beagles. maybe I could sign up! PS, If you could only teach me one thing I would like for you to show me how to train my dogs to keep going straight for fifty yards when the rabbit turns, I know they are doing this in case the tricky rabbit cuts back into the line he was running at 100'-150' on out. I notice this is quite desireable in a hound but in thirty years of breeding and training I have been a complete failure at this very desireable trait, not one hound ever learned it.

[yoteslayer]

I laughed when I saw the first post because im wondering if I can figure out how to get one dog to work like I want.... I wish I had as much time as some of you apparently do. I have a hard time finding enough time to give one dog enough attention let alone 10. I sent my male pup on a week or two vacation to WIsconsin to hopefully learn how to run on snow and in a pack. He has been circling his own rabbit for a few months, and on Saturday wouldnt leave my side as a pack was running. The most discouraging thing to see is a pup capable of running a rabbit stand on his head like an idiot while the other hounds hunt. Im on a quest for one great dog, im almost to the point where im looking into buying a $1000 2 year old thats been run like crazy. Good luck on your quest for 10!!!

[bigdogpace]

WELL FOR YRS I OWNED FROM 10 TO 20 FOXHOUNDS THEY RAN AFOX WITH ONE THING IN MIND TO OVERTAKE AND CATCH AND THAT THEY DID . SOME WERE BETTER THAN OTHERS MOSTLY BECAUSE OF AGE BUT THEY ALL WORKED TOGEATHER TO CATCH THE FOX . BUT IM HAVEING AHARD TIME GETTING 10 BEAGLES TOGEATHER TO WORK AND RUN IN AMANNER TO CATCH ARABBIT IHAVE 4 DOGS THAT R GOOD AND 3 THATS COMING ALONG AND YOUNG DOGS READY TO START I KNOW HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THIS GOAL BUT GETTIN THE RIGHT DOGS IS NUMBER 1 AND I CANT SEEM TO DO IT U GUYS GOT SOME GOOD POINTS AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE INPUT TO ANSWER 1 ? WHY DO I WANT 10 DOGS TO ME THE MORE THE MERRY . I GUESS IT COMES FROM BIG PACKS N FOX HUNTING BUT WHEN I WAS YOUNG WE RAN 10 TO 12 RABBIT DOGS AT ATIME WITH N PROBLEM . WE KILLED RABITS AND HAD SOME JAM UP RACES . THATS ALL I WANT NOW MAYB I WILL ACCOMPLISH THIS N DUE TIME I REALLY HOPE SO.

[Lee Cockman]

Come to the house. I can show you how bigdog. Breed and cull hard. It does work. Sometimes I may be guilty of culling to hard. I'm hard on a pup. I don't solo. May not have a trial dog but for sure. I hot a pack of gun dogs!