line control

[BigWoods]

As said, some dont mind a swinger or skirter and some do. Putting the type of line control in the ad helps narrow the dog down to ones preference and how they would fit into your pack I'd assume. Would you buy a dog to add to your pack with an ad that just says.....Beagle: will run a rabbit.

Some look for a certain type of mouth, some look for nose, some look for height, some look for speed, some only the color. Line control is just one of those traits some look for imo.

[Lee Cockman]

Line control or not. I have never owned a dog that could run a rabbit the same ever day. As well I have never seen anyone else with a dog that could.

I have ran with a bunch of dogs.

I really DONOT thank my dogs are line control fools. I would say descent line control.

When I run my hounds as a pack they are very few breakdowns if any that you could even get on a clock. Not saying they are the fastest out there! But they will be in the race with anything. As long as they circle mr bunny as many times as I need to get him killed or caught that is all I can ask for.

We have all seen dogs that can not run a rabbit 20 yds without a breakdown. That's not because they do not have line control. That is because they DO NOT have BRAINS. If you guys run dogs to be sure you know that.

[Dale Pea]

Jims last post say is all. I don't care if my dogs run the track or not. I want them to run the rabbit. If they happen to see the rabbit, should they run his track or cut across the woods to where they see him? Run the rabbit.

[LaMarr Rhoades]

without cheating (skirting,swinging,cutting,slashing) "accomplishment over style" but i want mine to do it right.

LaMarr, there's the part that I don't understand. Show me any breed standard books on beagles and prove that Skirting, swinging and cutting and slashing is cheating.
hounddog
Jim Umbarger

i said i want mine to do it right,not concerned with yours.i'm not trying to prove nothing to you in a beagle breed standard book.you ask a question and i gave my opinion.

[mybeagles]

Jim if all the dogs are swinging and skirting they won't have much if any accomplishment. Dogs must keep contact with the line to determine direction of travel. On great scenting days it's easy for a dog to swing or skirt and recapture the line which makes for fast runs, but during hunting season on snow when scenting is poor, the line can be lost and never recaptured.

Some take pride in hounds that can run in nearly all conditions, others are content with hounds that are really fast on "some" days and make excuses for the days the just cant keep one going.

Just because the dog is slower doesn't mean there an exceptional hound that can run in any conditions. However the extremely fast hounds have considerably more days when the scenting conditions are not suitable for their style.

This is why we have so many different styles of hounds, everybody has different tolerance levels.

[Lee Cockman]

Again it is not control it is Brains. A dog with brains will slow down and walk a track if need to. A dog with less brain will over run a track, skirt, reach or whatever you want to call it. It takes Brains to run a rabbit in most conditions! JMHO Nothing to do with Line Control.

[hounddog]

I guess I have proved my point! Different strokes for different folks.
Just trying to bring some life back to board. Man it got boring for a while.
Carry on my young troopers!

hounddog
Jim Umbarger

[Casey Harner]

Dogs who are more concerned on line control are less concerned about the rabbit...

I made my first cross a couple weeks ago, I knew who I wanted to breed for because of what I have seen out of him, I knew my bitch side well enough to know who I thought would match well with her. I was thinking through the whole process will this produce rabbit smarts. It's all about the brains in my opinion. We as humans we learn throughout life due to the failures and mistakes we make, we become smarter because of it. Dogs are the same, some learn it faster than others and some dont learn from their mistakes. I like a dog that can lock onto a track as well, one who not only can turn a 90 but ones who seem to have close contact with the rabbit. Do you call it brains or line control....?? I call it brains...

[fasttrackpa]

Again it is not control it is Brains. A dog with brains will slow down and walk a track if need to. A dog with less brain will over run a track, skirt, reach or whatever you want to call it. It takes Brains to run a rabbit in most conditions! JMHO Nothing to do with Line Control.

LOL Mr Lee, you just described to me what I consider the biggest part of having "line control"

I believe the dog that has the brains to slow down if needed, wanting to keep from overrunning, staying in place(not Skirting) Staying on the loss(not reaching) is doing what it takes to control the line....

[fasttrackpa]

without cheating (skirting,swinging,cutting,slashing) "accomplishment over style" but i want mine to do it right.

LaMarr, there's the part that I don't understand. Show me any breed standard books on beagles and prove that Skirting, swinging and cutting and slashing is cheating.
To me, they are running the rabbit and not the rabbit track.
Tracks don't fill my belly to well. Rabbits do!

hounddog
Jim Umbarger

I trial my hounds in AKC SPO and the traits that Mr Rhoades listed are definitely in the rule book as Faults, any one of them is considered "cheating" by the hound...just like getting a check and taking it away running mute.

[mybeagles]

Again it is not control it is Brains. A dog with brains will slow down and walk a track if need to. A dog with less brain will over run a track, skirt, reach or whatever you want to call it. It takes Brains to run a rabbit in most conditions! JMHO Nothing to do with Line Control.

I have never seen a hound with extreme speed that would slow down enough to walk in poor condition maybe I need to get out more

[BB Beagles]

In my opion, line control is a very important factor when it comes to beagles. The main thing is what kind of hound you like to run and hunt with. Some like them ole peanut rollers and some like run to catch. Me on a personal note I prefer run to catch, because I believe that what a hound is made and built for. It should be able to run as fast as they can threw the terrain and surroundings they are given. Alot of times you can get a hound that likes to run, but run RADICAL. Not saying you won't kill rabbits with them but you'll have alot more blowed up races. That's why solid line control is important. Alot of times dogs that are skirting or swinging are more focused on gaining the lead or playing ketchup with other hounds, because they lack self confidence in line control their self. Kinda like this for example: NASCAR race you got driver that work his way from the back, now he's in the lead. Guy behind him drafts him the whole race and just before the finish line pulls around and wins. Did he really deserve it, he really didn't work for it. He just relied on the front car. It depends on what you like to run, trial or gun hunt,but you need line control in your pack.

[Mikka]

I believe, line control has become important because most run dogs in pens. It does not take long for a dog or dogs to learn the rabbit will be taking a right turn at the last juniper bush and go for a hard right. Dogs will just cut the rabbit off before the last juniper and beat the rabbit on the run.
Beagles are smart and they will do that in no time. That is why a good dog should be run in the wild where there is no landmark for him/her to pace a rabbit and to learn to run the line. That is why line running is important outside a pen... this is my own opinion and what i know about beagling would fit in a small lunch bag.

[adirondackjoe]

i think if there were a contest to see whose dogs had the least amount of line control mine would win.

[Cooz's Beagles]

My dogs are on the edge, lock on smooth running w/o being slow...

I guess I always thought that a decent dog had to at least have some idea of line control or else the race would be full of breakdowns and more losses

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Kristina Cusimano
Cooz's Beagles
Cooz's Just Snoopin Around
Lone Pine Cooz's Swampin Sammi
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