need some help with my hunting beagle

[Donaye37]

hey im brand new to the forum. i just got a new beagle puppy about two weeks ago. shes 9 weeks and i want her either for rabbit or fox, probably rabbit since ill be hunting in washington. i live 9 months out of the year in cheney on the eastside of the state for college, but im from kent. i am training her myself and im pretty new to the varmit scene so i would love any help available. also i would love to get in contact with any other beaglers in WA or any places people go to hunt rabbit or fox or even have field trials. i just would love to have her as a good hunting dog but i need a little help. thanks.

[Machias]

Very few fox in eastern WA, there are a few but not many and most I would say are down in the south central part of the state.  There is a decent cottontail and snowshoe hare population.  Right now I would let her be a pup and socialize her with people and other dogs.  Just make sure she is UTD on her shots and I wouldn't get her around other dogs for at least 2 or 3 months to keep her from parvo.  I would take her on walks in lots of varied terrain.  Once she starts getting bolder and really starting to explore then I would continue to work on her socialization skills and now I would work on her handling skills.  Come, sit, heel, load up.  I would also start playing a game with her, get some good rabbit scent from Grawes or other reputable scent dealers and put some on a rag and then just let her chase it.  Play with her and the rag and play keep away, not tug of war.  Then start dragging it short distances and hide it.  Lots of praise when she finds it.  Don't be in a big hurry for results, just slow and steady and consistent handling.   I would also talk to some guys about introducing gunfire properly.  Don't forget to let her be a pup and don't be heavy handed.  Good luck and share some photos.

[Donaye37]

Thanks so much. Ya shes already gun trained and very good with her nose. I make her track hot dogs by dragging them threw heavy grass. Shes all caught up with her shots and isnt around other dogs alot either. Are u saying I might as well have her for rabbit instead of fox cuz ill have more hunting opportunities? Where are place to hunt rabbit? do you know where others might hunt with their beagles. The rabbit scent is a great idea thanks.

[Donaye37]

Hey your really closr to me in just in cheney I go to ewu

[Machias]

Trust me, she's NOT gun trained yet and you can ruin her pretty quick if you do it wrong, just saying.  Yep we are purt near neighbors.  There are fox in WA, but I bet you could hunt her for the next four years and never find one...so yea rabbits is probably a better bet for her and you.  There are a couple of guys on here that run beagles.  I can show you a couple of cottontail spots and some snowshoe spots, I'll send you a private message.

[NRA4LIFE]

Do what Fred said.  I raised beagles when I was young and we pretty much adhered to almost exactly what he layed out.  Except we didn't use scent.  We caught live rabbits and put them in a harness I constructed and paraded them around our property.  Then let the pup go on the trail.  Eventually we just let them out of the trap and let the pup go nuts.

[beagledog]

nice looking pup
I would wait until she is a little older say about 5 or six months before you start running the dog on scents.As far as my experience there is nothing better than using a fresh rabbit hide to train them and let them get the scent. Beagles have been breed to run rabbits and they are not much different than other hunting breeds as if the have the hart you can not stop them. It will come naturally to them. That being said it will take some runs before they catch on to what is going on. You will be able to almost see the light bulb come on when it all clicks for them. I f you have any other questions just ask and I d be glad to help.Could probably even meet up with you this fall and let your dog run  in some of my honey holes

[dawei]

FWIW, I have been hunting over Beagles for 48 years. I shoot a lot of pheasant and rabbits over my dogs every fall and winter.

I have never heard of hunting fox with beagles but I suppose you could do it. If I had a dollar for every time someone laughed at me for hunting pheasant with my beagles I could buy a new truck LOL! Be that as it may I harvest 40-50 pheasant every year with my beagles; they are EXCELLENT PHEASANT HUNTERS.

Beagles are first and foremost, RABBIT HUNTERS. Believe it or not but, in the southern US folks hunt deer with hounds! Back in the day, 1970's & 80's, I was stationed in Virginia and learned to hunt deer in front of hounds with shotgun and buckshot. It was very much like rabbit hunting; fast shooting and very close.

If you want to train your dog on pheasant work your dog alone. Use a training dummy and pheasant scent. The best way to train your pup on bunnies is to run her with other beagles.

I'll be glad to help you with your pup. Sent you a PM w/email and phone.

[Donaye37]

Thank you guys so much. Ive searched everywhere on the internet and hunting washington forum seem where I need to be. So pretty much right now let her be a pup and scent track hot dogs to get her nose working, get some rabbit scent on her toys and just play with her with them and then when she geta older introduce live rabbits and other hunting beagles for her to learn off of?

[Donaye37]

also machias the breeder said thet gun trained the whole litter but I dont know if that info was so that I would buy the pup even more from them or true. But dont want her gun shy so what should I do to find out if she is or not, and if she isnt do I just slowly but periodically start shooting guns around her to get her use to it

[dawei]

also machias the breeder said thet gun trained the whole litter but I dont know if that info was so that I would buy the pup even more from them or true. But dont want her gun shy so what should I do to find out if she is or not, and if she isnt do I just slowly but periodically start shooting guns around her to get her use to it.

Don't do anything now. The way I train my dogs to the gun is as follows........

• at 4-6 months I take them to the skeet range and leave them in the truck with the windows about an inch open. The following week I tie them to the bumper, each week I bring them closer to me; until ultimately they are right beside me.

[hunter93]

i had a problem with my walker pup being gun shy, so i would stand about 50 yrds away from him and shoot a 22, i would do this everytime he ate, and i would not give himhis food until i shot a round or to then i would give him it and shot a few more, that way he learns that when i start shooting something good will happen, then i would move closer and closer. it took a little bit but now i can shoot a foot away from him all da and he will just sit there and not run off like he use to.

[BIGINNER]

also machias the breeder said thet gun trained the whole litter but I dont know if that info was so that I would buy the pup even more from them or true. But dont want her gun shy so what should I do to find out if she is or not, and if she isnt do I just slowly but periodically start shooting guns around her to get her use to it.

Don't do anything now. The way I train mt dogs to the gun is as follows........

• at 4-6 months I take them to the skeet range and leave them in the truck with the windows about an inch open. The following week I tie them to the bumper, each week I bring them closer to me; until ultimately they are right beside me.

not sure if it work differently with beagles,..  but i've seen plenty of bird dogs get ruined like that. 

but again,  i don't know how beagles work,  with bird dogs,.. i take to dog out to the range,.. have a couple pigeons with me (with clipped wings)  and i have someone help me.  i throw the pigeon out for the dog to chase, and my helper (wife) shoots the shotgun from about 80-100 yards away.  and i do it over and over again, and everytime my wife gets closer and clser untill she's shooting over the dog when i throw the pigeon out.   this way the dog is being distracted while you shoot, and it associates gunshots with birds. 

i had a pup once that would go crazy with exitement everytime she saw me take the shotgun out.

[Donaye37]

Hunter93 that seems like a good idea. What kind of hounds do u run and for what game? Thanks to everyone im really wanting my beagle right and to be a good tracker, everything really helps. Im a horse trainer so training dogs to scent track isnt my spcialty haha.

[hunter93]

I have a walker hound plott hound mix that is four,that I run on coon and bear on timber permits, but didn't get on a permit this year so I'm bumbed, and I got a year old purebred walker pup that's only been on some coon.