Training

[Machias]

How about a discussion on how you like to train your pups?

[BIGINNER]

 

[Donaye37]

Im new to beagles, but I shot a rabbit a few years back cuz It was eating my moms garden. Lucky I kept it and got it tanned. I bought some rabbit scent that I spray over the pelt and I go out on some property with my pup and drag the pelt around and then hide it in the brush and release my dog and allow her to go find the trail and get the pelt. Once she does she gets rewarded. now she knows to go find that pelt and that rabbit scent, so now theres a few rabbits around my neighborhood that I let her chase a bit, so now I feel confident enough she will have some good results when we go out to hunt them for real.

Curtosy to the friendly helpful friends on hunting washington forum for all the help and tips that they have given.

[Machias]

Im new to beagles, but I shot a rabbit a few years back cuz It was eating my moms garden. Lucky I kept it and got it tanned. I bought some rabbit scent that I spray over the pelt and I go out on some property with my pup and drag the pelt around and then hide it in the brush and release my dog and allow her to go find the trail and get the pelt. Once she does she gets rewarded. now she knows to go find that pelt and that rabbit scent, so now theres a few rabbits around my neighborhood that I let her chase a bit, so now I feel confident enough she will have some good results when we go out to hunt them for real.

Curtosy to the friendly helpful friends on hunting washington forum for all the help and tips that they have given.

Is she opening up on the trail yet?  Is she wide open or just intermittent?

[beagledog]

Glad to see your beagle is working out

[Donaye37]

Oh no she doesnt open up. I mean shes still really green I mean she will follow the trail but it takes her awhile, and the times where there were actual rabbits she only gets to chase them for about 30 seconds and there gone under the blackberries. She hasnt had alot of visual to get her excited enough to go after it for real and not stop till its out of site, she just sniffs the trail of the rabbit to the edge of the blackberries or as far as she can go. being so young I think she is still so curious of the smell then of chasing the rabbit. Thats why I feel if she gets to a place where she can see the rabbits or even atleast see how excited other dogs are to chase the scent she knows to chase, that will start to turn that switch in her head. Dont ya think?

[Donaye37]

Beagledog haha ill let you the experience beagler to tell me how shes working out when she gets out in a hunt. Cuz so far im just doing the best I can to get her ready for the field ya know. but I really dont know whats gunna happen.

[beagledog]

None of my dogs ever opened up when I was training them. Once they got about 6
Months or so we'd take them in the field and they'd chase until they really figure things out I wouldn't expect her to open up much it will happen unless she's like one of my dogs shes pretty quiet most of the time

[Donaye37]

None of my dogs ever opened up when I was training them. Once they got about 6
Months or so we'd take them in the field and they'd chase until they really figure things out I wouldn't expect her to open up much it will happen unless she's like one of my dogs shes pretty quiet most of the time

Yeah she barely barks ever, right now I dont expect her to for awhile. But I know the ways she tracks now will really change when she goes out with your dogs and learns the ropes. I wish I had an enclosure that I could put her in with rabbits where she can sight chase which,will really give her the desire ya know.

[Donaye37]

Good Idea but did you have them in a pin so the rabbit you bought wouldnt run away?

[Donaye37]

Awesome, and I mean the domestic and the wild are all gunna smell the same so it wont matter, like the transition from domestic to wild will be fine.

[bearpaw]

I never owned beagles (yet) but bearbait06 advice sounds good, bunnies at the feed store can't be more than 5 or 10 bucks are they? Well worth a good chase even if you never see the bunny again.

Just be cautious about letting the beagle do anything unhumane to the bunny. Today's society will not put up with that.

[Donaye37]

Great advice thanks so much im gunna try it out. Yeag shes 5 months right now and sges perfect on tracking my rabbit pelt, but with this being her first season I want to get her as preped as possible.

[Donaye37]

Yeah I hear that, they do take up alot of time.

[Machias]

One thing to keep in mind, if it's a really tame rabbit it may not run and if it's one of those big ol does it may actually try to kick the crap out of your dog.  You could do more damage then good at 5 months old.  Just a thought.  If you can find a rabbit or two that has not been handled much, so much the better.