Author Topic: My first Hunting dog... (Read 2813 times)

keith44 · « **on:** August 02, 2011, 09:17:30 PM »

Hi all,
In about 7 weeks I'll be bringing home a new beagle pup. I haven't been around any type of hunting dog since I was about 13 or 14. My grandfather had a beagle and an Irish setter, back in those days. Both were just farm dogs, both would hunt what ever we went after, quail rabbit or squirrel or any combination there of, but I have no idea how they were trained, or even if they were trained. I am hoping for a combination companion dog as well as a hunting dog with this one. Can anyone offer any advice on training, handling, socalizing (the wife has Yorkies), etc.

Here's a shot of the lil feller at about 1 day old

Wyo. Coyote Hunter · « **Reply #1 on:** August 03, 2011, 10:12:01 AM »

Life will be better...best of luck...

petemi · « **Reply #2 on:** August 09, 2011, 05:00:50 AM »

I've had about a dozen beagles in my lifetime. Three right now. I think the first and best thing to do is get the dog accustomed to gunfire while his is very young. I start by firing close to the house, keeping the dog inside. When he no longer gets alarmed, I bring him out and keep him with me while a fire a cap pistol or light .22s. I give him a treat and pet him until the shooting is pleasurable to him. Then we graduate to the bigger stuff. This way, he won't put his tail between his legs and head for home when you shoot in the field.

I assume you want a rabbit dog. 90% of all the beagles I've had hunted bunnies right off the bat without any special training. We have a good number of deer on our property, and the next step was to keep him from running them. I work the pup on a lead and scold him if he shows interest in deer sign and reward him when he gets onto a rabbit. The next best step is to run him with experienced older dogs if you can. They almost seem to tell him "Hey stupid, over here. This is what we're running." The final step is to make a kill over him and let him get a good face full of bunny, while praising and rewarding him.

The Yorkies will probably resent the intruder, but in a few days they should get pretty much over that. Feed the senior dogs first and never give the puppy a treat or affection without doing the same to the Yorkies first. They're going to be jealous. The puppy will have to learn is place in the pecking order, and I'm sure they will make it plain to him. Size does not seem to be a factor. I have an little retired old lady beagle that keeps my inherited Great Dane/Boxer/Pit Bull in his place.

Good luck with your new little buddy. If I can help in any way, PM me.

Pete

pastorp · « **Reply #3 on:** August 09, 2011, 06:26:28 AM »

The Beagles I've owned were bad about running off.......So keep track of him. If he gets bored he'll wander.

Thats bad in high traffic areas.

Regards,

keith44 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 09, 2011, 06:30:39 AM »

Thanks Pete, my father-in-law had German short hair retrievers for years and used to claim that a dog could only be one or the other either a pet, or a working dog, but never both.

Yes I plan to put him on rabbits, but will not scold him for treeing squirrels (seen one that would readily hunt both). I also plan to work with him on a long lead so he can run and get some excersize.

petemi · « **Reply #5 on:** August 09, 2011, 03:02:49 PM »

I had a little beagle, Calli, that loved to hunt both squirrel and rabbit. I think the funniest thing I ever saw was Calli baying her heart out going round and round a big stump with a snowshoe hare sitting on it watching her go round and round. I had such a good laugh, I didn't have the heart to shoot the bunny. I had another dog, Trouble, in Florida that would hunt squirrels, rabbits and quail. She was a mutt and was also a great retriever and killer of cotton mouths. She was quick enough to never have been bitten. She got her name as a pup when she tore down a line full of clothes. A dozen or more dogs leave you with lots of good memories. Each one is special in their own way. It is sad to see them age and pass on. I think little Mabel, a beagle, won't see next Spring, and Donor, a huge loving mutt will not be far behind. They all enjoy a good life with love and companionship, playing and hunting. Charlie, the youngster Feist, is learning to take Mabel's place in the hunt and the cycle goes full circle.

Enjoy your dog, and grow with him.

Pete

hillbill · « **Reply #6 on:** August 09, 2011, 03:15:06 PM »

beagles are esacape artists or the ones i had were.they love to run so much they will do anything to get out of a pen.dig under or climb straight up and squirt out any hole they can get their nose into.oh and mine loved to dig in flower beds and in the yard.they are super lovable tho!

keith44 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 09, 2011, 10:35:21 PM »

I have had the privlige of owning a few dogs over my lifetime, but never a hunting breed. My last dog was a lab chow mix. "Skeeter" and I played fetch, and he enjoyed running on my granddads farm as well as on my 2 acre yard. I regret that when I finally bought my 12 acres Skeeter passed away just one week after the move. At 16 years of age I guess the move was just too much stress. His heart just quit and he slipped away laying in the shade beside me. "Oreo" a black and white border collie mix that we rescued from some very abusive kids 7 years ago has faired the move much better. We have been here a year and a half and he has decided that the rabbits are fun to chase, but he just can't keep up, and cannot scent them. Oreo loves hiking in the woods with me, but has been beat up by both turkeys and a doe.

"Buckshot" will be a welcome addition to the pack. He will have two yorkies to play with inside, and Oreo to play with outside. There is a healthy rabbit population here, so putting him on a trail will be easy, if he wants to hunt. If he does not he will be another partner in life, a welcome companion in my daily chores.

Bingo · « **Reply #8 on:** September 02, 2011, 05:10:26 PM »

I'm on my second beagle. My old Buddy Bingo died a year ago in March and I still miss him. Last Christmas eve I got a new pup out of Ohio. He too is my house pet/hunter and both dogs stay in the yard due to the invisable fence woven in the chain link fence around my yard. Beagles are hard headed enough to get past ether fence but not both.
As for training, Sit, Down and come is where to start. After that, I like an orange collar with 2- 1 1/2 in. cow bells. The dog quickly learns that the bells mean Bunnies!!!!!!!! The bells can be heard a good distance off letting you keep track of your dog. Remember, rabbits can run a small circle or a big one. I've seen many a rabbit cover a mile or so with a dog barking after him.
Other than that, put him on rabbits and let him teach you how to hunt. I am lucky enough to have friends with dogs and often hunt a 6 dog pack.

OH BTW I think I found the perfict name for a beagle.
" Be very very Quiet....We're hunting wabbits" Yep.....Elmer

keith44 · « **Reply #9 on:** September 02, 2011, 10:03:45 PM »

Thanks Bingo, I've had a bad couple weeks, and your post reminded me of better times to come, and got me to thinking about "Buckshot" He'll be coming home next weekend. Since reading your post I've been day dreaming about a long lead (light weight cord about 20 feet long) and just letting him smell around. With all the rabbits we have here getting him on a track will be easy, learning what works for him, that'll be the hard part.

Bingo · « **Reply #10 on:** September 03, 2011, 04:12:39 AM »

Unless you've been around a lot of beagles you really are going to get an education. Not all beagles are created equal. They all have their own voice and hunting style. My old dog Bingo was tri color, short fat legs and barrel chested. In addition to that he was the Alpha male and had the attitude to go with it. He hunted close to me until he was on track. He was a slow deliberate hunter and would seldom lead the pack but if the pack lost track....Bingo had the NOSE. He could find track and rabbits the other dogs would miss. He was a lot slower than my friends dogs though and if you hunted him alone you had to try to cut the circle of the rabbit.
I haven't hunted Elmer yet but have had him on rabbits. I don't think he has the nose that Bingo had but only time will tell. Elmer is long legged and hunts fast. He almost looks like a Blue Tick coon hound only smaller. He is energetic and affectionate. He requires a gentle hand where the only way to get something into Bingo's head was with a sledge hammer. My dogs are oposites.
From day one, let your dog smell bunny fir not nessecarily the real thing until he is about four months old. It will take time for you to figure out what kind of dog you really have. The best thing I said though is the orange collar and the square bells. The dog will quickly learn that the bells mean Hunting and will become a basket case any time he hears them. And as I said, it really helps you keep track of your dog.

Talking is faster and better than typing. PM me and I'll give you my phone No.

buck460XVR · « **Reply #11 on:** September 20, 2011, 03:15:24 PM »

Quote from: keith44 on August 09, 2011, 06:30:39 AM

Thanks Pete, my father-in-law had German short hair retrievers for years and used to claim that a dog could only be one or the other either a pet, or a working dog, but never both.

I've had German Shorthair Pointers(not retrievers), Labs and German Wirehair Pointers. Alll have been great family pets and all have been great hunters. I be willing to bet, my new pup Wilbur, will be both also. Here's a picture of the little girl......

keith44 · « **Reply #12 on:** September 20, 2011, 09:07:01 PM »

Good looking pup. So far Buck (now 7 weeks old) is making a very good house pet.

added:

I mis-spoke, it was Short Haired POINTERS, not retrievers.

Bingo · « **Reply #13 on:** October 29, 2011, 02:53:59 PM »

Kieth....Have you hunted that pup yet?

streak · « **Reply #14 on:** October 29, 2011, 03:45:07 PM »

Quote from: keith44 on September 20, 2011, 09:07:01 PM

Good looking pup. So far Buck (now 7 weeks old) is making a very good house pet.

added:

I mis-spoke, it was Short Haired POINTERS, not retrievers.

keith44,
I have hunted and train dogs through out my lifetime and all types,bird dogs, squirrel dogs, rabbit, and even deer.
Never had a beagle but did have a bassett hound and she was quite a pet and took my youngest son who at that time was about three years old and she was his body guard! Watching a bassett coral a three year old is a sight to behold. She was a great hunter but her previous owner had made her gun shy and be sure and take petemi advice about how to break that pup into gunfire!

keith44 · « **Reply #15 on:** October 29, 2011, 04:18:24 PM »

Streak, I am slowly getting him up in noise levels, but a neighbor got to shooting something really loud the other day and startled him badly. (hence the idea of breaking out the air rifle)

Bingo, not yet. Rabbits come in season Nov 14th here, during modern gun season for Deer. I am planning to start trapping a few rabbits and putting some into an enclosure with him. He's 12 weeks old now, still a house pet, but he does use his nose alot when we walk in the woods

rbursek · « **Reply #16 on:** November 05, 2011, 07:26:29 PM »

Kieth44,
I raised hunting beagles for 15 years and hunted them from Oct till the end of feb here in WI, great dogs. Some were hard headed and some were not. I disagree with Pete on the shooting. I always waited till they were running rabbits. That way they are excited and working, plus shooting rabbits the dog is not right next to you like duck and goose hunting or pretty close like shooting over a pointer on point. Getting them used to shots is good but let him/her be busy on what they love to do, chase rabbits.
Bob

HL · « **Reply #17 on:** November 18, 2011, 02:11:29 AM »

AAAH, Puppy breath, the cure for all!

huntswithdogs · « **Reply #18 on:** November 18, 2011, 09:40:09 AM »

I'm owned by 2 beagles. Both are now ten years old and done with chasing rabbits. One has a hot nose while the other will bark on a 3 day old track. Both are slow hunters, unlike my BILs beagle that would run plumb off a track because he ran so fast. If this is your first one(beagle) be ready for the mouth. These little devils are HOUNDS and will gladly tell the world every chance they get. My wife tells my female that if she wasn't so cute, she'da killed her years ago because of her mouth! Scold one though and they'll melt your heart with them big ole brown eyes and drooping ears.

HWD

keith44 · « **Reply #19 on:** November 18, 2011, 10:28:56 AM »

yup those eyes are hard to get past, he has found his voice, and like you said is not afraid to use it. The first beagle I was around was my grandfathers, so the noises are not new. The wifes Yorkies are not happy having a hound in the house with them, but we are working it out.

mcbammer · « **Reply #20 on:** November 18, 2011, 10:44:07 AM »

Beagles are like potato chips .; You cant have just one.