# leaving it lay



## bart (Jan 4, 2010)

my beagle will leave dead rabbit where it dies she won't go get it and bring it out to me.what can i do to teach her to bring it to me or should i be glad she leaves it alone and doesn't tear it to shreads?after i go get it she wont leave it alone but she doesn't want it until then.she is 2 years old and we are on our 2nd season together.any input would be helpful


thanks bart


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## Silverman (Feb 4, 2009)

bart said:


> my beagle will leave dead rabbit where it dies she won't go get it and bring it out to me.what can i do to teach her to bring it to me or should i be glad she leaves it alone and doesn't tear it to shreads?after i go get it she wont leave it alone but she doesn't want it until then.she is 2 years old and we are on our 2nd season together.any input would be helpful
> 
> 
> thanks bart


Bart, 
I'm not sure if this will work for you but it is what worked for me so I will let you be the judge. From my pups young age I started playing fetch with my male beagle, always for "fun" to him with a ball or some toy. I would play fetch until he quit, and I would always use the same command "bring it here". Now, everytime theres a rabbit down, no matter how far away from me, I give the command and he brings it right to my feet. 
I believe lots of simple repitition with a basic command is the key. Ive started this already with my female pup and shes fetching well already. 

Matt
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SNAREMAN (Dec 10, 2006)

I have seen VERY few beagles that would "fetch".Most will shake'em around/give them a good smelling ect..I've had two who would lay on the rabbit,I guess to guard it or keep it from getting away.Would be kinda nice to have one bring it to ya.


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## Big Reds (Oct 14, 2007)

Can't expect a beagle to retrieve. It's just not in their DNA.
Can't expect the little bugger to do ALL the work, right?! lol


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## sixft4par (Apr 1, 2008)

My beagle wants nothing to do with the rabbit once it is dead.....just wants to find another. mY friends beagle grabs the rabbit and goes under a brush pile to start chewing it.:rant: I have not been around many that will retrieve. Its not like you are swimming after a duck to pick it up.....so I don't mind walking over to get it.


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## fisheater (Nov 14, 2010)

I have had only one dog that retrieved rabbits, and that was due to my superior training methods:lol::lol::lol:. I had nothing to do with it, she just started to bring them to me. I was happy when they didn't want to eat them. The worst rabbit eater I owned, would chomp on it if you showed him it. We were hare hunting one day and a friend of a friend came for the fun. We warned him to keep the hare away from the open marked dog, but he was so tickled to shoot his first hare he forgot. Well Patrick had himself a nice rabbit breakfast and the other dogs started another race. My friend and I didn't cut off the hare the first run thru and I was commenting that I didn't hear Patrick in the race, we moved up about forty yards where the dogs were crossing and Patrick was right in the mix. The reason we didn't hear him was that he still had that hares head in his mouth, like a giant jawbreaker.


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## houndcrazy (Dec 30, 2010)

alota beagles wont "wool" (chew on, shake) a dead rabbit, my beagle doesnt. my treeing walkers will wool bear, coyote, ****, bobcat, but beagles normaly wont.:coolgleam


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## superposed20ga (Dec 14, 2005)

As someone mentioned, you can try playing with them when they're young to get them to fetch, but as others have said, a retrieving beagle is an anomaly and not something that can even be trained. My female did retrieve dead bunnies from her first season through her 3rd season and then just stopped doing it. It used to be really nice to have her bring a dead rabbit out of the thick stuff, especially when it had run off wounded. Now both her and her littermate will run up to the dead bunny and stop barking abruptly. She will stand by the rabbit until you go get it, which is still nice if you weren't sure where it was laying, but is not fun if you have to go into the pickers to get it! Good luck.


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## Fred Bear (Jan 20, 2000)

I wish I had a retrieving beagle!! I hate going into the prickers to get them.


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## Rugergundog (May 21, 2008)

With pointing breeds we use a method called force fetch. I have a feeling that this is not applicable with hounds since nobody has chimed in thus far.

I would suspect if breeders were to begin emphasising the retrieve of game when breeding it could become a trait in a line.

Otherwise i would play fetch with your dog with anything he likes at home and praise and treats and more praise and treats when he brings it back. Associate a command with it and slowly transition over to togs or whatever that have rabbit scent on them and or even fur to even dead rabbits. Over many many reps and association of the command and rewards i would suspect that the dog would begin to retrieve to some extent.


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## Fabner1 (Jan 24, 2009)

*I'm sure you could get a young Beagle to learn to retrieve.

I've seen a lot of Bunnies kilt over Beagles but I have never seen one 
retrieved!*

Fred


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## sgc (Oct 21, 2007)

If you can get it to retrieve great; BUT I consider you lucky that it doesn't eat the rabbit. A beagle can (and a lot do) eat a rabbit faster than you can imagine. I saw a bigger beagle down a rabbit within seconds. I've seen them jump up at a rabbit in the hunters hand & bite the head off & within 2 or 3 crunches, swallow it. Some even go get it and then run off & bury it. Be glad you don't have to beat your beagle to the rabbit. Many hunters have to.


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## bart (Jan 4, 2010)

she loves to play fetch guess i'll start useing rabbit scent on fetch toys.guess i just lucky not to race to get it away from her.thanks for all the imput let you know how we come out.how long will scent stay on yard?i live in middle of town.


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## sixft4par (Apr 1, 2008)

Bird dogs and hounds are completely different. I have had pointers, GSP, Britts, and a Wiem.........none were nearly as hard headed as my beagles. I have seen some that will retrieve, but it's just not what they are bred for.


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## timberdoodle528 (Nov 25, 2003)

I have hunted over a lot of differnt beagles and there's only been one or two that I've seen that would actually retrieve. Our Danny dog has done it a few times, but most of the time he leaves it and he is off to find another one. I've tried to encourage him and if I toss a dead rabbit he will bring it back to me.
Like someone else has already stated, be happy that your dog doesn't tear it up. That's a real pain when you get one that wants to eat it once you shoot it.
Here's Danny retreiving one I kept tossing for him after a hunt....


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## flyfish (Dec 4, 2001)

My beagle will retreive every kill if I let him. Usually don't like him to because face gets full of fleas. Although it does come in handy when they don't quite die on initial shot. He's followed and found them and brought them to me. Sometimes he will bring me hunting partners kills, Then I have to carry them.:smile-mad He'll only bring them to me. No training that I am aware of, did play a little fetch with him, but he has retreived since his first time out. Trust me it does come in handy in the prickers.


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