# advice for young beagle training?



## cdacker (Jan 10, 2011)

I've been running my pup Rocky (11 months) 1-3 times a week consistently since Oct. Been running mostly in an area of a fairly high concentration of Hare. Starting to wonder if that's a mistake. Didn't seem to be a problem before the snow, but now it seems Rocky isn't consistently staying on the same rabbit. He runs quite fast, and during ideal tracking conditions he would stay on track and circle them back. But now, with the snow, it seems like he loses the trail more easily by over running it ... most of the time he will come back and do small circles to attempt to pick up where he lost it, but sometimes it seems like he simply picks up on another rabbit rather than be persistent with the original one. I'm wondering if because of there being a good concentration of rabbits he's learning that he can simply keep running to find another one rather than be slow and steady on the track he's on? And maybe it would be better to run him where the numbers are a bit lower so he has to work a bit more on a single rabbit? Inexperienced hound owner here looking for advice.


----------



## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

He may be losing them on the "checks". The sharp turn a rabbit can make. That is where you see him doing the circling.
Patience helping him sort it out ,with him figuring it out with your assistance is what I did with such cases. Running the rabbit with the dog rather than waiting a bit back from where it was jumped. A rabbit can think and turn sharp. A fired up runnin dog over runs them checks easy enough. Depending on scent conditions some dogs are running the scent rather than tracks. That sharp turn gets lost that way too.
Just one of those things. Like an occasional pup being introduced and running a track backwards, or one I had that would stand and check nearest tree when a scent was lost.
(Don't ask how I was responsible for that... but shooting treed animals can have that effect:rant

A single prey could help but still needs to sort out checks.


----------



## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

Hare can be pretty tricky. I've watched them climb a blow down and jump off. That can give the dog fits.


----------



## micooner (Dec 20, 2003)

I think you answered your own question. "The trouble started when I started running on the SNOW," Some dogs will never be good snow dogs, some will, your dog is young give him some time to see if he will work it out.


----------



## Jumpshootin' (Jul 6, 2000)

Before snow he had to rely on his nose. It's always best to start a pup without snow.
Now with lots of hare and tracks to see he's running like being shot out of a cannon. Typical a lot of young males. As he matures he should settle down and rely on his nose again.
He's still a pup. Just keep getting him on the bunnies.


----------



## brownitsdown84 (Jan 19, 2009)

Jumpshootin' said:


> Before snow he had to rely on his nose. It's always best to start a pup without snow.
> Now with lots of hare and tracks to see he's running like being shot out of a cannon. Typical a lot of young males. As he matures he should settle down and rely on his nose again.
> He's still a pup. Just keep getting him on the bunnies.



Exactly!


----------



## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

I was a very proud papa the day I shot a rabbit and I called the dogs over. They took one wiff, went back to where they were and continued to track the rabbit. I ended up shooting that one too.


----------



## cdacker (Jan 10, 2011)

Jumpshootin' said:


> Before snow he had to rely on his nose. It's always best to start a pup without snow.
> Now with lots of hare and tracks to see he's running like being shot out of a cannon. Typical a lot of young males. As he matures he should settle down and rely on his nose again.
> He's still a pup. Just keep getting him on the bunnies.


Curious .. you are saying that he will actually run on visuals (tracks)? Wasn't aware of that, but it makes sense as to why he would be more fired up and over run some times.
Got a chance to get him on cottontail last night. Boy, what a difference from hare. 100 - 200 yard circles rather than 500. He did real well on the first run, brought it back two separate times (a flung some lead and missed three times). The second he seemed to struggle a bit more with, but still ran it in a circle and we killed that one. Because we were in some more open country than where I have been running hare, I was able to witness what he's doing. On a hot trail, he gets fired up and runs fast head up howling and sometimes loses the trail, but quickly comes back to pick it back up. Just needs to learn to take it a little slower with nose to the ground more I believe. Like I said though, only 11 months so lots of learning to do.
Thanks to everyone for the feedback. Hopefully I'll get out again in a few days and post some pics.


----------



## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

Keep it fun and let him know when he is doin good.
With my hounds that were not spectacular each tried their best and for that I was content.
Sure different not running them and hunting by myself. Left a void.


----------



## FREEPOP (Apr 11, 2002)

Waif said:


> Keep it fun and let him know when he is doin good.
> With my hounds that were not spectacular each tried their best and for that I was content.
> Sure different not running them and hunting by myself. Left a void.


I agree, a good companion that doesn't chase deer and does get the rabbits running is great!


----------



## Jumpshootin' (Jul 6, 2000)

cdacker said:


> Curious .. you are saying that he will actually run on visuals (tracks)?


Yes. My males are now 7.5 and 4 years old. When young each would start to sight trail in the snow. Now they'll stick their nose in a track, and if there's no scent will just move on. No further interest. But my hounds are very hot nosed dogs. If it isn't a fresh scent they don't mess around much trying to figure it out.


----------



## steve w (Feb 15, 2004)

cdacker said:


> Curious .. you are saying that he will actually run on visuals (tracks)? Wasn't aware of that, but it makes sense as to why he would be more fired up and over run some times.
> Got a chance to get him on cottontail last night. Boy, what a difference from hare. 100 - 200 yard circles rather than 500. He did real well on the first run, brought it back two separate times (a flung some lead and missed three times). The second he seemed to struggle a bit more with, but still ran it in a circle and we killed that one. Because we were in some more open country than where I have been running hare, I was able to witness what he's doing. On a hot trail, he gets fired up and runs fast head up howling and sometimes loses the trail, but quickly comes back to pick it back up. Just needs to learn to take it a little slower with nose to the ground more I believe. Like I said though, only 11 months so lots of learning to do.
> Thanks to everyone for the feedback. Hopefully I'll get out again in a few days and post some pics.


I would say from your descriptions that you are getting about as good as it get's for an 11 month pup. Older experienced dogs can switch hare or rabbits in well populated area's and what you described above on cottontail is just plain good. Head up full throttle is in the nature of your dog, losses are the price you pay when you have speed. If he snaps back to the point of loss and recovers quickly that is usually acceptable as long as it's not to often. It is not uncommon for dogs to struggle with the line at times after running very well just minutes or even seconds before, and with gunfire and jumped rabbits you can see good dogs look stupid. Sounds like he's doing just fine.


----------



## steve w (Feb 15, 2004)

cdacker said:


> Curious .. you are saying that he will actually run on visuals (tracks)? Wasn't aware of that, but it makes sense as to why he would be more fired up and over run some times.
> Got a chance to get him on cottontail last night. Boy, what a difference from hare. 100 - 200 yard circles rather than 500. He did real well on the first run, brought it back two separate times (a flung some lead and missed three times). The second he seemed to struggle a bit more with, but still ran it in a circle and we killed that one. Because we were in some more open country than where I have been running hare, I was able to witness what he's doing. On a hot trail, he gets fired up and runs fast head up howling and sometimes loses the trail, but quickly comes back to pick it back up. Just needs to learn to take it a little slower with nose to the ground more I believe. Like I said though, only 11 months so lots of learning to do.
> Thanks to everyone for the feedback. Hopefully I'll get out again in a few days and post some pics.


I would say from your descriptions that you are getting about as good as it get's for an 11 month pup. Older experienced dogs can switch hare or rabbits in well populated area's and it certianly will not hurt to get him someplace where there is less hare.What you described above on cottontail sounds good. Head up full throttle is in the nature of your dog, losses are the price you pay when you have speed. If he snaps back to the point of loss and recovers quickly that is usually acceptable as long as it's not to often. Also it is not uncommon for dogs to struggle with the line at times after running very well just minutes or even seconds before, and with gunfire and jumped rabbits you can see good dogs look stupid. Sounds like he's doing just fine.


----------

