Originally Posted By emcs31089: For a while I was considering getting a bird dog but down here there ain't much bird hunting on public land really and I'm not rich enough to hunt on priivate land. Squirrel and rabbit hunting in wildliife management areas is something I can do. I was thinking about getting a beagle for this. Is one beagle enough for rabbit hunting? Seems I always see them in at least pairs. How easy are they to train? Could I expect to get a pup this summer and have him in the field by the winter? Thanks guys, love how this website can help me learn about anything and everything.

I have a Beagle for a pet, not hunting. However, he was a former hunting dog. He could run Rabbits for hours and never let up if I wasn't worried he'd get lost.

My Uncle now raises Beagles for Deer hunting. Seems to have better luck with the Beagle than with the other BlueTick etc Hounds he's had in the past. Raising hunting dogs is different than raising a pet (I suspect you already know this). He keeps his in a pen with very little human contact except for food/water/hunting. That is his way, and may be the right way, for hunting dogs.

Mine is a pet. And I don't think I've ever had a better dog. Hunting wise, he's ready to GO 24/7 if it has anything to do with flushing Rabbits or treeing Squirrels. But he is gun shy. So nix on actually hunting.

Beagle characteristics:

Nose Bound - once they put the nose to the ground... must be like an LSD trip for them. I really believe a Beagle could do DNA analysis on scent alone. There is nothing, and I do mean nothing, that will knock a Beagle off a scent. And that is why so many end up lost. Seems they are born ready to hunt anything small and furry. Rabbit is innate, Squirrel, Coon, Possum a close second. The only training needed (hunting wise) is recall.

Stubborn - Not their fault. Very independent. Easy to train with food, but will always prefer to do what they want. Food oriented training is the only thing I've seen actually work with Beagles. Give command...give treat. They are also very sensitive. Harsh treatment is a no no.

Pack oriented - they don't need other dogs, but they do gravitate toward being a part of a pack.

Great pet - easy to house train, don't shed much, tons of personality, love women and kids. Toss up on whether they get along with cats. Some do, some don't.

Health wise - reverse sneezing (elongated soft palet). Subject to seasonal allergies which causes problems with skin/coat. Otherwise fairly durable.

Some people expect a Hound to react like a sight dog does to commands. It ain't gonna happen. Different dogs for different jobs.

Hope that helps.

I have two beagles that I bought from hunting stock. One is 8 months old the other is 10 months old. I have kept them outside and don't necessarily treat them like a member of the family. I bought them with every intent to hunt. So far about the only thing I have been able to get them to do is dig land mines through out the yard, eat the siding off the house, eat the fence after they managed to escape from their pin and bark bark bark BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK

Did I mention they are extremely loud when they bark

I try to work with them for an hour or so every day and walk them. I haven't had much luck and I am afraid to let them off the leash in the fields here. We have plenty of rabbits around but they would probably end up on the highway somewhere before they sniffed out a rabbit.

Well shit! Crodeo sounds lke you are having a rough time. I don't think I could get a dog if they were going to act like that.

Do they just bark at nothing?

If I get one it will probably just be one dog the more I think about it, I don't think I could handle two right now. Also it might be easier to train one dog as opposed to two...

All I know is I tried rabbit hunting last year and without a dog it is damn hard. Just like bird hunting.

I have 4 beagles and they seldom bark. The only time I hear barking is when someone is in the driveway, I refer to them as my 4 howl alarm system. I did have 1 that was a pain in the backside with barking and I used a Tritronic bark collar, less than a week and she was cured now she only barks when someone is in the driveway. If you take measures to teach them when barking is OK and when it is not you will not have any problems. My dogs know that they only bark at intruders or when they are hunting.

Originally Posted By crodeo: I have two beagles that I bought from hunting stock. One is 8 months old the other is 10 months old. I have kept them outside and don't necessarily treat them like a member of the family. I bought them with every intent to hunt. So far about the only thing I have been able to get them to do is dig land mines through out the yard, eat the siding off the house, eat the fence after they managed to escape from their pin and bark bark bark BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK Did I mention they are extremely loud when they bark I try to work with them for an hour or so every day and walk them. I haven't had much luck and I am afraid to let them off the leash in the fields here. We have plenty of rabbits around but they would probably end up on the highway somewhere before they sniffed out a rabbit.

You forgot bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark


When I was a kid, we had one that wasn't very barky, but he was only 50% beagle. The rest was Australian sheepdog. He looked exactly like Snoopy and was more intelligent than both my brothers. Later on, I got a purebred beagle and he was very lovable, but the barkiest critter on the planet. No amount of training or 1-on-1 attention could reduce it. We even resorted to a shock collar that gave audible warnings first, but he'd continue barking through the zaps.

As a breed, they have a reputation for major barkitude, but as with everything, your mileage may vary among individuals.


bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark
bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark
bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark
bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark
bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark
bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark bark

If you decide to get a beagle you may want to find a local beagle club and talk to some of the beagle owners there. I am sure that the majority of beaglers there don't have issues with their beagles barking. It is probably your best bet at getting a well bred rabbit dog.

I used to have a brace of 13-inchers for hare hunting. They were the sweetest dogs you could imagine.

Sometimes they would begin to bark quietly at night. Then I'd put a no-bark collar on the initiator, and just one or two (and I mean just one or two) electric tickles would solve the problem for months.

I liked the fact that when hunting, they were doing what they wanted to do, and not some rigorous discipline imposed by me. And as other posters have mentioned, they are very intense when on a scent. I have straddled the trail, and they have run between my legs without a glance (with me calling their names all the while).

Once a domestic rabbit from somewhere got loose in our yard. I released the dogs to see what they would do. They didn't head straight for it, but hit its trail and followed it up to the bewildered rabbit. When the rabbit showed no fear (possibly something was wrong with it), they ran around in confusion before hitting the trail again and following it up to the "prey". This was repeated a few times.

They are gone now. I have fond memories of hunting every day for months with my little pals, in the high country of Island Park near Yellowstone.

Originally Posted By crodeo: I have two beagles that I bought from hunting stock. One is 8 months old the other is 10 months old. I have kept them outside and don't necessarily treat them like a member of the family. I bought them with every intent to hunt. So far about the only thing I have been able to get them to do is dig land mines through out the yard, eat the siding off the house, eat the fence after they managed to escape from their pin and bark bark bark BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK Did I mention they are extremely loud when they bark I try to work with them for an hour or so every day and walk them. I haven't had much luck and I am afraid to let them off the leash in the fields here. We have plenty of rabbits around but they would probably end up on the highway somewhere before they sniffed out a rabbit.

They're too young to know what to do. Some people think dogs are born knowing how to be a dog, well, not really.

You don't have one or two older dogs in the pen. That leaves the little ones to try and figure things out on their own. Just like kids. They're scared at night and don't know what is appropriate to bark at, and what not to bark at. In your situation, you'd be just as well off making them pets. They'll still hunt, but with some good training, they'll be good compainion animals as well.

No such thing as a bad dog.

I've had 5 different beagles both male and female that I have raised as hunting dogs for the past 20 years. Every beagle that I had including a brother and sister had a unique "personality". The females were a little easier to train but when they came into heat any dog from miles around seemed to show up in my yard.

Just remember that to train any dog takes three elements. Exercise, discipline and then affection in that order.

Exercise can be anything like playing fetch or just taking them for a walk.

Discipline in the form of acting like the dominent dog will gain you more respect from the dog. Did you ever notice how a female dog will scold her pups? She will grab them around the neck with her mouth and make them submissive. She won't hurt them but will let them know who is boss. You can do the same with your hand, just grab them firmly by the neck and apply enough pressure to make them submit. They may protest by whining and yelping but you will get your point across.

Affection can be given after they are submissive and they are behaving the way you want them to.

Getting a beagle to come back to you when it is hot on a scent takes a little bit more training. I used a loud plastic whistle and blew the whistle in a pattern like three short blasts then called the dog by name. If he didn't respond the shock collar he was wearing would get a short tap of the magic button. He was usually at my feet withing a few minutes of the first zap.

This is where the affection comes back into play also. When he is by your side sitting you can give him a drink of water and pet him at the same time.

Also when feeding the dogs I would place the bowl of food in front of them and make sit until I gave them the command to "eat". Then I would make them sit again before they got half way through the bowl. If they didn't stop eating I would take the bowl away from them and start over again.

While the dog is eating take your hand and push its nose out of the bowl. This will allow you to be able to pick up the rabbit from the dog after you have shot it and the dog is sniffing it.

All of this is commen sense and I am trying to pass on to you some of the things I have done with the beagles I have had.

Good Luck

AKASL

LIVE FREE OR DIE

AKASL has some very good training tips. I would add that in addition to the above, consistency is also important. Same thing, same way, every time. Over and over and over. Beagles are very bright, but stubborn as a stump. An interesting thing about dogs is that when they get stressed, they yawn. Shows furstration, When you see them do that while training you'll know that they are stressed and you need to back off a little. Always end training on a positive.

This is mine:

I think I'm going to take the advice I was given on another board and buy a started dog. I have begun communications with a local breeder so hopefully I will have a dog by hunting season!

Originally Posted By diestone: What a great thread. I got my beagle when he was two years old. He was one of the best rabbit dogs i ever seen, but is retired now. He is 11 years old now. I kept him outside at first, that lasted about two weeks. He has lived in the house since. I guess I just got lucky as he doesn't bark except on track or when a big dog walks by. He has never chewed on the wifes shoes or anything else for that matter. Another poster said they are pack animals and it must be true because he likes other beagles and people. As far as calling one off a track, IMHO that is next to impossible. I'm sure you can tell by reading this, that i really like my Beagle. Without a doubt he is the best dog i have ever owned. As another poster said; Exercise i153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/diestone/spring014.jpg Discipline(waiting for that crumb haha) i153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/diestone/P1020565.jpg Affection i153.photobucket.com/albums/s218/diestone/Picture048.jpg

Nice looking Beagle (and Family).

I'm calling around looking for a pup. Thanks for all the input guys