Alright, I'm still working on my squirrel dog research, for any of you that have been patiently responding to my questions. Is it absolutely necessary for me to get a dog of proven hunting genes? They are often expensive, but there are countless classified ads in the paper from regular family dogs such as Jack Russels, Rat Terriors, dachsunds, etc. that are cheaper. Would a pup trained well from a litter like this turn into a quality hunting dog? Any more breed suggestions? Also, how close are beagles when you finally shoot a rabbit? I am interested in rabbit dogs, too, but rabbits are a less common game animal around here than squirrels.