when to start my beagle??
 

I have a 3 or 4 mon old beagle and i was wondering how old he should be when i should start taking him out and training him to run rabbits.

RE: when to start my beagle??
 

around 4 months start taking him on walks where there are alot of rabbits and just let him get used to the woods. if you know people who run beagleswaround 5-6 monthsis a good time to let him run with the other dogs as well. dont be discouraged if he doesnt take right off and hunt with the other dogs. it will take a couple times before he cant stand it and just has to chase the rabbits too.

RE: when to start my beagle??
 

thanks for the reply..i was begining to think that noone knew anything about beagles..I have a beagle that i hunt with now that i will be able to take him out with.

RE: when to start my beagle??
 

A friend of mine guides up here and runs twelve to twenty beagles at a time. Do they ever make a racket when on a rabbit. Good Luck with your pup.

RE: when to start my beagle??
 

i would say, 6 months old..

RE: when to start my beagle??
 

heres the easiest way with any hound catch a bunny in a live trap and introduce it to ur dog, then if it shows intrest, its ready if not wait a couple more months then do it again until it runs around it and may barks but goes kind of crazy. then shoot a rabbit tie a rope around its neck and play with it. run around your yard letting the dog follow it and hid it behind shrubs, barrels or something easy out of sight, most dogs will put their nose to the ground and find it. reward it too once it does something good

RE: when to start my beagle??
 

good info..i used to do same, now i bought a rechargeable spot light and go to area, like baseball field at NIGHT.. i put light on rabbit feeding in field and a long rope,100ft on my puppy..

i then put light on rabbit, he sees it, then i say RABBIT, RABBIT, RABBIT,and let him go with rope on him..make sure you tell police what you are doing first, ha,i got stopped once,police officer laughed and said,SPROUL thats best way i ever saw a beagle trainer get dog started..

LOTS of rabbits come out at night ,so after he chases the first one you spotlight, i just go a short distance and spot 2 or 3 more as no hunting is allowed..

places that have rabbits like this are around schools, baseball fields,etc..look around, i bet you can find many ,yes, its quick way to get your dog started..

RE: when to start my beagle??
 

i know what you mean sproul, i work ata school and i know all about the rabbits coming out in the baseball and football fields,but here in tn your not allowed to use a spotlight to find game even if you dont have a gun and even if its in the middle of summer.but thanks for all of the info guys.I cant wait to start him.

RE: when to start my beagle??
 

You take your dog out with you anytime you start tromping through the woods. This will give him experience with new smells and new places... If you already have a rabbit dog, then let the pup tag along. If not, then when you see a rabbit take the dog to it and let it use its nose.

There are also things called starting pens. You take your pup and have someone else start them for you. There are a bunch of beagle specific boards. http://americanbeagler.huntingboards.com http://www.betrbeagle.com http://www.beagleboard.com/index.php http://excoboard.com/exco/index.phphttp://arha.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?Cat=0juar to list a few. Go and check the american beagler board out, that seems to be the most frequented on and the most helpful in my opinion.

Emery

RE: when to start my beagle??
 

as soon as the dog can and will follow you in the bush, get him or her
outthere, and it wont be long before the dog starts to venture off, and getting that keen sense of smelltuned in, if it is not nursing and you have the time its never to early