whatugawkinat

Moving to a place I can finally have a dog and the wonderful, musical and smart Beagle is my "pick of the litter" so to speak. A good buddy of mine has a pup he's willing to part with.
Here's the catch, I have no clue how to raise a pup into a good dog. It's been ages since I had my beloved German Shepherd/Husky and at that time, I was too young to remember how training her...well, worked.
So obviously a Beagle training forum (or actual training help in person) would be better, I'm asking here because well, I've wanting a good hunting companion that won't talk for a while now (sorry honey). With that being said, I'm unfamiliar with training a hunting dog, as well as a well mannered house dog...astonishingly I would like both. I want a dog that can be just as at home chasing game as he is on the couch next to me.
All I know about Beagling as it's called...is that it typically it involves a pack of dogs...and I'm lacking information on how well a single beagle can be used for tracking and chasing game. As you can tell, I'm not out there to raise an award winning rabbit dog, nor am I here to raise a show dog. I just want my pup to be everything a dog can be..especially a Beagle. What would I have to do to raise a dog that can track and run small game, spend enough time running, tracking and exploring as well as being comfortable inside?

WNYhunter

Well I have had beadles for 30 years and loved every minute of it. I have a litter now that is just over 4 weeks old.

First thing, is get him in the house as soon as you can. beagles are tough to housebreak but when they are they are a great family dog. second, find some locals that run beagles. Most guys wont show you thier deer hunting spots but most beaglers will take you with them to hunt rabbits. bring the pup out as much as you can with other beagles and by themselves. How old is the pup? it takes time for them to learn to run, sometimes 1-2 years. just be patient they will learn but it is all up to you. Good luck

whatugawkinat

exact age I'm uncertain..haven't gotten ahold of my buddy since he mentioned saving them for me, but they are...according to him "ready by next week" so I'm assuming lust old enough to be separated from momma. Would raising both (male and female) be worthwhile since they are both the same age, both beagles and naturally would fit together at home and on the hunt. I know they are very commonly used in packs for hunting so I would assume having two trained at the same time and the same way they would work well together. I's seeing 8 weeks to be the appropriate time for command training..but would like to think they can be accustomed to it earlier at least.

WNYhunter

2 at once uh.. lol that will be fun. teach them thier names but really focus on house training. commands can get worked in as you go. They are pack dogs and as they start hunting take them solo. each dog will have stronger traits than the other one and you want them to learn how to use thier skills solo which will make them a better pack dog. So pack them a couple of times and then solo each one. but that will come later.

MZS

Growing up I hunted a lot with a beagle. Now, up north, the cottontails are mostly by buildings and snowshoes are tough to hunt with a beagle. After our last beage got run over, we did not get another. The way you hunt with a single beagle is you get them on a trail of a rabbit you or the dog flush out. A good beagle will dive into the heavy brush, even crawling under brush piles if they can. I had a beagle that could find a rabbit anywhere! After the beagle gets on the trail, you stay put in the original area, positioning yourself for a good shot when the dog brings the rabbit back around. The beagle will bay or sometimes just yip. Doesn't matter which. You listen to their sound off and the rabbit will be 10-80 yds ahead of them. Typically, the dog will bring the rabbit around in a big circle that might be 100 yds or as much as a 200 or even 400 yds in diameter. The rabbit will try to go back on the original trail to confuse the dog. Just stay put and wait and watch. Sometimes it can take a while! Cottontails might also hole up - then it is time to find another. Snowshoes might just take a straight line path away but sometimes they make a nice circle too. The biggest pitfall is deer. Besides rabbits, beagles will chase deer. I always found the best way to avoid them taking deer is to try to keep them in areas with lots of rabbits and fewer deer. They seem to favor the rabbits. I am not an expert trainer, but you can train a beagle fairly easily - simply take them on hot rabbit trails as often as possible when they are perhaps 6 mo old - their natural instincts can take it from there. And as I said, avoid deer areas. Find some areas with thick brush and brambles and you will find rabbits. And you want a fairly big area - perhaps a large tract of public land. Unlike deer hunting, public land can not be wrecked for rabbit hunting by others tramping through. Those bunnies will hunker down til you almost walk over them.

Besides rabbits, beagles can tree squirrels, but I only got a few squirrels with my beagle. Rabbits are good to eat, but you must clean them good, quarter them, soak in salt water overnight in a frig, and then cook the next day, baked in a covered dish or slow cooker with cream of mushroom soup over them.

whatugawkinat

Man, I'm going to go with just one pup. I will probably pick him up in a couple days once we get her dog familiar with the new place first..then introduce the newbie. My buddy hooking me up with the pup hunts with his and learned from his dad, so he said he could set me up to sit back and watch him and his digs do what they do best. Thank you all and take care, I'll let you know what happens.

PREDATE

We've always had solo beagles that were awesome rabbit dogs. They live for chasing bunnies! They are a great companion! We always field dressed the rabbit immediately and the dog got the heart & liver. Just spend alot of time in the field with him/her and be patient. All they want is to hunt