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Bluetick beagles

Started by chain, October 29, 2012, 12:08:35 PM

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chain

I have a couple of male 6mos. old BT beagles. Trying to train them, they seem to smell rabbits, and other varmints but won't strike-up and trail.

Are the pups a little young to start and should I introduce a rabbit for them to eat? Any suggestions appreciated in training beagles.

ellmoe

They are plenty old to begin trailing. If you don't have an older dog to put them with, drag a rabbit hide over a trail and get them following it. A treat at the end of the trail can't hurt. Soon their instincts, if they're from a line of hunting dogs and not "pets", should "kick" in. Once they start running they will get better with experience.
Have fun!

Mark
Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

Buddyw

ellmoe is correct about using a rabbit hide. I use to pickup fresh road kill ..LOL.  I also found that training puppies went much smoother working with one puppy at a time. Doing this I found out that it cuts down on puppy play time.





















chain

Your tips have paid off as the pups now have begun to trail.  But I constructed a rabbit hidey out of a pallet laid at one end of a thick 75' long juniper hedge, covered it with cypress leaves and juniper limbs and the bunnies have taken to it very well. In fact, the beagle pen is near enough to the hedge the pups can watch the rabbits come out and hop around. They can't wait to jump in and start running. I do have to keep one of the pups back, he likes to play too much.

ellmoe

  That was fast!  8) Looks like they have "hunting blood" in them, for sure. IMO , you can't find anything more fun than watching a pack of beagles on a rabbit hunt. They are fun, and funny to watch, and alot of action going on to boot!
Mark
Thirty plus years in the sawmill/millwork business. A sore back and arthritic fingers to prove it!

chain

I thought the dogs were getting too chummy with the rabbits in the hedge. They'll stike but seem to silent trail and lose interest. Took the beagles for their first serious hunt..in the 'Thicket'..yes, there's always the Thicket, :o an old levee grown up in vines, briars, river cane, but there are trails through the middle, it is not a totally inpenetrable area.

Problem was, there are many other critters that reside in the thicket..bobcat, coyotes, deer, fox. The dogs drove one young bobcat out of the growth, the 'cat just loped over into another part. Dogs showed interest for about half-hour before coming in, their tails down and a, "somethin's in there boss" scared look. Quite probably a 'yote or deer.


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