Training hunting dog questions

R

ryan robert

CGN Regular
EE Expired
Rating - 80%
4   1   0
Location
BACK IN Newfoundland and lovin it!!!
Im wondering when i should let my beagador run free in the woods, she is just over 6 months, but i just got her 3 weeks ago, she has learned alot in the that time, im really impressed!!
Today my 5 year old son and I took to he woods with the .22 in search of a wascally wabbit as he would put it....Took the dog, she sat next to me as we fired the 22, no jump no whine, just looked in the direction of fire with a curious look!

next is the 12 gauge, but what im wondering is.....If i let her off line in the woods, will she come back, or get on a rabbit trail and run for 3 days?

Any tips appreciated, thanks
 
Hey,

What I do with my hound is I keep a bell on him so that I can here him. The dog should stay within sight of you but if he does get onto a scent the bell will keep you within calling distance of him, provided he comes back when called. I found that if you walk him in city parks and make your way out to less regulated areas such as forested parks close to the city, ie. were there are boundaries so if he does fun off someone will see him fairly soon, then into the woods it is a nice adjustment for you and the dog. I also keep the bell on my dog when I walk around town or any off leash areas. Your dog is part hound so he will go off when he catches a scent, just make sure that he comes back when called.
 
I have some experience with beaglers :)
They all have their own personalitys.
My last one would run a deer for 5 mins max.
My new one at 7mons last yr would run 1/2hr & still does unless he's with another dog then it's a total unknown. :rolleyes: now lookin to buy tracking collars!
Do your best to get him to come at your call in the yard 1st & reward or praise him.
If yours is for rabbits the only way to find out is to let em go, but don't expect him to stay with-in sight. A rabbit generally runs in circles 7 stays in it's own area, so expect to dog & it to come by again, usually shortly :)
 
I have a Brittany Spaniel that I first took hunting at 5 mos.

She ranges way too far for my liking. I suspect that sometimes she's in the bush pointing a bird and we just don't know. If they sit in a tree, she'll bark a very distinctive bark that we recognise as her "I've got one" bark. As much as I like the heads up, I don't like shooting them in trees, so I throw my hat (or whatever is handy) at them and then take a shot when they fly off.

When she points them where we can see her, it's unbelievable.:cool: They're invariably 10 feet in front of her nose and I still can't see them until they bust cover.

Right from day 1, we taught her that it is her responsibilty to keep track of us - not the other way around. We did this by not looking for her if she wanders off and, most importantly, not calling her or whistling for her when we don't know where she went. We did this at the off-leash park for months before we took her in the field. She gets "punch drunk" once in a while and runs off after a low flying bird that takes her up to a km away from us. She always finds her way back. I reserve whistling and calling for her for when I'm really worried and I want her back NOW. (like after sunset when I can't see her anywhere or hear her dog tags and the coyotes are closing in on us.)

She's not well trained, as you may have guessed, but she still manages to flush more birds than she scares away before we get in range. And, she saves us lots of birds that get knocked down and hit the ground running.
 
Ryan... My only advice would be to have your dog interested in birds/rabbits/whatever... BEFORE you pull the trigger on a 12 gauge anywhere near him/her...

My dog Bamma... Her litter mate Brownie... Is a USELESS hunting dog because her first exposure to gunfire was with a 12 gauge over grouse... The dog hunts like a HOT DAMN, unless you have a gun, then she's UNDER THE TRUCK!!!

So, slow and easy my friend, build desire and confidence. After that everything will follow!

Good Luck.

Cheers
Jay
P.S. As for being gone for 3 days... Put identification on her, let her loose in an area that you and the dog know well... And NEVER NEVER give that dog hell for coming back, even if it is 3 days later and you want to take 'em behind the shed with the 22.....
 
Have you worked on basic obedience with your dog? Does she come when called? If so, you can move to the next step, if not, why risk it?

I'd certainly agree with the previous comments about intro to the shotgun. Continue with the small caliber guns, and intro to the shotgun from a distance while the dog is distracted & excited by game.

If you're worried about your dog running off, you have 2 fail proof options for the lazy way. First is a tracking collar. $600-700 that can track your dog for a couple of miles. These are great, and even though they're expensive, it's cheaper than a new dog and explaining to your kids where their dog went. Garmin makes GPS trackers for dog that are great, and there are also RF transmitters.

The 2nd way, which is only good if your dog is trained to come is an electronic collar. If she runs off and doesn't come, zap. Obviously not the best solution, but can be a last resort to protect your dog from obliviously chasing wild game into traffic or a dangerous situation.
 
Thanks for the tips guys....
She has all her basic commands and is improving each day, it has really blown me away to see how far a dog can go with some training, i know the previous owners didnt do much with her, but she was looking to be taught.

I hear ya about the 12 there Jay, ill keep doing the .22 thing for another bit for sure.

thanks ill keep working her, i got a bell now and ill be trying her in the woods again this weekend
 
Get yourself a good book on training gun dogs or you will ruin her.
If deer season is still open, your dog may get "shot".
Beagles are notoriously hard headed, you have had her 3 weeks? I say if you let her loose, you will spend 2 days looking for her if she locks onto a scent trail.
Use a starter pistol to aclimate her to gunfire. Fire the pistol, get her her food or a treat. She must equate the "bang" with something pleasant.
Seriously, get a good book or risk ruining the dog.
 
obedience training is an absolute must with retrievers. my beagles will chase frrom 15 minutes to two days. it depends on something we humans know nothing about. scenting with their nose and pursuing is an instinct to the dogs. training a hound is not like training a retriever. i can't honestly say i've ever trained any of my hounds. that's beagles and walkers.i'd let her go, but don't be surprised if nothing happens right away. give her plenty of time to let her natural instincts take over. one of my best beagles didn't really chase deer on his own til his third hunting season and then he was great. i just got back from two weeks in eastern ont. from my deer camp. my 1 year old beagle did very well for his first season. my partners 1 year old walker was the same. you may find that an older more experienced dog will find the scent trail sooner than the pup. the pups may need to have a rabbit or whatever jump up in front of them , to start a chase. there's a lot of different scenarios and it seems no two are the same. most of all BE PATIENT.good luck
 
Your beagle is a hound. You don't train hounds--you hunt them. Turn her loose.
Sooner or later your are going to have to turn that 5 -year old loose too. I know--it feels about the same.
 
If my beagle or most beagles have the scent of a rabbit they are not coming to your call. They are bred to chase bunnies and thats what they will do until the rabbit is killed or they loose track of them.

Most rabbits will run in a circle however if you get on an old male (buck rabbit) he may go straight away and well out of hearing range. Those make for a great day.:runaway:

As for being gun shy, my dog was 5 mths old when I got him. I took him into a field where we shoot clays, tied him on the bumper of the truck, walked 30 feet or so away and fired off a hundred or more shells. I never had any problems but every dog is different. Mine now LOVES to hear the gun, he knows what it means. He comes a runnin'.

Like someone else said, don't call them too much in the woods, that only makes things worse over time. Mine used to listen REALLY well, especially for a beagle. Then my father started going hunting with me, he ruined him. If the dog would happen to loose the rabbit for a minute I would leave him alone and he'd find him again shortly. Dad on the other hand would be calling the dog and pointing at every set of tracks he would see, I guess after a while the dog got sick of Dad calling him for no reason and gave up responding to the calls. He's starting to swing around again now though, my father hasn't been in much the last couple seasons.

Good luck with your dog. I hope he turns out good. From the looks of things you'll soon be in the market for a .410 pump for the little one as well. It's nice to see them started young.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom