Training dogs to run rabbits?

[the_longwalker]

Does anyone here do this? How is it done? We have a ridiculous amount of big snowshoe hares up here and I would like to see if my Elkhound can be trained to do this. Cheers.

[jagen mit DDrs]

Give your dog lots of exposure on rabbits to cultivate his drive.....when he follows them start shooting a couple in front of him and in no time he and will figure out what the game is all about.If you are hunting solo you will have to get your dog to run the rabbits to bring them around to you,in a group of hunter that are posted around a perimeter of an area the dog is only required to flush the rabbit out of the thicket and somebody will get a crack at the rabbit.It helps greatly if your dog is sight or scent loud.

good luck and have fun

Rainer

[skibum]

Forest too think where I hunt rabbits. My dog just chases them into the thick stuff - not nearly enough room for them hares to circle back around for a shot.

Relegated to hunting them the 30 minutes before it is too dark when they come out to the road.

Hope it works for you. Let us know.

[jagen mit DDrs]

Forest too think where I hunt rabbits. My dog just chases them into the thick stuff - not nearly enough room for them hares to circle back around for a shot.
.

@skibum,thick forest is exactly what you need a dog for,I send my dog(s) for an independent search and they'll search and flush any game without going on point,rabbits that are flushed are pursued by the dog and brought back to the area where it was flushed.They key to this scenario is a dog that is tracking the rabbit without giing up.