can I train my Beagle??

[newbiegunnerjake]

I have an 8 year old beagle, full of energy and loves to sniff as all beagles do. got into hunting last year and thought about bringing her along and if I do, can she be trained for hunting grouse. i think she wouldn't be able to retrieve but may be able to flush them... anyone have experience with hunting grouse with a beagle?

[NaStY]

Might want to make sure it isnt gun shy first...

[blackford]

I used to have a beagle and was told by the breeder who also was a hunter that you risk to lose them. He said that if it's one single beagle they could forget to listen to any command until the find the sent.

But ya they have a amazing sense of smell.

[boxhitch]

They were initially bred as hunting dogs, the genetics are still there.
Only as trainable as the handler.

[BlacktailStalker]

Get a hold of RocketRob, his beagles take down 350lb black bears.

[Barracuda]

They were initially bred as hunting dogs, the genetics are still there.
Only as trainable as the handler.

yes and no . Hunting dog is a pretty broad term which can mean ,a retriever ,tracker ,catch dog etc.
To say it is the trainer only is doing a diservice to the dog and the breed .

[boxhitch]

Picking on semantics.


Hunting dog is a pretty broad term Maybe could have said working dogs, to be less specific, but hunting is what they are for.

Any dog, no matter the breed, takes a good handler to get the most of the potential from a dog.
Any tool is only as good as the one that uses it.
No diservice there.

[Barracuda]

you seem to be missing the point.

There are a number of differnt types of hunting a person does with dogs .

Hunting dogs are genetically designed to perform specific tasks and very often at the expense of other qualities .



A beagle is a Hound with traits and qualities that dont always lend themselvs to be for other types of work.

That being said i have seen a beagle that was used in obediance trials but it is the exception not the rule. ( we have a hound that retrieves stuff but i would never use her as a retriever)

you wouldnt normally use a bloodhound to retrieve ducks or a greyhound to follow a scent trail .

[moosetaken]

I've heard of using beagles for hunting rabbits but never heard of them for grouse. I met a company auditor from Florida a couple of years ago who used a pack of beagles for deer hunting. They hunt by having the dogs run the deer and try to get ahead of them for a shot. He used beagles instead of bigger dogs so the deer wouldn't run as fast and would pause more often and be an easier shot. He was shocked that wasn't how things worked in BC. We both were thinking WTF are you serious?

[tomahawk]

Good luck if you do try. I have a beagle but at no time would I ever have thought to try to train him for hunting, he's way to stubborn and pig headed, however I did have a GSP and she was awesome hunting!

[newbiegunnerjake]

thanks everyone... I think if i do, I'll have to train her to find them on a 12-15 foot lead. I know she will take off if not leashed. Thought it'd be nice to have my girl with me while I do some 1/2 day hunts....

[Big Lew]

I have been following "agility" for awhile now as a good friend and his wife have border collies doing very well in this sport. I've noticed many different breeds excelling at this sport, including a couple of beagles, however, frequently the beagles will suddenly lose focus. I've asked many of the experienced dog handlers about this and all their explanations were similiar....beagles have such acute smelling ability that some oders simply are too irresistible, and dispite good training and excellent handlers, they become distracted.

[blauber]

I just saw this thread and was amazed about the comments. I have a beagle that I've had since a pup. She is used exclusively for rabbits, but if a grouse is around will chase it and change her bark should the grouse run along the earth and not flush. She doubles as a pet and can do any trick in the book. It's all in the training at an early age. Having said this, beagles can be hard to retrieve if chasing game and hard be break from the trail.

[Foxton Gundogs]

Beagles are hounds and bred to run, they flush rabbits and chase them in a circle back past the gun pretty hard to get grouse to run in a circle lol seriously tho as stated dogs are best left to do what they were bred and have the natural instinct for, when it comes to hunting and being an eight year old compounds your problem. Enjoy your beagle for what it is, your buddy but if you want to hunt birds get a bird dog.

[SR80]

Good luck if you do try. I have a beagle but at no time would I ever have thought to try to train him for hunting, he's way to stubborn and pig headed, however I did have a GSP and she was awesome hunting!

I would have to agree with tomahawk with this one. But hey All dogs are different. I tracked a blood trail with my beagle once.

[behemoth]

If you wanted to train it to piss on the carpet then you should have no problems.

[SR80]

If you wanted to train it to piss on the carpet then you should have no problems.

Hahahah. Very true

[Festus]

My son has a beagle - husky mix and the only thing he excels at is jumping 5 foot fences, running away and looking at me and basically giving me the finger when I call him. I would never let him run off leash when out. He aw his first deer the other day and wanted to give a chase; when he caught the scent, he went nuts. He howls like a husky and barks like a beagle. Annoying critter but he can suck up bigtime when he wants something.