The American Beagler Forum

I have a 2 year old that I bought who was supposed to be able to get the job done. I think he could do it if he would actually get out from under my feet. He stays close and when he does take off for a few minutes he stays on a trail of the edge of a field.When I decide to get in the thick stuff to try to help him out he just stays at my feet and obviously doesn't want to do the hard work. What can be done to increase his drive? Any help would be great.
He will run a rabbit if I get one up for him but he just doesn't get them up on his own.
I am pretty much stuck with this dog for this year and I actually like him (until I take him hunting), I know he is young but I am getting tired of going for long walks with a pleasant dog. I want to go hunting. Any tips would be great.

he may be missing his other owner or dogs hes used to running with sounds like hes afaid you will run off and leave him in time he may get used to you if you like him give him a little more time

Good evening. I suggest you run him with other dogs. Once he is up and pack running good praise him at the end of the day. The next time out put him on a lead. When he hears the other dogs running rabbits he should be throwing a fit to get loose. Once he hits the end of the leash several time trying to get with the pack let him loose. He should be strokin' in no time. Hold off soloing for a while.

is he on a ground kennel
if so spread his food though out kennel so he has to hunt for it in his kennel

How much experience does he have? What kind? If the previous owner was running him in a pack, that's probably your problem. He just doesn't know what to do, he's looking to the lead dog to provide guidance. You just happen to be the lead dog currently. Congrats!

How long have you had him? It sounds like he's just not used to being on his own.

Is the tossing the food around bit a serious suggestion? God I hope not, that's rude and isn't going to do anything to get the dog more comfortable with you and confident in running alone. If the dog wasn't run in a pack and this has always been an issue with him, I think your best bet is to just let him run free for a while. If he won't even go work on his own if you sit in the truck and wait, I'd suggest trapping a wild rabbit, letting it go and then going back to the truck to wait. After he eventually loses that rabbit he should go off in search of another one, and another, and another. If he can do this for a few hours without you even around I think you'll have gotten a long way to solving your problem. Sometimes my dog will stay by my feet in this cover he's unfamiliar with, but other times he'll just take off for hours on his own. I dunno why he feels one way one day, and another the next- but once he comes across a rabbits trail, he's off and then he'll continue to work.

I think it might be that your dog and mine aren't 100% sure what they're there for (though mine isn't even a year). Will your dog start working on his own after he chases a rabbit first? I would think he would. If he doesn't even then, I dunno what to do. That's a conundrum.

Hunt is bred in them, not taught.

Either they have it or they don't, sorry. A lot of guys are breeding for tracking and don't care about hunt. For me, if they don't get out there and look, they go down the road, that's just me, but I have to feed them.
Thanks,
Bob

I agree, prey drive is something they are born with. I'd keep feeding him tracks as often as possible. He might come around. Running him in a pack, as has been suggested, may help too. Good luck! I have a young male that I got in November of 2015. I wasn't able to do much with him all winter due to deep snow. Then summer was too hot. I put him in a pen for three weeks around Christmas time. He's turning out to be a pleasure to run! He's starting his own rabbits, pulling checks on the older dogs, and handling pretty well. He has a lot of hunt and one day the light came on and he started packing. Maybe a pen for a week or two would help.

Larry