Hardest thing to breed for

[RAD]

To me brains are in the eye of the beholder

[wvduece]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAkJ-8u3 ... re=related this guy need a few

[chris fuson]

i think that the hardest thing to get is a total package dog. but i want a dog that has first brains. without the brains to tell him when to bark , when to turn , when to shutup etc. you can have the biggest nosed dog but if he doesnt know how to use it correctly then what good is it. or another example a super fast dog if he doesnt have the brains to gear down when that rabbit turns then he will always be ovr shooting and ghost barking in the check area. beside the brains i want to breed for consitency! the same dog every day no matter if you have ran him 6 hours a day for the last month or if you have ran him once in the last month. i would rather have a dog that is the same dog every day, lets say you have a great dog if he cannot be the same dog each time out what good is he? even if he is an absolute disaster that is not worth the bullett to shoot him at least he is that way evry time out insteasd of one day he looks like a million dollaurs and the very next day he looks horrible. the next thing is hunt/desire. a true rabbit dog has to have the hunt/desire to run a rabbit if they do not have that then how d you expect them to go and find there game and run it. so i say 1st=brains, 2nd=consitency, 3rd=hunt/desire. you can also get caught up in pedigrees. they are a tool to go by. there is not one single dog that knows he has or does not have papers. in my opinion you need to bred to good rabbit dogs!! not a good male and a worthless female. plain and simple some crosses dont cross well and some do. i have even seen one litter that was worthless and a couple of years later the same 2 dogs crossed again and have great dogs. so i think that regaurdless of what you bred it is a shot in the dark, just like trying to say that this litter will all be full 15inch dogs. what it comes down to is bred what you like and what you desire. if the cross pleases you then thats all that matters right? my opinion and another persons opinion of the same dog may be different. but when it is all said and don i like the brains,consitency,hunt/desire. thats me.

[mybeagles]

I still say we are talking in circles to say we are breeding for brains. Brains is not a trait you breed for. Your breeding for characteristics you like in a dog, and if they have those characteristics then you consider the dog to have brains. The smartest dogs alive are definately not beagles, so does that mean these dogs dont have brains.

Brains is reletive to what traits you like in a beagle, if the dog pleases you it must be a smart dog.......for another owner that same dog might be a complete idiot. Is anyone else following what Im saying?

[drifter22no1]

I think we all want the total package and thats what we will all keep trying for, and I totally agree without brains everything else doesnt amount to a hill of beans, gotta have the sense to use it all for sure so brains is most important and hardest thing to get. consistency comes from having the brains to change gears when need be to get the job done. I have seen alot of good dogs on certain days but I want a good dog that can roll when the scent is hanging high and walk it out when the conditions require it and the brains to know what to do and when to do it, whatever it takes to get the job done is what I like. I personally have never seen a dog that can do it every day the same way........not possible.........but desirable. I have heard guys say they have that dog but it just did'nt pan out when I saw the dog, although good dog but it just did'nt do what the guy said it did. I'll keep breeding raising working and looking for that dog though

[drifter22no1]

well I'll say what I said before the first thing I look for is brains, and that is a trait and the most important to me. anyone can argue all day that many traits are needed to make a whole dog and I agree with that but............ once again, without a brain it just dont matter. So, for me and my taste and experience I'll start with brains everytime. If u have a dog with exceptional nose and no brain it'll babble all over the place, if u have a dog with exceptional foot with no brains it'll consistantly cause breakdowns which will eventually lead to loosing the game all together not to mention what it does to the harmony of the pack. But if you have a dog with brains and a medium nose and what ever else it'll figure out what it has to do the keep the game moving and chew a fast pack with good noses (with no brains) up on rough days. So in my opinion brains is most certainly a trait and difficult to get but the most necessary element for that total package dog everyone is dreaming about. Remember, this is just my opinion, to each his own.

[SilverZuk]

Hardest thing to breed for...


Is the total package.
We all look at our dogs and think.
"I sure would love to have a dog with her nose, his mouth, her brains, his looks, and his check work".
Those thoughts are indicating that all those dogs are all lacking in one area or another.

[blitzen4]

I think I underestand what you're saying Mybeagles, if a dog runs a rabbit with few losses, works the check from the inside out, is quick about his business in the check area, uses his mouth correctly and run it as fast as scenting allows and do it consistantly, these are the traits I look for in a hound if he can do this then he must have brains. If you have a female that can do this 99.9 % of the time that you drop her down and are willing to prove it please let me know as I have a male that can and does and am willing to prove it as well. best to best ? for pick.

[drifter22no1]

if u cant see any faults in ur dog when u run alone you'll never be convinced by anyone that yours has holes but easiest way to make the comparison u want to is trial it, should finish IFC short order

[chris fuson]

i agree totally about the brains. but i want consitency 2nd. what i mean by conistency is that if the rabbit is up and rolling the dog is up and rolling or if the scenting is horrible and there is only 1 good rabbit track that is hot then he/she should run it. they shouldnt be babbling on a 12 hour old track. i agree abot the brains first, then i want a consistent dog 2nd and 3rd hunt/desire for the game. just me

[mybeagles]

Interesting when I read the "dogs for sale" ads; I never see smart dog with lots of brains.....or......very consistant smart dog. Not saying these things are not important, maybe thats why the dogs are forsale.

We always read, 7-8 speed, good nose, use mouth right, needs more running, well bred?

[sanfordssj]

Interesting when I read the "dogs for sale" ads; I never see smart dog with lots of brains.....or......very consistant smart dog. Not saying these things are not important, maybe thats why the dogs are forsale.

We always read, 7-8 speed, good nose, use mouth right, needs more running, well bred?

NICE! Makes you think for a minute, but any dog that has all of those triats plus brians will never be for sale.

You have to be ready when someone lets one go and jump on it. All of us have to make that decision at some point when we are breeding and getting pups. I'm selling one of the best females i have ever had to make room now. She does everything right and passes good traits to her pups, so now i'm going to keep one of her pups in her place. Might bite me in the butt, but i think we all make those choices at some point. i have two other top females that i would also like to experiment with, but at what point can you say enough is enough when it comes to pups?

The biggest problem i have is trying to decide how many dogs i need, and how many I can keep

[Matt Glomski]

I agree with alot of these post. I will give you my opinion about breeding.

I think these "NEXT LEVEL" dogs can not really be breed. Those "AWESOME" absolute "DOMINATE" dogs just come around every so often. I just dont think you can breed that dog, but I believe you can breed for above average litters though. And I think if you as a breeder can consistantlly produce litters with above average dogs (the whole litter not 2 out of 6) you put the odds in your favor of that "GREAT NEXT LEVEL" dog showing up every once in a while. Those great dogs do have brains. They can go find a rabbit FAST. They can run a rabbit as if it is easy. They rejump that rabbit about the time you think the rabbit race is over. They dont lie. Great dogs have it all!!! And any field champion, grand champion, hall of fame or whatever does not make that dog a great one. THEY ARE VERY FEW AND FAR BETWEEN!!!!!!

[BuschBound]

This is a trick question! ... lol. Getting everything, all the good traits to fall where they need to be is the hardest thing to accomplish. Without DESIRE you have nothing. A good friend once told me. " To have a winning hound the hound must want to win".

[MasonsBeagles]

everyone throws "Brains" out as the trait they look for in a hound. I want a Rabbit Crazy SOB with total disregard for his well being. If they give me something to work with then time and repetition can fix alot.