WHY SO MEANY MEDIUM SPEED FIELD CHAMPIONS

[mybeagles]

Beagle Huntsman,

If you get a smooth running dog that doesn't cause checks and slots up give me a call and I will come get him....I hate to see a guy fall asleep from smooth running dogs that slot up.....I'm usually so aggrivated with dogs swinging or overrunning the track I can't sleep at night.

[Andy C]

Yes I do agree hurryup. You have to havr a strong bitch to bring out the dominant traits in your stud. And I also believe you have to have line control to get the maximum amount of speed out of your hound or your wasting time by blowing thru turns and going into checks so it doesn't matter if you have a hard charging hound that can run 50 mph without control its useless. Also hunt has nothing to do with speed...its a dog searching and working the brush and you can tell a dog that knows where the rabbits are and doesnt pay attention to anything else until it has found the rabbit.

[jimd]

very good post guys.

[Beagle Huntsman]

mybeagles:

I don't breed "slot up" hounds, so I won't be calling you. My hounds drive their game, not just follow it. But don't take that to mean they swing and overrun like some hounds. OK, they do overrun a few feet occasionally, especially in that first hour of running after being up for a week, but they come back and correct themselves quickly. Hounds that do not occasionally have or cause a check probably are not trying hard enough for me. It's what they do with the check that interests me.

My point earlier was just to emphasize that it is natural for hounds to run faster in a pack than solo. A group of men can build a barn faster than one man by himself. Hounds lacking competitiveness will continue to try to work independently of the others, which eliminates much of the gain from having a pack. Competitiveness is a great thing, if not carried to an extreme.

[huntinmup2]

Trails at 10 YRS OLD and most of his pups are upper med.. to Super fast... it all depends on condition, what you train them with. ( the speed of dog ) the dogs you run them with.. day in and day out and the female there bred to... And I'm speaking of most of them....you mentioned

[briarhopper]

I used to run some fast dogs. It would take even longer for the rabbit to come back due to all the overruns and breakdowns. I have been running med speed dogs for the past three years. I have nothing against fast dogs it may have just been the dogs i had. I have buddies all across the spectrum of speed. Super slow to super fast. I try and watch other dogs as much as possible in the off season. Most of them are fine hounds and as i said dont bring em back any faster than mine do. I just pefer a dog that can jump its own and run it with minimum breakdowns. All dogs in my pack can do it solo or packed and keep him moving for hours. they are not great hounds, they are not the best hounds but i have alot of fun all year with them. titles dont mean anything to me , all our trophies are in the freezer and my belly. If you think a slower dog does not intend to chase a rabbit with intent to catch it you are wrong. they may not be fast enough to but they try. Have ran a few to death too. When you kill a rabbit they go crazy wanting some of it. two of em i gotta keep em off the whole time im gutting it cus they will snatch it if not paying attention. So ill keep runnin my slow 12'' hounds .

[DINGUS MAN]

Well, I've trailed quite a bit mostly in akc and a little in arha. It's fun and I made a lot of memories but for me this is what I look for. Hunt, jump ability, accurate line, good foot...but most of all one that can bring the rabbit back to the gun. Ive owned fc's that couldnt circl a rabbit. I've owned fc's that were great...but first I'm looking not for titles anymore...I'm looking for rabbitdogs. I don't care if it's spo, ukc, arha, pkc, or grade. A real deal rabbit dog is priceless!

[Casey Harner]

Well, I've trailed quite a bit mostly in akc and a little in arha. It's fun and I made a lot of memories but for me this is what I look for. Hunt, jump ability, accurate line, good foot...but most of all one that can bring the rabbit back to the gun. Ive owned fc's that couldnt circl a rabbit. I've owned fc's that were great...but first I'm looking not for titles anymore...I'm looking for rabbitdogs. I don't care if it's spo, ukc, arha, pkc, or grade. A real deal rabbit dog is priceless!

Why own a dog that couldn't bring a rabbit to a full circle, let alone a FC that couldn't.

[DINGUS MAN]

Well, I've trailed quite a bit mostly in akc and a little in arha. It's fun and I made a lot of memories but for me this is what I look for. Hunt, jump ability, accurate line, good foot...but most of all one that can bring the rabbit back to the gun. Ive owned fc's that couldnt circl a rabbit. I've owned fc's that were great...but first I'm looking not for titles anymore...I'm looking for rabbitdogs. I don't care if it's spo, ukc, arha, pkc, or grade. A real deal rabbit dog is priceless!

Why own a dog that couldn't bring a rabbit to a full circle, let alone a FC that couldn't.

Got burnt on a trade. My point exactly....

[snowshoehareguide]

i dont know anything bout trials - i like dogs that are fairly quick= all else equal ,, faster is better - lol speed isnt near as important as can or cant- - i like a pretty steady race without too many losses -- -- i like them always pushing to get closer-it is easier when they are closer- what i want doesnt always happen, i hate hit and miss style --short time screaming,, long time nothing-- - i have never seen a good dog that didnt adjust speed to conditions - a good dog is slow medium and fast depending on conditions-- best dogs least affected by conditions-- - too many breed for speed to the point dogs are getting to be robots---either fly or cant run --

rabbit hunting isnt horse racing -- i dont work with a race horse -- lol - i think it would be real interesting to have a tiny garmin collar on a hare and see how fast he actually runs over a few hours- and how much that changes depending on conditions-- i suspect that fast hounds run faster and put more miles on than the hare they are chasing-- if you dont belive it , you need to spend more time watching them in thickets -

[Ky Scott]

You can run them so called fast dogs in a few formats and win. I will take a solid medium fast dog with good line control, and good hunt and win at any format. Breeding for Speed is going to ruin the breed. I think before a dog can be titled they should have to be dropped from the tailgate jump and circle a rabbit to the gun by them self.

Brad, that is the way Progressive Pack Certifies there Champions and that is why I have always liked that format so much.

IMHO, breeding for speed is fine as long as you breed for hunt 1st. I have owned or ran with all types of dogs in my life. Slow, med, med fast, fast and probably some of the fastest dogs to ever be dropped on the ground. The 1st thing a man should consider when breeding is Hunt. Im not talking about the ole saying "YA HE HUNTS GOOD". I'm talking about bloody grubbing fence row, brush piles, briar patch bloody hunt. I myself prefer a medium fast type of dog that works a check from the inside out but I think a lot of faster dogs or their bloodline gets a bad name for being out of control because of there lack of running or the way they were started and ran way to early with the Thoroughbreds. To each is own on how you want to break youre dog depending on what style you like and thats why there are so many different formats for everybody to run which is definately a good thing. I love a fast dog as long as he can keep it under control but it takes a lot of time on the ground week in and week out to keep that kinda dog dialed in the way I like. Time which I dont have so thats why I mainly stick with a medium speed dog. As far as running with intent to catch well I have seen a lot of medium speed dogs catch rabbits after running them down 3 hrs later. Now if a dog running a rabbit for 3 hrs straight is not intent to catch then I dont know what is.

Bottom line I think Hunt is the most important trait to breed for because if a dog doesnt have hunt then why does the rest of its traits matter? If a dog hunts hard somebody will like it wheather its fast, slow, rough or clean!

[Buckeye Bob]

You can run them so called fast dogs in a few formats and win. I will take a solid medium fast dog with good line control, and good hunt and win at any format. Breeding for Speed is going to ruin the breed. I think before a dog can be titled they should have to be dropped from the tailgate jump and circle a rabbit to the gun by them self.

Brad, that is the way Progressive Pack Certifies there Champions and that is why I have always liked that format so much.

IMHO, breeding for speed is fine as long as you breed for hunt 1st. I have owned or ran with all types of dogs in my life. Slow, med, med fast, fast and probably some of the fastest dogs to ever be dropped on the ground. The 1st thing a man should consider when breeding is Hunt. Im not talking about the ole saying "YA HE HUNTS GOOD". I'm talking about bloody grubbing fence row, brush piles, briar patch bloody hunt. I myself prefer a medium fast type of dog that works a check from the inside out but I think a lot of faster dogs or their bloodline gets a bad name for being out of control because of there lack of running or the way they were started and ran way to early with the Thoroughbreds. To each is own on how you want to break youre dog depending on what style you like and thats why there are so many different formats for everybody to run which is definately a good thing. I love a fast dog as long as he can keep it under control but it takes a lot of time on the ground week in and week out to keep that kinda dog dialed in the way I like. Time which I dont have so thats why I mainly stick with a medium speed dog. As far as running with intent to catch well I have seen a lot of medium speed dogs catch rabbits after running them down 3 hrs later. Now if a dog running a rabbit for 3 hrs straight is not intent to catch then I dont know what is.

Bottom line I think Hunt is the most important trait to breed for because if a dog doesnt have hunt then why does the rest of its traits matter? If a dog hunts hard somebody will like it wheather its fast, slow, rough or clean!

Can't say I can add or subtract a single word to what your saying. I'll just say I completely agree.

[Ky Scott]

Thanks Buckeye Bob. I think way to many people get tied up in having a front end dog and miss the big picture! Nothing like having a hard hunting dog that can take the front and do it right. Thats what really makes it all worth while.