hound won't bark

[wvden]

I've got a female that is about 19months old. I hunted her all last year solo and jumped a couple rabbits with her but haven't killed one with her yet (i missed) problem is, she never barks on trail only when she sees the rabbit. she also hunts very hard (nose to the ground the entire time but moves extremely fast through the brush) its like she just isn't getting it . she behaves very well otherwise, always comes when i call her and goes in the brush where i point. its like she is getting too many scents and won't follow one in particular. i have turned rabbits out infront of her that i've caught and she will chase. my question, is ther anything i can do to hone her in to staying on one track? or is she justtoo far gone to fool with anymore? i also have a new pup that i am afraid to run with her cause i don't want her to turn out the same way. any opinions will be appreciated

[Househounds]

I hunted her all last year solo and jumped a couple rabbits with her but haven't killed one with her yet (i missed)

Are there not many rabbits where you hunt? Could be she needs more oppurtunity to run rabbits.
Lucky me I now have a place with a ton of them to run, but before that my first beagle was a late bloomer and did not circle a rabbit until the end of his second hunting season. I almost gave up also, but now I wont go to the woods without him.

I bet if you could find a rabbit infested area or running pen eventually she wont be able to help herself from running.
If this is not possible its up to you I guess. Mine are also house pets so I was not going to get rid of him, so I kept at it and it has paid off.
But as you can tell from my story it eventually happened and Copper has become quite the rabbit dog.
I am glad I kept at it.

Good luck

[Ohiohntr]

Just had a long talk with a fella that starts a ton of pups and what he said made a ton of sense....I will see if I can remember the Cliffnote version.

A dog/puppy will do what it perceives makes the owner happy. If you keep letting it sight chase over and over and get excited about it showing interest and sight chasing rabbits then it will assume you want it to sight chase only. A pup will learn what you want it to do by your own actions. If you jumpshoot every rabbit then it will assume there is no track to be had...sight chase, owner shoots, he is happy...return to owner. He said the owner should act more excited about the actual track that you can't see moreso than seeing the rabbit....the dog CAN smell the rabbit and will put 2 and 2 together that I smell something, owner happy, bark, owner happier, bark...wait a minute this is fun...smell, bark, smell, bark...etc.

I fail miserably at starting pups because I don't have the facilities or patience to allow the pup to "figure the track out" without distractions but there are people out there who love it.

[bill huttozac]

Ohiohntr - Much wisdom in your post. Trainers of pups and young dogs should take note.

[Newt]

I suppose each line is different and each person has different experiences. I've never started a pup or owned a beagle that did it to please me. They hunt and run a line because its in their DNA. They listen to me when I give the call and if they think I have a line so they can run it. Until they learn that "Talley Ho" means, I have a hot line, they ignore me and keep looking for a rabbit.
Barking on a line is bred in response as well. They love the track and bark from excitement. If they can't smell it they don't get excited, can't run it. If they don't love it they won't stay at a loss/check until they find the line. Sometimes a young dog will quit at a check because it is insecure. Experience will usually cure that.

[Ohiohntr]

Ohiohntr - Much wisdom in your post. Trainers of pups and young dogs should take note.

This guy begged me to not mess with anymore puppies before he gets them because I just make his job harder.

[wvden]

thanks guys, good info! my "rabbitat" is definately down due to a bad winter year before last . i guess i will give her some more time. one more question, should i keep my new pup away from her until she "gets it"?

[johns03272008]

Something I haven't seen mentioned and that I think is very important is how often are you getting the dog out of the kennel and out to the field to run?? In my opinion getting a dog out 1 a week for a hour is not enough nor is some others that I know who only get them out fro October to February around here for season and only a handful of times!! The more you run the better they get!! Get a dog that pours the mouth out on track and put the dog with it that would be what I would do and after a good couple months of solid running time if nothing changes then its time to cull!! You have more patience than I because I wouldn't have waited 19 months!

[Ohiohntr]

thanks guys, good info! my "rabbitat" is definately down due to a bad winter year before last . i guess i will give her some more time. one more question, should i keep my new pup away from her until she "gets it"?

In all honesty....with her age and knowing how much time and effort I have spent trying to start dogs and ultimately made them worse....I would see if you can find someone around you that starts dogs (starting pen). It will be worth the money either way...if she does not "get it" in the hands of someone who does this for money then she probably never will and you can save yourself the time and feed. If she does "get it" at the pen then it was money well spent. Let someone else try their hand at getting her going...Pen fees are usually pretty minimal compared to the results.

If things turn out well with your older one then when you go pick her up you can drop off your other one to start....Again, some guys are very good at starting dogs and live for it.

Just my .02

[Househounds]

Yes. The fewer distractions the better. Lots of rabbits and rabbit scent with as few distractions as possible. My second dog I actually first opened on rabbits in our neighborhood while on his leash. I would have a "spotter" go ahead of me and show us where the rabbit was so he could get the scent...

If you want a good book about dog training try Bill Bennetts Beagle Basics (training of the hunting beagle).
"After many field training trips and what will seems like an eternity of kicking out or flushing rabbits for pup to trail, pup will suddenly react to a line with a bark. The tone of the bark will be distinctly different from the one pup uses when his territory is being threatened. Usually it will begin as a whine or whimper...when pup has successfully "opened" on his first rabbit you will experience the excitement and satisfaction of knowing you played a major role in his developement. When he completey circles his first rabbit you will feel the pride and amazement that can only result from all the hard work and training that you and pup have endured"

Good luck and keep at it. It is rewarding when it finally happens.

[Shotgun John]

I hunted her all last year solo

Brace her with good dog that's not too fast.

[Panther Creek]

I hunted her all last year solo

Brace her with good dog that's not too fast.

I agree

[wvden]

thanks for all the input guys! i feel everyone was giving me their honest two cents and will definately take it all into consideration.i'm thankful that i have found this forum and get to tap into all this info from you guys! what did we ever do without e-collars and the internet?

[MaineDogs]

I hunted her all last year solo

Brace her with good dog that's not too fast.

I agree

X3 if shes having a hard time getting started with much time in te woods than you need to run her ALOT with like said above until she is running full tilt with this other dog. at this point take away the other dog and run her solo you will see her struggle quite a bit the first few times out because she needs to build confidence all over again.

[gwyoung]

NEWT, You got it right. Also, We all know dogs are very adept at learning a task by watching other dogs perform the task. This is not always good and the reason some of us don't run our dogs with junk. So, with that said, my next step would be to take the advice of those who said to brace her with a good hound for a short period.