The American Beagler Forum

I am trying to ensure my med. fast hounds have gears and can run equally well in the thick briars as in the open creek bottoms. I know gears has a lot to due w/ their breeding, but I want to control their environment / experiences to shape the outcome the best I possibly can.

I have learned that it is easier for a hound to gain speed than gears as they mature (although both should develop w/ age and experience). So I have decide to try and run a couple pups that I am starting only in the briar thickets rather than wide open river bottems until they can run handle a rabbit in briars.

Has anyone had success w/ this approach?

Never tried that approach but it sounds like it will be an interesting experiment.Keep us updated on the progress.I start my pups in my pen where there is a lot of thicket,but there is also some open spots along with some wet/dry areas and some of it is hayfield. They get a smell of how the scent changes from one area to another.And it does change as you can tell when they,lets say,come from the thicket to a mowed trail chassin' a rabbit it seems they don't have as much scent to follow and they have to adjust.But I am anxious to see how your idea works. CHH

Last year I tried something like you describe and it worked for me! I start my pups at 10-12 weeks old on a San Juan in a very controlled area (my swimming pool yard). There is plenty of cover (bushes) and the pups go nuts. I then take them out to my starting pen and once they get a smell of a rabbit, you'll not find these young guys under your feet. Instead they are creeping and crawling through the thick cover. This then translates into a hard hunting young dog. The speed comes with breeding and age. I firmly believe that when hunting is learned at an early age it may produce a better hunter (harder hunting), at the very least the pup has a huge head start. My pups for the past year circle rabbits at 4 months old. I'll never wait until 6 months + to start a pup again.

You'll notice in school, the 1st, 2nd & 3rd graders go to recess and play together. Then, the 4th, 5th & 6th graders, later go out, but none are allowed to go over to play with the High Schoolers untill they are big enough ...Patch