Soloing a dog

[mn_beagleboy]

For hunting and enjoyment, big pack is more enjoyment. Field trialing, find the best running method suited for each dog. U want to take the dog to its best n enter him. Field trial is not like random selection. More dog entered does not mean more chance of winning lol. I use to think that way until I try it. When I feel I could get one to two of my dog into their best condition, I entered and they be lucky to placed. It is not fun putting all the focus on one to two dog n leave everything else behind, but it is part of competition. Run/feed what u like, like/run what u feed. Beagling is about enjoyment.

I'm not kennel blind n always keep my eyes/ears open. If anybody has a line that never need solo n throw them into a big pack that does well in akc trial, please let me no. I'm getting tire of my line I have to start them correctly or I could blow them up. My goal here is to take the dog to its best and its not fun. The fun part comes when the dog graduated. The dog passes a turn, shuts up, steps on the brake, comes rite back to point of loss, grab it n be gone. Guys that run big pack all the time have told me its impossible for a beagle to run as I just described. remenber the best dog n the world n the wrong hand could looked very bad, n an average dog n the rite hand could looked very good. Just share what works for me n my oppinnion. Good runnings to all of u.

Sao

[John Way]

Norwester & Budd , Stuck in the house this morning and have enjoyed many short video's attached to your links. I can see you really enjoy your hounds and the pursuit. Norwester, your link provided a large library of videos from past years also, I believe may have seen some before, as I reckonized the voice. With much of the discussion on this board, I was under the impression you guys ran big packs. A dozen or more at once. All of the video's I watched contained 2 - 6 hounds. (Much more manageable ) two ? And several times a single hound would come through on the line, with the others far behind ) Thats almost soloing ? Best not let that get around. Lol. Just having fun here. Your running was much like what I've experienced in the big woods. The larger pack is exciting, the chase heightened and intense. If that matters to you and you enjoy ,perfect. But realistically, Norwester , watched a dozen of your videos, many of the same core group showing up, Its tough to make a strong statement watching a video, but there were a couple or few could select and put down, that IMHO would consistantly out due that larger group. You had an open marked hound, that from what could be seen ,looked very solid on sod and carried much on snow. Also a mostly black blanketed hound that excelled on the snow. Pointed that pack in the proper direction often and carried the line well. ( My favorite ) Just think how some soloing could enhance. Lol guys. Thanks for sharing. Not sure if u guys are friends and run together,your hounds abilities are similiar, but Budds pack seems to be a bit superior. Then again he doesn't have as many video's to watch. Just couldn't help myself from stirring the pot, ever so slightly. Lol Sorry ,Didn't want to take this to far off topic, well guess did mention soloing above. Lol Thanks for sharing, making my morning an enjoyable one. Good running guys!

[NorWester1]

John, feel more than free to critique and pass judgement to your heart's desire. Everyone gets a chance to shine and/or look the fool on video
If I had more collars I likely would try and run more hounds.
Bud knows what he's doing and runs a strong pack of hounds, you may very well be correct.

Now....where's your videos?

[Ron Conroe]

This has been a very good post, but none of us are experts. All we can do is tell each other the way we do things with are dogs. Both sides got good points, but i think if a dog has got it he's got it, we expect a lot out of them, but you also got to know what you have in your kennel. To many people in trailing worrying about what everybody else's dog is doing but there's.

[BCBeagles]

Ron you hit that right. Worry about how the one at the end of your lead performs and WHAT is takes to get them to a top level!!!!

Nuff said.

[mybeagles]

Does running cottontail vs hare make a difference?

[Budd]

John Way... Not so sure my hounds are superior to Norwesters, I like to think of them as a really close comparison seeing as almost all of our hounds are related one way or another. Also I believe Keith's condition's are worse then mine a majority of the time. Also as YOU noticed there ARE times that we will get a split or one dog gets a split, even you noticed this in a very short clip, that's how we KNOW what each of our hounds can and can't do on its own, we see them things happen almost daily at times.
Here is a couple clips of Norwester and I's packs together on sod and snow. Even though we are friends every time we get together one will drop his pack first, evaluate them, then drop the other pack separate and evaluate them, then drop them all together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eDgha4Gmkw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKNVjr54uWo

[Budd]

Does running cottontail vs hare make a difference?

To be honest I don't know for sure, were Rick lives the sections are very small and it seemed to me over 4 dogs things would get a little hectic with a ton of split races, the section may only be ten acres or smaller with 30 or more rabbits in it. Would like to make the trip on over to JCM's were he is running LARGE clear cuts and the cottontail run big, then I could see it feasible and enjoyable.
I have NO cottontails up here so I can't really answer that for sure. I have really enjoyed this thread and am glad to see most are keeping a open mind.

[birmi1nr]

Does running cottontail vs hare make a difference?

To be honest I don't know for sure, were Rick lives the sections are very small and it seemed to me over 4 dogs things would get a little hectic with a ton of split races, the section may only be ten acres or smaller with 30 or more rabbits in it. Would like to make the trip on over to JCM's were he is running LARGE clear cuts and the cottontail run big, then I could see it feasible and enjoyable.
I have NO cottontails up here so I can't really answer that for sure. I have really enjoyed this thread and am glad to see most are keeping a open mind.

Changing the subject a bit but you bring up a good point with size of the running grounds dictating how large of a pack is ran. Where I live most of my running is done in 40 - 100 acre sections where theres lots of roads and houses. Running anymore than 2-3 dogs at a time in sections like this gets chaotic and usually gets me in trouble with adjacent land owners or roads. If had larger sections with with less traffic and people like they do in the North country I'd probably be more apt to running a bigger pack of dogs just for the shear enjoyment of it.

[John Way]

Norwester, Realizing you and Budd were friends, figured would throw that superior pack comment in for a little humor. Budd responded like a true gentlemen. One can tell quite a bit about the running of of your pack, you guys put much effort into your filming. I realize its a highlights reel , and one needs to spend the day in the woods to truly evaluate. Truth be told , they are getting the job done. If you guys were actually hunting in these videos many hare would have perished. One of those last video's budd posted, I saw that open marked hound referenced earlier, ( think same one, with Combined packs their were two similar )she was still controlling much of the chase, but seemed to be much rougher than saw previously. Perhaps the added pressure of 6 additional hounds would do it. I still like her.
Other than some less than 30 sec cell phone video's , I have no
video can up load. Heck I don't have a youtube acct. I practiced posted a couple cell videos. Nice and clear in my hand, but quite blurry on this forum. Getting a video camera, Perhaps something to consider, most of the time I pass killing the hare or cottontail. Just hate to end a chase, especially when game and hunting spots are limited around here. Logistics and geography really do dictate much. If I lived in your area, you can bet I'd be out there doing just like you.
Was interesting to see calling in the hounds. I like the horn. That was something we used with our fox hounds, but never considered use with the beagles. Learned the melodies as a kid. Lol. I like it.
Perhaps at some point you may consider some trialing. I look at it as another way to enjoy my hounds. I don't know if you have ever attended a LPH trial. It can be a great deal of fun. Lots of variables to confront, but a good hound will adventually rise and be noticed. If you were not interested in LPH , or spo a good format for you would be two couple pack. ( hunting test ) achieve the status of Master Hunter. Just your pack of hounds judged alone. Evaluation of strong pack charertersitcs are important. The pursuing judgement doesn't begin until you accept the rabbit , and then the clock starts. May the pack that has the best run , and overall performance win. The fate of your pack rests squarely on their shoulders. No outside hounds to adjust to.
Keep up the fun Guys. Be safe out there.

[NorWester1]

John Way wrote,

Norwester, Realizing you and Budd were friends, figured would throw that superior pack comment in for a little humor. Budd responded like a true gentlemen.

Boy, if you only knew him..

Nothing wrong with trialing, would probably enjoy attending one to watch and b.s. with everyone but that's likely as far as it would go. Hell, I don't even register my dogs anymore. Nor am I naive enough to believe my dogs would be worth a sh*t as trial dogs
For myself, the competition is not between the dogs....it's me and my pack against the hare and the environment. A kind of boy and his dog thing except I grew up (sorta) and it' s a bunch of dogs

The challenge of meeting a snowshoe hare on it's terms is where it's at for me and I'll do this for as long as I can or as long as there is a hare in the woods and snow falls from the sky in winter

[Panther Creek]

To me, soloing a young builds his confidence. Then he doesn't try to rely on the other dogs in the pick to pick up those problem tracks or checks. If he wants to run that rabbit, he's gonna have to figure out how to keep it movin all by himself. And it's easier to see those flaws and bad habits that show up. Now as a dog gets some age & experience, I find myself soloing them less. Then they get to help train that young dog.

[JCM]

... it's me and my pack against the hare and the environment. A kind of boy and his dog thing except I grew up (sorta) and it' s a bunch of dogs

The challenge of meeting a snowshoe hare on it's terms is where it's at for me and I'll do this for as long as I can or as long as there is a hare in the woods and snow falls from the sky in winter

Thanks Keith, for putting this into words. It really sums up everything about running hounds for me. In my case, most of the time it's big clearcuts running cottontails, but it's really all the same. What really matters is how my hounds perform each time out. It's cutting them loose and having the pack run the rabbit until it gives up and goes in a hole or they catch it. And although they usually don't catch it, they run like they want to.

Just me and my pack of hounds, in any condition, on any day, in the roughest places I can find . . .

[mybeagles]

JCM,

You field trial, does that take on a different meaning for you? Obviously it's not just you, your pack, and the rabbit anymore

[augerhead]

I run 95% of the time in a pack, I believe that the cream will come to the top. With that being said there is nothing wrong with soloing a dog at all. I don't believe a me too dog will become independent with intense soloing. A beagle has it or it dosent, if it has what i want it will thrive in a pack. The 5% of the time i do solo a hound is to verify he can and will preform without the pack. I have had some that looked real good with a pack but wouldn't hunt a lick by themselves. For me they have to be able to do it all by themselves, and they only way to see that is with a little solo time. Its up to the hounds men I guess, if you rarely run with a bunch of buddies, and only run 1or 2 at a time, or just gun hunt then solo is what you need. But if you want to compete, want to beat your buddies, or trial your better off to pack them hard. I had a young dog a while back that I had high hopes for. He showed real well, ran him solo a little, he could run a track right. But when I ran him with his sire he wanted to follow him pretty much step for step while hunting. A fter the rabbit was up he was competetive and did great. I tried to solo more, I tried to not run him with his sire but that the way he was. As soon as he was on the ground with his sire he was right back following. I let him go thinking if i get him away from his daddy he will straighten up........ Nope he found another to follow.