The American Beagler Forum

I am starting a different topic. I did not want to change the subject on the very good topic going about how important soloing is. Let me say that I believe soloing can be very helpful. MY QUESTION: How do those of you who work 8 or more dogs and usually have 3-5 pups at a time handle soloing or do you do it. We run larger packs and also work a lot of hours. We find it very difficult to do a lot of soloing. How do you hunters who have this situation solo? ROWCO

Very good question. My opinion is... And it's just an opinion, most beaglers with multiple hounds really only have time to talk about soloing but, not actually do the solo training. Most, like myself have a very busy life.
The exception would be the ones with running pens.

Ray S summed it up pretty good. I got 7 broke dogs and 4 pups that are 6 months old just out of the starting pen. Soloing a hound definitely makes them a better all around dog but I only get 2 or 3 days to take them out a week. Im not gonna leave 10 locked up to work 1. Just dont have time and dont trial, only rabbit hunt and pleasure run and i never hunt with just 1 dog so I work mine as a team. If I had a running pen at home, you can darn sure believe I'd solo a different one about every night of the week and then pack them up together and would have a better pack. Time is my issue.

Here what I do sometimes.. Start a dog down in a valley on one side with Garmin. Drive to top of the hill an start one down the other side where they can't hear each other but I can hear both n watch on Garmin.

I am a pack guy, I do like to run 'em solo a few times to make sure they can, but it doesn't take long to figure that out. I will usually drop that one first and hold everybody else for 1/2 an hour. You are not going to condition a dog the same solo as packed, that is why I run as much I do. I do not try and train and fix a bunch of faults out they either have it or do not. OT but when I am getting young hounds ready to trial I will pick them up in the middle of a run now and then. That helps them a lot at trials and makes them easier handling.

Simple answer is you can't. The fact that you have 8 dogs and 3 pups is not a logical reason to say solo time isn't necessary. What's worse is the idea that you can breed for dogs that don't need solo time to be as good as they ever could be. There are obviously some great dogs that never get solo time....I would suggest they would be even better with solo time.

This thread should not be who takes the higher ground or even controversial. I will admit the argument that I can't afford to feed premium dog food or solo my dog because I have too many beggs the question......Why have so many?

I thought about the idea of getting more dogs when I retire, but realized we humans are creatures of habit and end up moving back to what we thinks best.

My "Solo" dog is hoping to see you "pack dogs " at 1 or 2 trials this spring....

there is no way i could solo 8 dogs. thats why i wont keep that many. I am lucky and have a place to run across from my house and after work i grab one dog head down and give it an hour or two of running then spend the rest of the evening with my family. i can only do justice to four dogs so thats all i will keep. i can handle four by myself and give them some solo time.

sam

I have owned and hunted dogs for over 40 plus years. Never did solo a dog. My dad and I hunted with 2 dogs for years. When it became time to add another dog to the pack we did. If they could not cut it we culled and added another one. We just gun hunt and pack run, Not that it matters but we have killed hundreds and hundreds of rabbits through the years. I like to run a bigger pack these days. I have 5 broke dogs and 2 young dogs. I have a busy schedule like everyone else. However I about to retie. When I do I still will not solo a dog. For those that solo then more power to you. Nothing negative to say about running a dog solo just not for me.

I would think that many people take the best dog they have and give it the solo time. Other than dumping dogs from here to the next state
I wouldn't know of any other way. But that's just my thoughts .

Easy for me I do not solo. But I do not Bobby so following me may not be wise................................

The cream will rise to the top

McGuire has won as much or more than most. Fare as I know he doesn't either.

I ve always love to run two at a time and always love 8 to 12 dogs in a pack when hunting.So if solo can help out a dog or not I don t know never done it. I had a dog that would get out all the time and run solo. But when it came time to hunt with the pack, he want no better. I don t see were it will hurt to do it unless the dog starts to get independent.

Im personally mostly a pack runner, and dont trial, but if i were campaining a hound for trials i thought had the "IT" factor it would be solo, solo, solo, then pack and repeat. I personally like to keep 3-4 hounds and only solo pups when starting, or a version of FASTTRACKPA's training regimen. Its to the point where i just have females so i dont have to worry about keeping one at home when she's in season cause i have a male that would be all over her. When i go they all go.

Were Kickaz, Mt State Blue Bud, Kick em up Kane, Forest Pond Slick, Captain Pickard, Butkus, and Pawking soloed much, or just ran in packs??? I think it depends what your actually trying to accomplish with your hound or hounds.

Lee Cockman wrote:Easy for me I do not solo. But I do not Bobby so following me may not be wise................................

The cream will rise to the top

McGuire has won as much or more than most. Fare as I know he doesn't either.

Lee, I follow you and your old pot lickers any day. I've seen them in action. Bobby

Fellas
When I run I solo a dog almost everytime out. And yes I am an industrial mechanic so I average 65 hours a week at work. and still find time to run my dogs 4 to5 days a week.
I take the pack im going to run, decide which will get solo time tonite, run them solo for an hour or close then cut in the rest of the pack for the evening. I keep 5 to 6 runnin dogs at a time so each is getting solo time at least once a week. and hour to an hjour and a half I believe it better than not soloing them at all. Its called dedication and that is one thing that I have. Now if I could just find some good dogs to put the time into hahaha.

Shoot Straight
DEA

Lee Cockman wrote:Easy for me I do not solo. But I do not Bobby so following me may not be wise................................

The cream will rise to the top

McGuire has won as much or more than most. Fare as I know he doesn't either.

That wright lee......
put them down and let the dogs show you who won't a home or the one way ticket to the dog pound