How to Judge a hounds performance

[MPankratz]

Does anyone have a good resource for someone interested in getting into field trialing and wants to learn how to judge a dogs performance?

I can tell if my dog is following a trail well, but I'm unfamiliar with the finer points of judging a dogs performance. In the past I've been happy if my dog followed the trail well enough to bring the rabbit right around to me so I could shoot it. Unfortunately the dog doesn't really have to do a good job of trailing the rabbit for me to shoot it. All I have to do is hold still after the dog jumps one and wait. She may lose the trail six times but it won't be long before that rabbit comes right back to me.

Thanks!

[raccoon crk kennel]

a place to start is look at their hunt/jump ability,look for barking on track before rabbits up,when the dog or pack looses the rabbit watch for the dog to fire out and move the track,you want a dog that does this well,watch for the dog as to how far it runs off the end or turn of the track before it realizes its not on track, watch/listen to how the dog runs in the race such as is it trying to reach for the front or stepping of the track to get around the pack,and watch during a loose if the dog swings witch is makes big circles looking for the track or does it work a tight ck witch is staying within a close distance of the point of lose,also look for bad habits such as back tracking.depending on what format you want to get into trailing will dictate as to what kinda spd a dog has and how clean they are on the track.most of my points are univirsal to all formats exsept for the swinging,im not by no means an exspert beagler or trialer but these are the points that i know will get you on your way..hope this helps in some way,the best part of trialing is the friendships to be made with fellow beaglers,fellowship and of course the thrill of the hunt.

[MPankratz]

That's very helpful. Thanks!

Is there any sort of document written about this sort of thing? I would assume so, but Google isn't helping me, surprisingly.

Tonight after I finally found my dog after she went hunting without me (away from home she stays close, out back here, though, she'll go anywhere, apparently even swim across the creek which I had assumed would make a good boundary), she was following me back toward the house. I didn't have her leashed (not easy to do in briars) and her ecollar had died, so when I jumped a rabbit, she was off. She did a fair job following the trail (easy to tell, the rabbit made the smallest circle I've ever seen a wild bunny make) but when she was about 3/4 of the way back to me she lost the trail. Then she started backtracking. I'm trying to be patient because she missed out on a lot of experience when she was sick and loves nothing more than chasing bunnies, so I just sat and watched. By this point the rabbit had already come around and practically ran into me, it was literally about 2 feet away before it realized it's blunder and changed directions, so I knew exactly where she should be going. Eventually she worked it out and came back, she followed the trail almost to the point where the bunny turned, and started backtracking again. I didn't understand what was going on. She was working in one small area that was near the trail but not right. Finally I see what was going on, she had apparently scented another bunny, and she got within a few feet of it before it finally burst out. This one ran almost the same circle as the previous one, but wider. She followed it around, and then seemed to lose it within a few hundred feet. She came back and worked the trail again, but she seemed to be swinging around the point where I thought the rabbit had turned. she kept working out further and backtracking, but she never figured it out. Finally I leashed her and brought her inside.

She did real well with that first rabbit (which was actually the third or fourth of the afternoon, but the first one I was close enough to witness everything), but lost it at the end of the circle. Is it possible she got confused by the scent of the other rabbit that was sitting not too far off the original rabbits trail?

If she'd have stayed on that 2nd rabbits trail and not lost it right away, would she have been penalized for leaving the first rabbit's trail? Or be rewarded for having scented and jumped another rabbit? She's always real good about finding the rabbits, and she's really fast on the trail, but I think she works too fast and loses it, and once she's lost the track, she's screwed because it takes her forever to figure it out, if she ever does. I can hunt with her and kill lots of rabbits, but that's not really my goal. I didn't even bother to bring a gun with today. I want her to track better.

But that's probably a bit of a lost cause. She's six and isn't going to figure this out now. She might get a little better, but she's never going to be an excellent rabbit hound.

That's why I bought Blue. He's certainly got the blood in him to do amazing. I'm mostly interested in knowing what I should be looking for in him.

Is there any way to work on a dogs faults? I'm assuming that lots and lots of experience is all I can really do, right?

[raccoon crk kennel]

im not sure of any documents on the defrant formats of trialing.as for her if it was my gype and she swam a creek and was gone along time id have to assume she was running off game when she swam across and beyond.as for the 2nd rabbit the judge if he knew there was another bunny jumped woulda told you to get your dog back to the original rabbit race,would not get any plus or minus points for the second bunny jumping.
as for the back tracking,i have known of ppl that has broke dogs from that but ive never been able to myself and her being six yrs old i dont see you changing her at that age in my opoinion they are what they are pretty much,defiantly would be penilized if judge would have cought her doing this.
as for your new dog blue id be wiery of running him alot with her if hes young or not realy a confident dog he will pickup the habit of back tracking from her,exsperience and running him with dogs that doesnt have bad faults and SOLOING is the major thing a young dog needs,that above all will give him the confidents to know when theres a loss and he picks it up he is right and needs to go on with the track,and another thing soloing will do is improve his hunt/jumping abilitys.may i ask what bloodline is he? .....this is my thoughts and oppoinions like i say im no profesional but i do know a little so take my advice as you will but not the last word,beagles that suits you and ones that suits me may be two defrant dogs, good luck beagling and i hope in some tiny way ive helped you!

[MPankratz]

Top side he's GB Pawking x GB Sandi for grandparents and on the bottom he's got FC Buckeye Ninja Blue Boy x Blueberry Knoll Ava for grandparents.

Good blood, certainly.

I'm not running him with her at all. I don't want her teaching him any of her moronic traits. I won't run him with another dog until he's over 8 months I'm thinking. Daisy was entirely solo'd too, she's never ran with another dog. Didn't do her much good, but Blue's got much better blood.

He's only 12 weeks though, and I haven't managed to trap a rabbit yet so he's not been started really. I'm just happy when he doesn't pee in the house.

[raccoon crk kennel]

looks like your well on the way to raising blue right,just watch that at such a young age you dont over presure the puppy in any way,i seen a quiete on here once and its very true," a mans ego is a big burdon for a puppy to bare"...looks like hes bread good and he will get alot of his skills from that,show him alot of rabbits,have fun and happy beagling! best of luck with blue.