2 year old beagle help

[huntergreen]

i am asking this for my cousin and myself. my cousin just got a 2 year old beagle that has never been traind fro running rabbits, it has just been an indoor pet dog. well he asked me to help him train his dog. the only problem is i dont know what to do with an older dog, i ahve a beagle that is almost 4 but i had him running rabbits since 8 months old. is there anything that i should do differently with an older dog vs. a younger dog? we took his dog and my dog out yesterday to see if we could get his to run with mine or at least have him see what he is suppose to do. his dog would sniff the tracks but it would not get too interested. do you think that he will catch on by getting him to where the rabbits are and being patient. im kinda out of my element here with an older dog. so any advice would be appreciated

[huntergreen]

nobody has any experience with this?

[THE GOB-FATHER]

I don't really know what to say on this one other than to get the dog to pack with the rest of the dogs. Put some one-on-one time in with him first. Put him in a pen with a rabbit... domestic, wild... whatever. If it's in his bloodline it'll be there for his natural instinct to take over and be interested. Take that interest and go with it if it's there. Give him an opportunity to see as many rabbits as possible. Give him the "sight" factor first. Obviously the "scent" factor isn't working much right now. You want him to associate that sight of a running rabbit with the scent he picks up. Then, let him start hanging with group of running dogs and hope that he picks up what they're doing (from what you've been "training" him). Hopefully, with any luck, he'll put two and two together and actually open up and make some noise!

Then after that... that's where it becomes a refining process for him. I'm sure this is going to prove to be a huge challenge. Impossible? No, probable? Eh... I dunno? There are a lot of factors that come into play. You just have to be willing to put in the work, and after you've put in as much as you are willing to put in, determine if it's worth it. Most importantly here, you have to be willing to accept whatever the outcome is... and where the odds lie. Good luck with it bud and keep us posted.

[THE GOB-FATHER]

Also, another thing to consider... try finding a local beagle club in your area. Most will have "puppy pens" for the younger pups and dogs... a 2 year old beagle is still considered a pup in the beagling community. See if you can find one that does. Normally they'll have a puppy pen of 1 acre or less where there are a few rabbits that have been trapped then placed within the pen.... for training purposes just like this. That'd be the BEST way to go. Just incorporate what I said above with this and you've bumped the odds a bit.

[huntergreen]

cool thanks i didnt think about taking him to a pen. i know a guy (not real well) that has a rabbit pen, that might let me use it. i will have to get ahold of him. thanks for the help

[Buckhunter]

I had a beagle a few years back that was 5 and never been hunting. It was my grandmas dog never been in the field. She took to it like a pro got right on the rabbits. She just didnt like to circle them around to me like my beagle did. I dont know what to do if your friends wont get on the rabbit. We usually let them get a good taste of a rabbit right away. Go out and pop a rabbit put it in front of the pup and see if it takes interest. I used the same procedure training my lab to get the feel of ducks and geese. I let them have a wing to play with and get used to the feathers. If your dog doesnt show interest it may be a lost cause unless it starts to mimic the other dogs eventually.

[huntergreen]

i got to take his dog out again a few days ago and he improved a ton already from the first time i went out with him. this time he started sniffing around the rabbit trail and even let out a few yipps. still didnt go to far with the track but is improving non the less. i have a good feeling now after seening that much improvement over just one day. his dog actualy was looking for the rabbits in the brush better than mine was that day lol.