[mordis]

HI, I just purchased my first dog in over 16 years. I bought a 2 year old ukc beagle named Newt. He was primarily used as a hunting dog the first year of his life, and was then kept in a outdoor kennel till i purchased him. He is in good health minus a swolen inner eyelid, which my vet will soon take care of.

I did not know where to begine when i started my quest for a family dog. I did know i didnt want to deal with the hyper active puppy stage. I bought him primarily for the fact i wanted to get into hunting, tho i dont intend to keep him in a kennel. He is also going to be my buddy. While he is good at the hunting thing, he has almost no obedieance training. Have i made a mistake in getting this dog, will he never learn obediance if i try to teach him?


Right now i cant afford a invisible fence tho i have a large yard. I mostly take him walking with a large leash, but when i let him off he just runs off into the the surrounding soy feilds or where ever else his nose takes him. I knowthat once they get on a trail there is no getting him off, but is there any way i can get him to the point where i dont have to purchase a hugely expensive fence system.

My last dog was a english shepard, and he was so well trained i didnt ever have to worry about him, and i could walk him with out leash. tho i was 12 at the time, i dont remember how he was trained.

Secondly during the hunt, i know hell chase the hare, who makes a large circle and when its closest to me, i shoot it. Is there any way to prevent him from just running off a few miles away, or do i need one of those shock collars i see bird dogs wearing.

Thanks for any help you have and its nice to meet all of you.

 

[JAISP Tech]

If the beagle was trained well and has hunted for a period of time he will not loose the scent of what he is tracking. If he does for the reason of a stream or other environment causing the trail to stop he will change his bark pattern, noticeably, and remain in that general area of about 30 yards trying to pick up the trail again.

A beagle is a persistent tracker and will remain on a cold trail in order to get a new track for at least an hour before packing it in.

I do not believe in shock collars as they can injure your new friend. I tell people if you need to use one place it on and give it a shot to your self as so you can relate as to what it is doing to your friend. Everyone I have told that to that tried it tossed it in the trash as soon as they were able to regain their composure and placed a dry pair of shorts on.

 

[mordis]

Im worried about loosing him while hunting tho, he has no obediance training, and if he looses the scent and follows a old one for a hour, im afraid ill never see him again. i have heard stories of them being found 3 counties away. he is good at the hunting and chasing, but not any of the commands involving come sit stay ect. ect. ect.

When i get to training his obediance, do you think ill have to use a invisifence or will boundry training work with out the shocking collar and massivly expensive install of the whole system.

You mention they are persistant trackers, can i train him to break his scent and come back to me if he gets to far out. Id hate to loose my new friend shortly after getting him.

Every beagle hunting video i see has beagles on shock collars, i thought that was a training aid so they didnt get to far away and lost?

 

[Mollys Mom]

Hi and welcome to Beagle World!!!

I am not find of the electric fences or shock collars. I would prefer really good training with stay, sit, come etc. You can use a long lead when you walk Newt (I love that name), or if you want to tie him out for a bit you can put a harness on him and use one of those leads - sort of like a clothes line and then hook the harness to a rope attached to that (hope that makes sense).

Molly is fairly well trained and we do a fenced in yard but I would not let her loose at this point in her training.

Your best bed might be to use a food/reward to teach Newt to stay with you. Maybe when you are in the house or enlosed area blow a whistle and immediately reward with praise and treats. That way maybe you could just blow the whistle and he will re-focus from the scent he has and back to you.

 

[mordis]

right now my yard has no fence, and i cant afford to install one at the moment. I have him on a 40' stake out but he constantly gets it cuaght on trees and other objects.

I would love to have him off the stake out while im at work, but i dont know what to do if i cant use a invisible fence due to animal rights issues.

 

[JAISP Tech]

From what I have seen there is no animal rights issue however the shock collar is about equal to a stun gun for humans. Granted they will learn really fast what gives them that sensation however it is not a tool you would use with your own children for obvious reasons, so why would anyone wish to use them on a pet?

I have never lost a beagle while hunting and have also heard stories of beagles finding their way several counties but in my years I have never been able to get a name of even one person who had that happen from anyone, even those telling the stories. Usually you hear, Yeah some lad lost his beagle and it was found in the next county I was told by another lad who heard it from a friend and so on...

If you do not have experience with hunting with beagles I would suggest going out with other hunters and their beagles for the first year or so till you get the proper training and experience needed to handle and hunt properly and safely. That would be best for both you and your beagle.

 

[Mollys Mom]

I know it is hard when you don't have a fence but there are a a lot of options. If you want to leave him out when you are at work I wouldn't tie him - too much of a chance for a slipped collar or choking. You can get a kennel run fairly cheap or maybe even on Craigslist. That way you can put a small dog house, water etc and know he will be safe.

I agree about spending time with other hunting beagles if possible - learn how the hunters recall their beags and how they keep them nearby.

My fear with the shock collar and invisible fence is that if they pick up a scent, they will run right thru it. Also, a larger dog that does not have a collar on can enter your yard and possibly attack.

 

[mordis]

double post

 

[mordis]

Update, ill be installing a invisible fence by the end of november. My next question is, training. I wish to enroll us in obediance training and was wondering if the accredited training from Petsmart is worth it. Its one day a week for 8 weeks. I assume i have to work with him on days off as well, Or should i go and find other people to help train us.

Secondly, after all is said and done, what can i expect from him. Will my beagle ever beable to walk off leash, will i ever be able to let him loose at a dog park? I visit my father inlaws house often, he has 60 acres with lots of feilds and forests on it. Will i ever be able to let him off a rope and be able to trust hi wont get lost, or are beagles forever doomed to a life of hidden fences and stake outs and kennels?

 

[BeagleWeegle]

HareChaser01, I have been reading your posts and I wonder why you ended up getting a beagle? not to sound harsh, but you mentioned a few times about off leash and the training you wish for him, it seems to me that you did not do proper investigating before adopting your new friend.

most beagles don't walk off leash they are very easly distracted, not loose off in a dog park neither unless its enclosed.

I would not look at it as DOOMED but you gained a loyal loving companion, and do what others sugested join a hunting group so you can learn from experienced hunters with beags,


just my 2 cents worth and that's not me knowing a lot

 

[ironroof13]

Very good advice!!

 

[mordis]

beagle weagle, the research i did for him, was to see if he was a good hunter, and that was the extent of it. I realize i should have done more, and adjusted my selection somewhat, say a chesepeak bay or some form of retriever, but i will not give up on newt. I have come to terms with the fact he will not be a off leash dog, at this point i just want him to have more manners when on leash and not get tangled up on stuff all the time. As of right now, the only time he will be off leash is when we are hunting and i have his training collar on.

Im sorry it took me awhile to come to this conclusion but i finaly reached it. It was not my intention to annoy people here.

As of now he is a outside dog, and i need to begin working on house breaking. Well, i look forward to keeping you updated, i guess i should start posting in the other forums for my questions and updates.