Gunshy Beagle

Thought i had it all covered in getting my beagle to hunt rabbits . She will be a year around christmas and does a wonderful job tracking the rabbits , but i started her by shooting over her with a 22 and then the other day exposed her to the shot gun and that was it she ran and sat under the truck. What can i do to correct this or am I in trouble. Probably doesn’t matter but she was a free pup and had no papers but does excellent on the scents anyways. She will have the chance to hunt with to other excellent beagles this winter but being gun shy doesn’t help, any thoughts would be helpful or a link to someone that works with beagels.

My first brittney was gunshy and would walk right next to me when i was hunting. I got pretty frustrated with him and i didn’t know what to do so i would pick him up and take him to where he was suppose to hunt at and tell him too sit. He would sit and i would walk putting some distance between us and he would come crawling back to my legs. I didn’t spank him or anything because he was just afraid. We would walk and hunt with him by my legs and when something got up and we shot he wouldn’t want to check it out, he stayed by my legs. I was thinking all this time wheather i bought a lemon dog or not because i didn’t know what dogs were supposed to do. After a couple of hunting trips i got more frustrated with him wanting to walk beside me and one day i got pretty frustrated and made him sit in one spot and as i walked away he wanted to follow and i told him to stay everytime he wanted to come. This was all in the grass i was hunting for pheasants and he was about 9 months old. He had heard guns go off and im sure it scared him or made him unsure so he knew he was safe beside me. Finially when i made him set, then left him sit there a squirrel got up right behind him and he pulled a full point, just like a switch was turning him on, it was automatic and after that he just went for it and pointed everywhere he smelled scent, hot or cold. He was afraid of the sound the gun made but when he smelled his first point thats all it took. Maybe you could shoot a few rabbits and take them out and lay them down where he can find them. Walk along with him and when he scents them maybe it will turn his switch on. Ive never hunted beagles and i know the younger dogs are started by the older dogs and pick up there know how. Maybe if you take him to a good spot wheres theres rabbits and lay a few down he will kick a live one up and he will try running it. Hes bound to kick his first rabbit up and see it. After a few times he might start chasing it. After hes getting them up and following them yell to him to push them back to you. After trying, a whole hunting season maybe, he should get the hang of it and realize that you want him to push the rabbits back to you. I used to let my brittney hunt and retrieve anything he wanted and he loved it. He knew his pheasants and rabbits inside and out and would retrieve them all right back to me once he found out that i wanted him too, then go back for more. Talk to him and show him what you want him to do by trial and error. The more time you spend with him the faster he will learn what you want him to do. Anythings worth a try and i’ll bet once he figures out what you want him to do he will. It takes time so don’t get frustrated, another day in the field is another day closer for him.

My first brittney was gunshy and would walk right next to me when i was hunting. I got pretty frustrated with him and i didn’t know what to do so i would pick him up and take him to where he was suppose to hunt at and tell him too sit. He would sit and i would walk putting some distance between us and he would come crawling back to my legs. I didn’t spank him or anything because he was just afraid. We would walk and hunt with him by my legs and when something got up and we shot he wouldn’t want to check it out, he stayed by my legs. I was thinking all this time wheather i bought a lemon dog or not because i didn’t know what dogs were supposed to do. After a couple of hunting trips i got more frustrated with him wanting to walk beside me and one day i got pretty frustrated and made him sit in one spot and as i walked away he wanted to follow and i told him to stay everytime he wanted to come. This was all in the grass i was hunting for pheasants and he was about 9 months old. He had heard guns go off and im sure it scared him or made him unsure so he knew he was safe beside me. Finially when i made him set, then left him sit there a squirrel got up right behind him and he pulled a full point, just like a switch was turning him on, it was automatic and after that he just went for it and pointed everywhere he smelled scent, hot or cold. He was afraid of the sound the gun made but when he smelled his first point thats all it took. Maybe you could shoot a few rabbits and take them out and lay them down where he can find them. Walk along with him and when he scents them maybe it will turn his switch on. Ive never hunted beagles and i know the younger dogs are started by the older dogs and pick up there know how. Maybe if you take him to a good spot wheres theres rabbits and lay a few down he will kick a live one up and he will try running it. Hes bound to kick his first rabbit up and see it. After a few times he might start chasing it. After hes getting them up and following them yell to him to push them back to you. After trying, a whole hunting season maybe, he should get the hang of it and realize that you want him to push the rabbits back to you. I used to let my brittney hunt and retrieve anything he wanted and he loved it. He knew his pheasants and rabbits inside and out and would retrieve them all right back to me once he found out that i wanted him too, then go back for more. Talk to him and show him what you want him to do by trial and error. The more time you spend with him the faster he will learn what you want him to do. Anythings worth a try and i’ll bet once he figures out what you want him to do he will. It takes time so don’t get frustrated, another day in the field is another day closer for him.

Work in front of your dog with the gun. Shooting over him is like dropping a grenade behind him. Have someone command your dog to sit and stay beside them, then you walk out in front of thr dog about 40 yards with the dogs favorite toy and a starter gun or .22 Toss the toy so the dog can see it and fire the weapon at the same time .The dog should be so excited about his toy he shouldnt notice the report from the gun, Good luck

Work in front of your dog with the gun. Shooting over him is like dropping a grenade behind him. Have someone command your dog to sit and stay beside them, then you walk out in front of thr dog about 40 yards with the dogs favorite toy and a starter gun or .22 Toss the toy so the dog can see it and fire the weapon at the same time .The dog should be so excited about his toy he shouldnt notice the report from the gun, Good luck

ANOTHER THING I DO WITH THE DOGS I’VE HAD,IS TAKE THEM TO A TRAP RANGE, START OUT AT LEAST A COUPLE OF HUNDRED YARDS AWAY AND START PLAYING WITH HIM AND SLOWLY WORK YOUR WAY CLOSER TO THE GUN FIRE PLAYING WITH THEM ALL THE WAY IN.

NEVER !! START OFF BY SHOOTING A GUN RIGHT NEXT TO THE DOG IT SCARES THE HECK OUT OF THEM, LIKE IT WOULD TO YOU IF SOMEONE SHOT A GUN RIGHT NEXT TO YOU IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

PUPS ARE BABY DOGS AND IT IS UP TO YOU TO BRING THEM UP RIGHT. IT’S ALL A STANGE WORLD FOR THEM WITH ALL THE NEW THINGS TO EXPLORE AND SMELL, TAKE YOUR TIME AND BE POSTIVE WITH EVERTHING THEY DO THAT IS CORRECT AND DON’T EXPECT THEM TO KNOW EVERTHING ALLREADY, LOOK HOW LONG IT TOOK YOU TO LEARN.

ANOTHER THING I DO WITH THE DOGS I’VE HAD,IS TAKE THEM TO A TRAP RANGE, START OUT AT LEAST A COUPLE OF HUNDRED YARDS AWAY AND START PLAYING WITH HIM AND SLOWLY WORK YOUR WAY CLOSER TO THE GUN FIRE PLAYING WITH THEM ALL THE WAY IN.

NEVER !! START OFF BY SHOOTING A GUN RIGHT NEXT TO THE DOG IT SCARES THE HECK OUT OF THEM, LIKE IT WOULD TO YOU IF SOMEONE SHOT A GUN RIGHT NEXT TO YOU IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

PUPS ARE BABY DOGS AND IT IS UP TO YOU TO BRING THEM UP RIGHT. IT’S ALL A STANGE WORLD FOR THEM WITH ALL THE NEW THINGS TO EXPLORE AND SMELL, TAKE YOUR TIME AND BE POSTIVE WITH EVERTHING THEY DO THAT IS CORRECT AND DON’T EXPECT THEM TO KNOW EVERTHING ALLREADY, LOOK HOW LONG IT TOOK YOU TO LEARN.

The trap range method is a good one and I use it on all my dogs. Another one you might try is to tape gun fire and play it back to your dog at a low level gradually increasing volume as the dog gets used to it. Most importantlly do not coddle or comfort the dog when it is showing signs of shyness.

The trap range method is a good one and I use it on all my dogs. Another one you might try is to tape gun fire and play it back to your dog at a low level gradually increasing volume as the dog gets used to it. Most importantlly do not coddle or comfort the dog when it is showing signs of shyness.

There’s a lot of good advice in the posts that are here. One thing I can add is, make sure the dog is tracking when you do shoot, so it associates the noise with the rabbit. I started my beagle with a .22 and hunted him strictly with one for some time. After that, that’s all we hunt cottontail with. When we took him snowshoe hunting, he never missed a step when he heard the shotgun. Good luck.

There’s a lot of good advice in the posts that are here. One thing I can add is, make sure the dog is tracking when you do shoot, so it associates the noise with the rabbit. I started my beagle with a .22 and hunted him strictly with one for some time. After that, that’s all we hunt cottontail with. When we took him snowshoe hunting, he never missed a step when he heard the shotgun. Good luck.