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Won't stop chasing, won't come when chasing rabbits

28K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  Darrell Brown 
#1 ·
I have pet beagle (I don't hunt). She chases and chases rabbits until she comes home exhausted. We live in the country. How can I get her to stop chasing rabbits all the time?
 
#2 ·
You have to have a command that is for serious situations. The Pet Trainer that you see advertised on TV (little blue box that emits sound dogs hear and we don't) works. I've used it, and my dogs both stop when they hear it. Don't overuse it though. It can't be a common thing.



 
#3 ·
Just stand where you last saw the rabbit and when the dog comes by trailing the scent say "down" or "stop" or blow whistle but immediately grab him. He won't want to stop but he'll get the idea that it's time to stop. The next time do it again and eventually he'll know that command. Most beagles won't just stop hunting and come running to you but they will stop and let you catch and lease them.....it may take some fast action to catch them the first few times...Then give that dog to someone who will hunt with the poor thing and get a non hunting bred.
 
#5 ·
I have 4 beagles and hunt 3 of them, but they are my pets first. I live in the country so they have many temptations every time I put them outside. The best solution I can recommend is a training collar. I have 1 for each of my dogs. They know when they hear the tone its time to come home. If they get on a rabbit when I'm just letting them out of the house to play the tone may not work, but the vibration setting let's them know the hunts over. The stimulation setting is used in extreme situatuions, like if they are headed for the road but normally the tone or vibration is all it takes. The fact is a beagle is going to hunt and normally when the nose turns on, the ears turn off. Take it from me, I almost lost a lemon bitch last winter because she got on the road and was hit. 3,000.00 later she will never hunt again. I now know that when I want them to stop what they are doing and come to me all I have to do it press a button.
 
#6 ·
I am a big advocate for the PROPER employment of a e-collar. I have posted my thought on some other threads, but to make it short: E-Collars make the most well adjusted and safe dogs. Period! If anyone wants to know how to properly use one, just ask. It really helps establish good behavior and still allows the dog to use his mind. He actually CHOOSES to work with you... it is not beat into them. When my dogs aren't hunting (when I am roading them or exercising) they wear e-collars so I can stop the dog in an emergency and to keep them from sight-chasing a critter. Lol... I was wounded in Iraq and there is NO WAY I can keep up when they jump something. The collar is an extension of my will without me having to lay hands on them in a negative way.

If you don't want the dog to hunt, that is ok. It is the will of the dominant member of the pack. You just need to let the dog decided to follow suite. An E-collar is absolutely the best way to do that.
 
#7 ·
what is an e-collar how does it work trying to get my dogs from running deer had one shot and killed him 2000 dollars later
Have a shock collar but by the time we find that there running a deer it is out of reach. dont know very much about this fourm
not a computer nut so send me a message that I can find I cant find anything on this computer with out my sons help
 
#8 ·
E-collar is an "electronic collar" or you could call it a shock collar. There are a couple ways to break your dogs from chasing deer. One way is to drive around until you see a deer run into the woods. Take a dog out of the box and put him near where you saw the deer. If the dog starts to sniff the trail from the deer, correct him with the collar and then let him sniff a rabbit fur or rag with rabbit scent on it.

Another method is to use breaking scents. You can buy (for pretty cheap) small felt tabs that go on the dogs collar. Saturate the tab with deer breaking scent. After a while, the dog will want nothing to do with the scent and will shy away from deer scent. As a last ditch effort (you have tried these methods and dog still runs deer), you can take a small amount of the deer breaking scent and put it in a small syringe. Squirt a tiny bit in the dogs nose. It will be awful for the dog, but it is a last ditch effort to protect the dog. In many places it is illegal to run deer with dogs. Also, deer run differently than rabbits. If your dog is chasing deer, it can easily run out of your range or even run to a highway, etc. If the dog still runs deer after all of that, it is time to find him a new home.
 
#12 ·
OMG that is awful!! How about just containing the dog safely so it can't chase deer in the first place?

That is also my recommendation for the OP. Fence your yard so your beagle can be outside without being able to roam. If you can't do that, build a run instead. Containment is the best, most effective, safest and most humane method for stopping your dog chasing rabbits.

A dog with a high prey drive like that also does best if he is getting drive satisfaction, does he like to tug?
 
#13 ·
my 8 year old beagle got onto that trick pretty quick. If she's not ready to come in she'll come up close enough to see i've got the rabbit and then take off on another track. With her the only way to leash her up is to speak VERY sharply and make her go to ground. Once she's on a hot track she won't stop for anything - unless I get close enough to yell her down.
 
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