New to beagle training and look for tips on how to start a pup on rabbits. Most guidance you see online involves having a tame rabbit or a large pen with rabbits in which to train. I have neither and the scents you can buy at the store seem to have mixed reviews so any help on how to get a beagle pup started on tracking rabbits would be helpful. There are some rabbits that venture into my yard from time to time and I have seen them around my subdivision, but I don't think training a puppy can justify trapping and killing a rabbit out of season just to use the pelt as a drag.

He is about 8 weeks old and we're going to obedience training in a couple of weeks because most of the things I read agree that they need to know basic obedience commands before getting serious about tracking.

I wouldn't bother with drags or anything like that. Im sure it would help there interest a little but thats about it. Just walk them through where you know there are rabbits and as few deer as possible. Go ahead and invest in a garmin alpha. They are very valuable . Read up on how to tone/vibrate break them. But just concentrate on basic stuff until around 6-7 mo atleast IMO. And then keep them in rabbits as often as possible. Its in their nature to run something, you just need to make sure thats rabbits.And Be Patient.

We never fooled with training our rabbit dogs until 5 or 6 months. Then just put them in a place where if they wonder they will jump rabbits on accident. Instinct should take over then if it’s bred in him. You can also start letting them go with old dogs around 8 or so months. Don’t be disappointed if you send them with old dogs and they come back some at first. That’s normal.

I wouldn’t worry with obedience training until you find out if the dog is going to hunt or be a cull. Teach him to walk on a lead, to load, and come here. A tame rabbit is really good for starting a puppy early but if that isn’t possible I would just wait till the pup is a few months old and ride till you find a rabbit to turn him loose on. Natural instinct will more than likely take over and it will chase it. If the prey drive is there it won’t be hard to start. Just try to keep the pup in rabbits and away from unwanted game.

A Garmin Alpha and TT15 is worth every penny but in the wrong hands It will ruin a dog. With my hog dogs I will tone break my dogs early but I don’t trash break dogs until they are 1 1/2 years old.

Shoe leather and patience. Find a “rabbity” place and walk. Those young rabbits will run in about an acre- round and around. Fun as heck with a new starting pup. But at 8 weeks you’ve got plenty of time on your hands.

100% agree with BayedUp. Collars are handy as hell but you sure can mess up a dog, not to mention a pup, in a dang fast hurry.

Again, the best tools are time, patience and boot leather

A lot of really good advice. If anyone is up for a guest to run a pup in a few months I would love to join. BTW. I’m a little confused on what is meant by “ruining” them with the training collars and tones. What does this mean?

If he doesn’t understand what you’re shocking him for he could just quit. He has to understand what’s expected of him and what’s not. If you train him correctly with the collar you will very rarely have to you the shock part of the collar, the tone will get his attention. A lot of people put it on their dog and start welding their butthole shut and the dog has no clue what’s going on. They have to understand what they’re doing. And you should only use as much force as is needed to get their attention. Some people just go wide open. I think of the collar as an extension of my voice.

On my beagles, I mainly used the collar for trash breaking. I purposely would work them right into where a deer jumped. Once the tails started wagging, I would administer a slight dose. Wasn’t long until the dogs realized deer don’t smell good.

That said, these were very “started” dogs.


Still the only proven training tools are boot leather (putting on the miles), time and patience

Good luck

There are some rabbit training places around Harpersville near the Old Baker Farm. Don't know who owns them but Jerry Baker would as they join him. I used to stop and listen to the dogs run the rabbits in the fenced areas.

One thing I did with pups this young was take broken up wienies and throw pieces into tall grass and call the pups to it with whatever call you will use to call them in after you jump a rabbit and want them to come to the track. They get use to coming to the call and when they do there’s a treat. If you’ve ever hunted with rabbit beagles then you’ve heard the handlers call them to a jump. Soon you can take them out and jump rabbits and call them to the jump spot and nature will take over.

You really need to buy and keep a small tame rabbit and let him chase it around. He won’t hurt it at that age.