Hi I'm looking for a small rabbit dog to add to my hunting team. My husband and I currently fly a couple of passage Harris Hawks over a vizsla. The Vizsla is a good hunting dog, but she can't get into the really small holes in brush or under ground. She does try and for her size does well.
I know some falconers in WA state are breeding this cross. I'd like to hear more about them. Is anyone breeding hunting JRT-beagles other than in WA state?
I've hunted with JRTs and I'm arranging to go hunting with some doxies in a few weeks (as soon as my husband gets over the flu so he can come too).
I'm just trying to figure out who the parents of my next puppy are.
Hi diane, I have a jackabee from WA state and i absolutely love him. Mickdog is a great rabbit dog and whats even better is he is a great family dog as well. He is much bigger then the mini doxies he weighs about 35 lbs , out here in CA the terrain is probably alot different then in MI, here the dogs dont need to be able to go down small holes, but rather to just get the game moving, mostly waist high brush, and tall grass. I would recomend the jackabee as a hawkin/ rabbitdog everyday of the week and twice on sunday.
Im from western washington and run a Beagle/JRT from a breeder up in Bellingham. Hes about 20lbs and has just turned into a great rabbit the dog this season. He yips on rabbits, not that annoying beagle bay (Matt now awaits his beating ), and so far hasnt lied. He listens pretty good in the field, but it did take an E collar to get there (at least for me it did, but it was my first dog, so i know i made some mistakes with him). Hes a great hunting companion and a great house dog. hes always excited, and is a great watch dog. oh, and as for the E collar, i need to hide it, because if he sees it, he becomes so excited he cant stop wagging his tail and he cant sit, he knows hes going hunting
As for holes and the such, ive seen rascal squeeze through 6"+diameter pipes after rabbits, and he has dug out one or two that i can confirm. hes always willing to do it if theres a bunny on the other end!
My grandfather thought beagle baying was music. The closest best hunting field to me is full of brush/trash piles that belongs to a large plant nursery. There are rabbit tracks everywhere after a fresh snow. My V can find them, but she can't get into the holes in the brush/board/etc piles.
Who do ya'll recommend for a breeder of Beagle/JRTs. I think I'd like one of the smaller ones, since I do need a (brush/trash pile) hole dog.
I may, but I'm still exploring the options. Mostly I'm looking at hunting above ground holes in briars & brush.
I'm concerned about Intervertebral Disk Disease (IVDD) which effects between 20 & 25% of dachshunds. I'm also concerned about other health issues related to achondroplastic dwarfism, which is the type of dwarfism in dachshunds (pugs, Basset Hounds, etc).
I also play agility and flyball with my dogs - these sports include jumping. Much of what I have read indicate that dachshunds should avoid jumping. My house has stairs - again I keep reading in dachshund literature that dachshunds should avoid stairs.
Susceptibility to IVDD is genetic. There may be lines of dachshunds less likely to get IVDD or other spine injuries. But it worries me. My best hunting dog hunted till she was 14 years old - but she was in pain the last several years of her life due to arthritis and hip dysplasia (both her parents had OFA good hips - stuff happens). But it has made me more concerned about health issues of dogs.
All dog breeds have health issues -but some worse than others and some lines worse than others. I'd like a small JRT with a good nose for tracking rabbits - the JRT is overall more athletic.
But my V has a better nose than most JRTs.
It is the girth size of the chest NOT the length of leg that matters in getting in a hole.
So, I'm asking questions, reading, etc. Then I will get a pup and hope I made the right choice for me and my family.
Im gonna recommend a Jackabee... if you can get one Rascal (my dog) size, and not Mickdog size, itd work great, rascal is about 20lb, while mickdog is... 35lb i think Modoc said.
Beagle JRT are Smart like a JRT, but with the nose of a beagle.
you can get some pretty small beagle/JRT.
BUT!
remember! a small dog isnt ALWAYS the best, any smaller than about 15lb, the dog will not be able to keep hunting all the time, especially in rainy, cold, snowy weather. keep that in mind.
remember! a small dog isnt ALWAYS the best, any smaller than about 15lb, the dog will not be able to keep hunting all the time, especially in rainy, cold, snowy weather. keep that in mind.
Speak for yourself Matt!! My little 8lbs doxies run ALL DAY in all kind of weather INCLUDING rainy, cold, snowy weather!! And, here in the mid-west we get a lot more snow, I think that you do on the west coast. They work in snow, and anything else that comes their way. In fact, the advantage of a smaller dog, like a true mini-doxie, over even "small" 20 lbs dogs, is that it can go almost ANYWHERE that the rabbit goes, leaving nothing off limits.
remember! a small dog isnt ALWAYS the best, any smaller than about 15lb, the dog will not be able to keep hunting all the time, especially in rainy, cold, snowy weather. keep that in mind.
-Matt
That must come from all your experiance running mini doxies right?
Joby's i'm sure run all he wants without issue, and i've never seen mine have an issue.
Last Edit: Mar 6, 2008 15:54:20 GMT -5 by Falcon Boy
Falcon Boy Apprentice Falconry Administrator
Ethics make the individual, not the other way around.
Yet this comes from experience of talking with people like Dan Pike and Steve Layman, I just had a conversation with Dan about dogs and smaller size this past weekend.
besides, the thread is about Beagle/jrt, NOT mini doxies, mini doxies are, mini, a small beagle/jrt, is not built the same way, their body is not made to survive being that small.