Chris i'm glad you started this thread because we are looking for a dog. almost all of the ppl in the Mo. Falconers Assoc. use jack russels to hunt rabbits. i wondered why they didn't use beagles. no one gave me a good answer. Follow my thinking and see if any one thinks there is a shred of logic in it: we will be hunting bunnies for at least two years therefore we need a dog that will help find them. when we become general falconers both my son and i would like to hunt ducks and maybe quail, so we need a dog that will point, flush and possibly retrieve. it has been suggested to me that a german short hair would fit this bill. in a perfect world, one dog capable of doing all these things is better than having to get a dog this year and another dog two or three years down the line. what do you think? comments? suggestions? snide remarks?
What kind of dog to use how to answer this quirry? Personally i like the spannels but then I have no experiasnce with hunting dogs. One book I have they suggets any dog that is obeys completely can be a good dog. I honestly don't know. The best dog I ever had was a heeler samoyed he was great for finding rabbits but would not give up the chase so that I could get a decent shot. But he did usually catch the dam thing. Not that there was enough left for me. I'm not much of a dog trainer. Anyway the one thing that seemed relavent in all things I read was to chose you dog according to the area you hunt. Thick thorny underbrush can be hard on a dog with short fine hair. Hot weather can be hard on a dog with a long thick coat. But again I'm just repeating other peoples opinion. Chris Foster
Post by Falcon Boy on Dec 18, 2003 18:26:38 GMT -5
My beagle, frankly, is dumb as a doornail. I have been working with her, mainly on the come command. LOL she is still a puppy and is very slow to learn. I HIGHLY suggest getting a minature longhaired dauchshund. They are excellent rabbit hunting dogs, they are small, tough, and listen VERY well. That is what everyone here uses. I am a loner with my beagle, i thought i woudl try something new ;D
Falcon Boy Apprentice Falconry Administrator
Ethics make the individual, not the other way around.
Post by Chris Foster on Dec 20, 2003 19:36:30 GMT -5
Don't give up on your beagle they're soppose to be good dogs. Not that I know but hey if she's not listening maybe she accualy got more on her brian than you thing . I've found that the dumber the dog the easier to train because they cann't think for them self. If that doesn't offend someone I don't know what will. best of luck Chris Foster
Post by kevin clements on Dec 21, 2003 19:55:01 GMT -5
Ok guys now you have hit on the topic near and dear to my heart. I already have 5 dogs, so I really didnt want to get another to hunt bunnies, since I have no plans to hunt them after I get my general liscence. Lucky for me my sponsor has 3 jack russells and a beagle/jr cross. From my limited rabbit experience it seems the beagles are better at finding rabbits in tough conditions and heavy cover, but the jack russells are way smarter and easier to train. Some of the guys I have hawked with treat their beagles like interchageable pieces of equipment, not like dogs at all. One guy even gives them all the same name. Most of the jr's seem to be more social and I dunno 'doglike'? My preference, because of my upland bird hunting obsession, is for pointing dogs. Through the years my family and friends have had german shorthairs, english pointers, brittanies, wiemaraners, and all 3 breeds of setters. Most of us have now settled on english setters, with a few gordon setters thown in the mix for variety. My wife is now hunting over a really nice little gordon male she picked up last year, I think he has real promise. I have 2 english that I regularly hunt, the other 2, both english, are retired. Its hard to beat a setter or a pointer for quail and such, but they arent much good for ducks or rabbits. The best solution would be a pointer/setter type for your quail, a lab or chessy for the ducks and a beagle or jr or dasch for the rabbits. See, only two more kennels to build and 2 more mouths to feed. Oh yeah and the negotiations with your significant other.
I think we should cross a JR, a Setter and a Lab to get a dog that will flush bunnies, point and retrieve! Fewer mouths to feed, kennels to clean, fewer vet bills and less negotiation with the significant other My sponsor offered me a JR today. I'm not sure if i want it or not. Every terrier i have had (and that's a lot) has been "yippy" little things. My nephew has a JR and it's really noisey. Bubbles (my sponsors dog) does have good nose, and when she's hunting she doesn't bark much at all. When she finds a bunny holed up in a brush pile, she'll do everything she can to get it out. No ditch to deep, no thicket to thorny. It is a tenacious dog. My question is, what are they like at home? I too, don't want to hunt bunnies exclusively, and i don't want a bunch of dogs. I had eight of them when i was showing on the circuit, and that was way to many! i need to find a good dog that can do every thing
I have been going through the same problem. I was all set to buy a beagle and then started thinking about flying a longwing in a couple years. I have been researching dog breeds for the past month or so and the only dog I could find that is well known for being good at hunting rabbits as well as game birds is the brittany spaniel. It will point game instead of flushing. I don't have experience training dogs so I feel a pointing dog is beyond my capabilities. I wish I could find a field dog training class as I don't feel comfortable training a dog using just books and vidioes
I have been going through the same problem. I was all set to buy a beagle and then started thinking about flying a longwing in a couple years. I have been researching dog breeds for the past month or so and the only dog I could find that is well known for being good at hunting rabbits as well as game birds is the brittany spaniel. It will point game instead of flushing. I don't have experience training dogs so I feel a pointing dog is beyond my capabilities. I wish I could find a field dog training class as I don't feel comfortable training a dog using just books and vidioes
Post by Falcon Boy on Dec 22, 2003 16:52:30 GMT -5
Well, here is a summary of what i have heard about dog breeds-
Rabbit Dogs-
Mini Dauchshund- Local fav. Can get into really tight spots, very good nose, great dog at home, likes attention but dosent demand tons like a JR
JR- Yippy at home, love attention, maybe too much, pretty good in the field
Beagle- Great at finding rabbits, sometimes have trouble becuase they chase deer as well, STUPID!!! (sponsor keeps tellin me and it seems to be true) slow learners, good at home, like attention, but nowhere near JR and will do their own thing. Fits into tight spots.
Upland Game-
GSP (german shorthair pointer)- i think thats what most upland hunters use, good nose, good pointing. etc
Brittany- My friend (non-falconer) has one, it points rabbits and game birds, great dog at home, retrieves game, good dog all around i think
Thats all i can think of off the top of my head.
Falcon Boy Apprentice Falconry Administrator
Ethics make the individual, not the other way around.
Hey FB That seems to coenside with what I've read. With exception to the misquote I use earlier this season. Where he actually had one dog running the close flushes and the second accually making the longer flushes inorder to cover more ground at one time. Anyway I'll most likely get a spannel in the sping. The wife likes them more than the others and the cockers are small enough to fit in the car with the kids. We'll see what happens then Chris
ok i am only 13 so i cant get a bird but am good dog trainer mainly in agility but still know a lot about dogs in genral
first of all almost any dog can be taught to do anything within reason and should be treated with respect second jack russells will be one of the best dogs to flush out rabbit also a border terrier would also be great but all terriers have a mind of there own and must have respect for you and a motive to please like a treat or ball but then again flushing might be good enough for them jack russells arent attention hungry as long as they get ample exersize and no a walk will not do a run or something more athletic is best. i know i am only 13 but i have trained two dogs very well one being a boreder terrier the other a german sheperd please ask questions and i will answer and if i dont know i will ask my mom who knows tons more thanks and i am not lying
Post by kevin clements on Dec 22, 2003 23:02:11 GMT -5
I would echo FB's comments above with a few additions: the most popular upland dog varies by location/area of the country. Up here in the northwest GSP's are most popular, followed by setters and brits. In hawaii its all gordons. In the deep south and texas its pointers, followed by GSP's and setters. Also JR's are super popular up here, both with falconers and just as pets. My experience is that they are maybe not quite as yappy as a lot of other terriers. I hate yappy dogs by the way, so less yappy=more better in my book .
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