Painted myself into a corner

[verno]

For a couple years I have been telling the wife that I was going to get a beagle to hunt bunnies with. She knows that I want another Vizsla, so she kept telling me if I got a beagle there is no 2nd vizsla. I would tease her and say that after we got the 2nd V, I would just bring a beagle pup home and she wouldnt be able to resist.
Well it seems that 2 people our baby sitter knows are going through a divorce and they have given her a beagle pup less than a year old. They have had him since a pup and is house broken, knows sit stay come and some dog tricks. But they kept him tied up in the backyard.
Well the wife fell in love with it, and it's free with the kennel if we want it. Now I'm not sure, I'm worried about what kind of probs we are inheriting if this dog was just tied up in the yard for the last year. He's an intact male and so is gunner. Most of all, as I told the wife, I wanted to get a beagle from someone that hunts over their dogs so that I know the dog should do well in the field. If I take this pup and he is a crappy hunter, then I have 10 years of crappy hunting to look forward to.
I was thinking of asking the folks where they got their dog and going up to check out where he came from before I commited to anything.
I never thought it would be ME that was throwing up the road blocks to another hunting dog coming into the house.
Anyone run beagles that can give me some insight about how I can tell if this dog will be decent on bunnies or not?

[rocko]

I have no advice....but good luck...:laugh:

[nimkii]

Never had beagles of my own, hunted over friends and familiy owned B's for rabbits and deer, but can't help you out.

Good luck...

[Huntingonthebrain]

Honestly I have never seen a beagle that did not have its nose to the ground sniffin things out. Tough call man. I think you should do a little research into the dogs lines. You might be alright

[Anna Scott]

my husband had a beagle and a walker cross. the beagle taught the walker to hunt. They were both kennel dogs but when the beagle died we brought the other one into the house.She was hard to house break but she fit in like a dirty shirt. She still hunts but is getting close to retirement age.
Most hounds that we have had only knew one thing put your nose to the ground and go. If this one comes when it is called it has learned more than ours ever did.

[Spear]

Can you stop a dog from doing what it is bred to do? I had a family pet for a few years then I took up hunting. So I wondered if my lab would pick up on it as well. Well she learned extremely fast. It changed her completely in the blink of an eye. Before hunting she was largely disinterested in most things in the bush, didn't even chase birds. After taking her hunting just once and showing her what was expected she was always hunting. I just had to awaken the hunter in her and she was good to go. With very little training she really shaped up into a great hunting dog and family pet.

Of course we have all heard of guys buying a dog from a reputatble breader and the dog just didn't pan out either. I suspect that would more of a concern with competition dogs. Sounds like you just want to hunt.

[Kevin Hannah]

is house broken, knows sit stay come and some dog tricks.

I am no expert by any means but from what I have heard about beagles with the list of stuff he already knows how to do he must one in a million and probably one of the smartest beagles around, if you don't take him I might :banplease:



:sorry: :1: of course

[Tollergirl]

Back up for a sec.. if the dog was kept tied outside all the time how is it he is house broken? And a Beagle that comes when he's called??? Are you SURE it's a Beagle??

I guess if it didn't turn out to be a good hunter the wife wouldn't be keen on the idea of re-homing it? Can you do some testing with it like you would do with a litter of puppies to see what it's hunting instincts are like? Just let a bunny loose in the yard and see what he does >:)

[Sharon]

My Dad and I raised beagles for many years.

Being tied up for a year, while sad, is not the end of the world, although beagles learn to come back while in the field, when they are young. You could find yourself searching the concessions looking for your wife's dog. Buy a beagle locator first if you decide to take the dog.

The deciding factor is whether the pup's parents hunted. If I couldn't see the pup's parents in action, I personally wouldn't take the dog. The chances of the pup hunting would be slim if....If you need to go back to grandparents to find hunting happening then the chances are even slimmer. Cute is nice but it won't track those bunnies and bring them around in front of your gun.

P.S. I belong to the Elgin County Beagle Club and would be glad to put you in touch with some cute puppies who already hunt.

[Kevin Hannah]

Back up for a sec.. a Beagle that comes when he's called??? Are you SURE it's a Beagle??


:clap2:

Kevin

[Tim]

[QUOTE=Tollergirl;3075]Back up for a sec.. if the dog was kept tied outside all the time how is it he is house broken? And a Beagle that comes when he's called??? Are you SURE it's a Beagle??

LMAO - Used to hunt with a guy that had a beagle, we could hear that beagle going from concession to concession as the sun went down, I don't think that dog ever came when called.
But they sure are fun to hunt with.... as long as someone else has to round them up.
:laugh:

[verno]

Back up for a sec.. if the dog was kept tied outside all the time how is it he is house broken? And a Beagle that comes when he's called??? Are you SURE it's a Beagle??



The exact same question crossed my mind. As for re homing it, well I have a 4 yr old son who is animal crazy, the wife might forgive me but I don't think the boy would handle it too well.
I'm a little suspicious, but I told my wife that if we can talk to the lady that owns it and find out where she bought it, I will head up and check out the kennel and see where it comes from. Thanks for the info about the parents Case, I was hoping you would reply as I remembered you used to raise beagles.
The babysitter said some other lady was interested in the dog, so maybe she will take it and make the decision for me easier.

[Sharon]

Thank you for the kind words, Verno. You could let your wife keep the beagle for a pet and get yourself another Vizsla.:bigrin

( I want to use those sex smilies but i haven't figured out how to work them into a post. Ah well, the moment will come.)