Hunting has been a fixture of human society since the beginning of time. The earliest paintings of mankind make reference to hunting as a means of survival, and everything from large mastodons to small mammals were targets for hungry humans. As time moved on, hunting moved from a necessity to a sport in many areas, and rabbit hunting became widely popular. Training dogs to hunt rabbits is not a difficult process, but does take a little time and effort to produce reliable dogs.
Things You'll Need
- Collar and lead
- Small exercise pen
- Tame rabbit
- Large fenced area
- Trained dog pack
Instructions
Start your puppy̵7;s training when he is young. In many hunting breeds, such as Beagles, the hunting instinct is very strong and can be maximized if the pup is exposed to rabbits around 12 weeks of age. By this age, the puppy will have his vaccinations and is at a much lower risk of contracting illnesses while training.
Set up your exercise pen and take your puppy inside, closing it securely behind you. Attach your puppy̵7;s collar and lead to him and tie him to a secure spot as you introduce the tame rabbit to him. Hold the rabbit gently and allow your puppy to sniff him, becoming familiar with the scent. Tame rabbits are slower than wild rabbits and often leave a heavier scent for your pup to follow, making them easier to track.
Untie your puppy and allow him to follow the rabbit around, trailing it and picking up the scent as the rabbit moves. Give your puppy the ̶0;track̶1; command so that he associates sniffing and following the scent with looking for rabbits as his training progresses.
Examine your large fenced area, also known as a run, for any debris that might injure your animals. Your run should be fully enclosed by fencing small enough to keep both your dog and rabbit from escaping. Most runs are anywhere from an acre to 5 acres in size, although any spacious area that will allow the pup to freely chase rabbits is acceptable.
Turn your puppy and rabbit loose in the run together and give your pup the track command. He should quickly sniff out the rabbit and chase it around the pen. Stay within sight of the puppy to make sure he is staying focused and is not distracted as the rabbit moves. If your puppy catches the rabbit, take it away quickly to prevent the pup or rabbit from hurting each other.
Hide the rabbit in your run and turn your puppy loose to find the rabbit on his own. Hiding the rabbit forces the puppy to use his nose and hunt the rabbit down rather than just following it as the rabbit runs. If he seems stuck, walk in the direction of the rabbit and call the puppy toward you until he flushes the rabbit on his own.
Repeat the turnout process under a variety of weather conditions and at various times throughout the day and night until your puppy will hunt out the scent and track every time without a mistake. Once your pup is hunting the rabbit down on his own, allow him to run in the company of a pack of trained dogs. He will fall in with the pack, mimicking their behavior and showing off his skills as a trained hunting dog.