ABR E17

Updates on the Alaska Beagle Ranch. Also, how to train your beagle to hunt.

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Alaska Beagle Ranch

Episode 17

Hello everyone and welcome to the Alaska Beagle Ranch. I’m Dave Dorsey and I manage the ranch in Wasilla, Alaska. There are 14 beagles and 1 basset with the ranch right now. Alaska Beagle Ranch is the only rescue in Alaska dedicated to beagles only.

Thank you to all our listeners. This week we had new listeners from the Netherlands, Mexico, Ireland and Italy. I hope you like what we have for you here. We appreciate your support. The Alaska Beagle Ranch has over 550 downloads since we started doing our podcast. While we’re talking about it, be sure to like, follow, subscribe, review, and maybe send some feedback or ideas.

You can help support our podcast by donating on PayPal @Beagle Ranch 907.

You say your house beagle is a brave hunter? Well beagles were bred for hunting. I haven’t found any websites on hunting with beagles in Alaska, just a couple forums. It’s not as big a sport as it is outside. But you can still do it. I sure have enough rabbits in my area. You must be careful though. Trapping is legal and widespread in Alaska. Make sure you’re not in an active trapping area when you take your pups out. Train yourself to open coil spring traps just in case. Also, put together a good K9 first aid kit. I hope you don’t need either, but it pays to be prepared. Let’s talk more about that here, but first let’s do an update on the Alaska Beagle Ranch.

Shiloh 2: Shiloh 2 is a 7-month-old beagle / tagdterrior mix and a real cutie with a sweet dogality er ah personality. We’ve started taking applications again this weekend and I’ll be contacting the potential adoptee’s later this week for an in person interview. If you would like an application, email me at akbeagleranch@gmail.com .

Josie: She had to visit the vet Thursday for being lethargic. Of course, by the time we could get in for an appointment, she was acting normal again. We did have a blood panel run, but only one of the liver enzymes was mildly increased. We’re going to add a supplement to her diet. If you would like to help with the vet bill, our PayPal is @Beagle Ranch907

You can see these pups’ and other photos on our Facebook page Alaska Beagle Ranch or our Twitter page @beagle_ranch.

Alaska Beagle Ranch on Facebook went over 1K followers today!

Today’s show is dedicated to Shiloh 1. Formerly a 60-pound beagle that’s now 35 pounds of a sweetheart.

Apart from being cute and adorable pets, beagles are amazing hunters. Being hounds, they are active, energetic, and have an exceptional skill to track down scents. This makes them a perfect companion for hunting rabbits, squirrels, deer, and other small animals. So, let’s get started with how you can train your beagle to hunt rabbits, deer, squirrels, and other small animals.

To train your beagle to hunt, you will first need to train it to track the scent of a particular animal. Then you will have to motivate your beagle to chase that animal when it finds it.

Our friend Michele Forto just did an awesome podcast on scent training over at Dog Works Radio. You can listen to it on Apple podcast and others.

This was, of course, just the overview, and there’s more to it.  I’ll explain everything here.

Training your beagle to hunt. 

It is recommended that you start training your beagle when he is a puppy. The right age to begin with his hunt-training is when your beagle is 5 to 6 months old. However, you should start with obedience training as early as possible. Puppies are easier.

Step 1: Obedience Training

Well, you cannot just remove the leash and expect your beagle to start chasing animals. You will first have to teach him obedience, gain his trust, teach him to follow your commands, and then teach him how to hunt with you.

You should start with obedience training when your beagle is eight weeks old. The sooner he learns to follow your commands, the better. You should begin with teaching some basic commands to your pup, like sit, stay, no.

The Recall Command

Once your beagle pup knows some basic commands, you should teach him the “recall” command, which is will be handy while hunting. In recall command, you will have to teach your pooch to return to you when you call him. This is how you teach your beagle the Recall command:

1.   When your dog is busy playing or chewing on something, get his attention, and show him a treat.

2.   He will come running towards you to get his treat.

3.   When he comes to you, give him a treat (and click the clicker or say the motivating word like ‘good boy’).

4.   Now associate a word to activity. Call out ‘come back’ and show your beagle a treat. When he comes to you, reward him with praise and treat.

5.   After a couple of days, stop showing treat and just call out ‘come back.’

6.   Repeat this multiple times daily.

Consider teaching your beagle various tricks and commands until he is 5 to 6 months old. This will build trust and create a strong bond between you and your pooch.

Step 2: Training Collar

A training collar is a device that will help you communicate with your beagle while on a hunt. Modern collars also provide GPS to locate your pooch. In easy words, it is a walkie talkie for you and your beagle. They just make hunting much easier and safer.

In the early stage of training, a beagle may get distracted by another small animal or scent. Having a training collar attached to your dog will help you locate him quickly in such a situation. There are quite a few training collars available in the market. Get one which a walkie talkie as well as GPS on it.

Once your beagle is disciplined and follows your commands, it’s  time to put a training-collar and teach him to follow your commands via the collar. This is how you can do it:

1.   You will need one more companion for this. Attach the collar to your dog and keep him in a room with someone.

2.   While you will be in another room, communicate to your beagle via the training-collar.

3.   Say a command and see if your beagle follows it. If he does, then let the other person reward him with a treat. This will teach your beagle to follow your commands even if you are not around.

4.   Now keep your beagle alone in a room, and ‘recall’ him from a different room. When he comes running back to you, reward him.

5.   Once he has mastered this indoor, it’s time to take things outdoor.

6.   When you take your beagle outside, make sure the training area is confined and well fenced. Beagles are infamous for running away. So, take extra precaution when training your beagle outside.

Your beagle must follow your command over the training-collar even when you are not around. Do not allow your beagle in the open without a leash until you are 100% sure that he will follow your command.

Step 3: Training your Beagle to Track a scent.

In this step, you will teach your beagle to catch and track a scent that you want him to. This is advanced training, and you can start with it once your pooch has mastered” recall’ and other basic commands like ‘sit,’ ‘stay,’ etc. You can begin this training when your beagle is around 3 to 4 months old.

1.   Choose an area for training. It should be grassy and without any distractions. Consider doing this training early in the morning when no one is around.

2.   Take peanut butter, a food bowl, and some treats with you for training and rewarding your beagle.

3.   If possible, take a friend with you and ask him to take the beagle away from the place for a while.

4.   Until then, you apply a layer of peanut butter on both of your shoes and start walking on the grass with a motive to create a trail.

5.   At the end of the trail, put peanut butter in the food bowl.

6.   Make sure to remove or change your shoes or else the smell will be all over the place and confuse the dog.

7.   Now ask your friend to get your pooch and let him sniff and taste a little peanut butter.

8.   Take him to the beginning of the trail. Command him “find it” and let him sniff and follow the scent.

9.   Let him lead the way and find the food bowl. When he reaches the end of the trail and find the bowl, praise him and give him some treats. Do not allow him to eat that peanut butter.

Start with a short distance and gradually increase the length of the trail. In the beginning, stick to one smell only.

Step 4: Introducing an Animal

Once your pooch has mastered tracking scent, its time to introduce an animal scent, I would suggest initially using a tamed rabbit for the training. Wild rabbits can be a little too aggressive as they can scratch and injure your beagle puppy.

Start the training in a fenced ground or backyard or else the rabbit and your dog, both will run away.

Let the beagle sniff the rabbit. Hold the rabbit in front of your beagle and let him sniff it.  Don’t allow your beagle to play and get comfortable with the rabbit. Just let him take a sniff.

Step 5: Chasing

Once the pooch has had a good sniff, it’s time to encourage him to chase the rabbit.

1.   Tie your beagle somewhere where he can see you and the rabbit.

2.   Release the rabbit.

3.   Start chasing the rabbit. This will entice your beagle to join you. He will show his excitement by trying to break the leash.

4.   And when he seems excited, release your pup, and let him run behind the rabbit.

5.   When your pooch is chasing the rabbit, make sure to praise him. If possible, even you join the chase to catch the rabbit. This will motivate your beagle to outrun you to catch the rabbit.

You will have to do this for a couple of months until your beagle is used to the scent of the rabbit and chasing it when he sees one.

Gradually increase the radius; this will give the rabbit enough area to hide and allow your beagle to use his scent to find and chase the rabbit.

Put on the collar during these sessions and try to communicate as much as possible. This will strengthen the bond between you two.

Step 6: Prepare your Beagle for Hunting

Several months of chasing rabbits will help build stamina of your beagle puppy. Now it’s time to take your pooch for trial hunting.

·         Once you are 100% sure that you can trust your beagle out in the wild without the leash, take him to a spot where you know there are lots of rabbits around and no other animals.

·         Stay close to your beagle and motivate him to find the scent.

·         If possible, let him loose with an older and experienced beagle dog. Your beagle will learn more quickly if he is with an older beagle. Consider asking your neighbor or check in a local dog club.

·         Get him used to the noise of gun shots.

Do this for a week or so, let him get used to the jungle environment.

Step 7: Take your Beagle on a Hunt

·         Initially, make sure you take your beagle directly to a place where it is easy to find a rabbit. The ideal period for this would be early in the morning or in the dusk.

·         By now, your pooch knows what he is supposed to do. So he will immediately catch the rabbit scent and start tracking its source.

·         As soon as he finds the rabbit, the chase will begin.

·         Rabbits don’t go far from their homes and usually circle. So if your beagle takes off chasing the rabbit, don’t worry, the rabbit will circle and you will have to be ready when he comes back.

As the beagle ages and gets experienced, his skills will develop. It takes around a year for your beagle to master hunting. If you are into this sport, then it’s all worth it.

Dos and Don’ts

Build trust: It is necessary for your beagle to trust you. And the best way to build it is by training and a positive reward system.

Don’t over train your beagle. As soon as you notice that your beagle is losing interest in what you are teaching him, stop the training and continue it the next day.

Be patient. This may take months to achieve, so be patient and persistent with your training.

Don’t confuse them.

 Teach them one thing at a time. Do not try to teach your beagle various things all at the same time.

Final Thoughts

Training your beagle to hunt with you requires time, effort, and consistency. It usually takes around a year for a beagle to properly learn to hunt with you. Also, make sure to check and follow all the local, state, and national laws regarding hunting and hunting with dogs.

It’s time for Beagle Spotlight: Shiloh came to Alaska Beagle Ranch from our friends at Alaska Cat and Dog Rescue back in June of 2021. He weighed in at 60 pounds with a nickname of sausage. To my knowledge, ABR is his 5th home to include fosters. It’s also his last.

Before coming to ABR, he failed at a couple fosters for biting children. After coming to ABR, I discovered he was highly food aggressive. I feel he wasn’t biting kids, but he was going for the food they had, and the kids got in the way. Even now I warn anyone that would possibly give him a treat, to not give him one if they like their fingers. He’s fed in his kennel, so he doesn’t try to eat all the other dog’s dinners.

I had him checked out by the vet right away and we found out a lot about his medical condition. He has a hyperactive thyroid. This can cause his weight problem or his drive for food. He’s on daily medication and his thyroid counts are now normal.

He possibly has Cushing’s. He drinks lots of water. Has an increased appetite, poor hair regrowth, and pot belly. He also has an anxiety shake in his rear legs. He’s being monitored by his vet.

He has got into the over stock food storage twice. The first time I figured he ate about 2 ½ lbs. of kibble. It cost an overnight stay at an ER Vet. The second time he didn’t get as much and was treated at home. There’s a new lock on the laundry room door now. However, he is down to 35 lbs. 

About 6 months ago he got out of the yard. I’m still not sure how. He had a bad interaction with a moose which caused a hectic trip to two Emergency hospitals on a very snowy night. The first one couldn’t take him because they were maxed out. A dog sled team was hit by a car and 8 pups were being seen by the vet. The second one was 45 minutes away, but he got seen immediately. We lucked out and there were no broken bones or internal injuries. He was very sore but was getting back to himself a few days later.

Shiloh has always acted well here at the ranch but always just a little friendly. It’s has taken a long time, but he now comes around wanting to get his ears scratched. While we’re in the house he follows me around and when outside he’s wanting for me to throw his ball. Btw, did I mention he’s addicted to Chuck It balls. Won’t chase a tennis ball or any other kind. Right now, he’s napping on the floor next to me while I write this.

Shiloh, it’s been a long hard road for you. I’m glad you made it to the Alaska Beagle Ranch. I hope your happy here because we are sure happy you are here.

Shoutout: The Last Great Race on Earth. The 2023 Iditarod. The 51st start of the 1000-mile race to Nome. Best of luck to all the teams for a safe run. The official podcast Tails from the Trails can be found on Spotify and others.

Also, join our friend Robert Forto and Toni Reitter of Mushing Radio as they present their nightly Iditarod 2023 coverage with the ceremonial start and the honorary musher, Lance Mackey. Each night from the musher's banquet to the finisher's banquet in Nome, Robert, and Toni will bring you race coverage like you won't hear elsewhere. You can find Mushing Radio on Apple Podcast and others.

Alaska Beagle Ranch is a nonprofit and we depend on donations to help us with our mission. What is our mission? Our mission and our goal are for every beagle, especially in Alaska, has a happy home. For our beagles to be happy, they need to be healthy. We only adopt out healthy beagles, so we need your help in paying their medical bills to get or keep them healthy so they can find their forever home. Beagles that can’t be adopted out become resident beagles at ABR. Their medical, food and upkeep can be costly. We know that the economy isn’t as good as we would like for it to be. Just a few dollars add up and goes a long, long way. You can find us on PayPal @Beagle Ranch907 or go to our Facebook page of Alaska Beagle Ranch and you can find links to PayPal and our Amazon wish list.

Looking for a sponsor.If you have a business or product that is dog related and you’re looking to sponsor or advertise on a dog related podcast and you like ours, give me a call Dave 907-202-4226. It can be dog food, treats daycare, training or whatever. It doesn’t have to be strictly for beagles. Let’s talk about it. 

We are also looking for some wonderful fosters. There can be a lot involved in being a foster, so think it over. Some of our beagles might have special needs like having to go to the vet, or they might need to take meds and maybe it might need some additional training. Of course, they always need some good loving. Sorry, but you must live in the Matanuska Susitna Valley area, specifically near Wasilla or Palmer. Email me at akbeagleranch@gmail.comor call us at 907-202-4226 for more information. Remember, our goal is for every beagle, especially in Alaska, has a happy home.

Thank you for listening to the Alaska Beagle Ranch. If you know someone who is looking to get a beagle, please share our podcast with them. All the episodes will tell you what you need to know about beagles. If you have any questions about beagles and if they are right for you, email me at akbeagleranch@gmail.com or call us at 907-202-4226. You can follow us on Facebook at Alaska Beagle Ranch or on Twitter at @beagle_ranch. 

Be sure to like, follow, subscribe, review, and maybe send some feedback or ideas.See you at Alaska Beagle Ranch next week.

Your host is Dave Dorsey

Ring Leader is Macy

Outreach Managers are Duke 1 & Shiloh

Writer & Editors are Duke 2, Pearl, and Charlie

Voice over Specialist is Bill

Audio Engineers are Lilly & Spot

Graphic Designer is Winston

Administrators Xena & Josie

Guest Relationship Manager Roger