TN Redback Rabbits: Starting Brace Beagle Puppies

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	Starting Brace Beagle Puppies by Pete Proctor When brace beagle puppies are from 5 to 7 months old, it is time to find out what you really have and if they show field trial potential. This is an exciting time for most owners. You spend countless hours looking at the puppies grow up and praise how pretty they are. You can't wait to see them start. Starting usually takes from one to three weeks. The idea is to teach puppies to use their nose to find rabbit tracks and bark at the tracks they find. The rabbit is already gone, but his scent remains. Training pups to pick up on the scent is key.
	To start puppies, I recommend three main things: 1) Have a good training facility, called a "starting pen". 2) Take steps to prepare pups so they are ready to start. 3) Spend consistent training time once or twice daily. It is very important to have a good starting pen. It is better if the pen is remotely located so the pups will not be distracted by things like other dogs and children. A good rule of thumb is to use a 1-to-2 acre enclosure with running water, electricity, shelter for puppies, and supplies. The pen should be laid out with cover blocks and mowed strips similar to a larger enclosure. You also need a good supply of rabbits so you can spend your time training the puppies rather than looking for rabbits. I also prefer using a starting pen with a fair amount of underbrush and other cover so puppies will learn to "deal with cover". In addition, the rabbits can use the cover, which helps to prevent prolonged sight chases, or instances when puppies see rabbits in plain view. If puppies are younger than 5 to 7 months old, they may be too immature to start. I find that older pups are harder to start because they do not tend to be as curious about things. Make sure your pups are parasite-free and in general good health. Their vaccinations should be current especially since they are going to be in a more stressful situation. Make sure the puppies are used to people and not shy. If they are shy, it may be more difficult and frustrating to start them. I also suggest training them to lead so it is easier to handle them. When starting puppies I recommend putting up to five puppies in the starting pen at the same time. Having more than one makes better use of your time and sometimes makes the pups feel more secure. I leave the pups loose in the starting pen all the time, which is why it is important to provide shelter for them. If you take the pups out of a small pen and turn them loose in the starting pen every time you try to train them, they will spend the first 10 to 15 minutes playing rather than paying attention. The best times of the day to start puppies are early in the morning and late in the afternoon. This is especially true in the summer to help avoid high temperatures. If pups are too hot, you have little chance of teaching them to trail a rabbit. Of course, in the winter training later in the morning is better to help avoid cold temperatures. The next steps will test both your skill and patience. The first couple of days I just walk puppies around in the pen to get them used to following me and walking through the underbrush. This also gives them time to get used to being loose in a larger area and feel more comfortable in their new environment. Always walk very slowing to give the pups plenty of time to keep up with you and to check out things they are curious about. I do not say much to them or touch them because this usually makes them want to play. I flush out the rabbits and carefully watch where the rabbit runs. Because you do not want puppies to actually chase the rabbit, I then walk the pups back and forth across the rabbit trail and hope they soon discover the new odor. I use many other "tricks" to try to get them to use their nose. The most obvious trick is to tap a stick on the line and hope the pup learns to check out the spot you are tapping. Another way is to gather weed tops or leaves in your hand as you walk along and throw them up in the air so that they float to the ground on the rabbit line. You try to get the pup to notice this debris floating to the ground and hope that his curiosity prompts him to check it out. Doing these things repetitiously usually works. When working with several pups simultaneously, you will probably not get all of them interested at the same time. Usually one or two of them will show interest while the others may not show any interest. In this case I concentrate on the interested ones until they begin trailing and barking. When one or two of them start trailing and barking, the others usually will not know what the started pups are doing and will try to interfere with them. This makes it hard for the started pups to concentrate and trail the rabbit, so you should try to keep the pups that have not started out of the way until you can get the started pups trained well enough to consider them "started". I then take the started pups out of the pen and continue working with the others. If I have others waiting for their turn in the pen, I add them to replace the started ones. I then take the started pups one at a time into a larger running ground to make sure they will also run in a different environment. By this time I usually have the puppies started well enough to put them on a line, or rabbit trail, by tapping the stick. At first I do not try to do this while the pup is on the leash because he or she may be too concerned about the leash rather than smelling where you are tapping. I'm sure there are many other starting methods, but the ones I've mentioned are what I do most of the time. Also, remember what works for one pup may not work for another one. You need to be smart enough to know which technique or trick works best in a given situation. If you have the proper patience, your pup will eventually start and you will get a feeling of success. The feeling becomes excitement if the puppy demonstrates solid field-trial potential: A good sense of smell, willingness to stop and bark in one spot while trying to figure out where the next track is and, above all, calmness in his work. Used with permission from Today's Breeder, Nestle Purina PetCare Company
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