Beagle and Air Rifle

[lime 0]

Hi there,

 

I'm new to the forum so go easy on me please!

 

My wife and I are looking to get a dog. Her for a lapdog and me to go shooting and running with. We thought that a beagle was sufficiently cute for her and did the things that I wanted.

 

I predominantly go rabbit, pigeon and squirrel shooting with an air rifle and wanted a beagle to track and retrieve rabbits. Does anyone have any advice on using dogs with air rifles?

 

Something I am also concerned about is that I've read that pet/show bred beagles have lost a lot of their hunting instinct, although I find this hard to believe.

 

Any help and advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Guy

[goldfinch2007 2,332]

gundog you want pal,spaniel or similar.beagles are a bit deaf when they hit a line

[jamie2004live 163]

would have to agree with goldfinch there a beagle would be ok alongside a shotgun but would just scare everything away and you would never get a shot with an air rifle a well trained spaniel would be ideal for you

[jackard 36]

get a bull x lurcher bud , they seam to be good at shot and retrived

or thats what im reading all the time

 

atb jackard

[goldfinch2007 2,332]

jackard your the man

[AMADORE 5]

My bitch Plummer terrier Quazar retreived shot game rabbits etc. And my stud then Cerby retrieved a live rainbow 2lb trout once my mate was struggling to land!..whilist the fly was still in the mouth...oh for camera phones back then.

 

A lad in norfolk years ago used 2 plummer terriers to track wounded deer.

[pointer 543]

as air-rifle shooting should be about shooting a stationary animal then id go for a type of dog thats used for that sort of thing.the distances might be alot shorter but shooting an air-rifle or say a .22 bullet gun is similar.the dog work is the same where rabbits and birds are concerned anyway.

therefore id choose a hpr sort.......but many dogs could be trained to stay at heel or kept in the down position untill called forward,or used from a hide.

 

ive only done a small amount of shooting using my gwp with an airgun but im sure he would have been able to work well enough.

[NEWBIE1980 0]

Hi Lime ,

 

To be honest i think it will be very hard to train a beagle to retreive and walk to heal off the lead. I think they will hunt up and scare evrything off. Beagles are the hardest dog to train that i have ever had possibly of all dogs IMO. They have very selective hearing often when out, in the house they are easy to train but when outside they are completely different beast. When i first got my beagle i took it to a puppy class the first thing the trainer said was "oh no not a beagle do you know what you v let yourself in for " On the other hand they are great fun well behaved (sometimes )have a great temprement and loads of personality.

 

atb

 

newbie

Edited February 15, 2010 by NEWBIE1980

[woodard 32]

B

Edited March 10, 2010 by woodard

[Guest bluemink]

get a bull x lurcher bud , they seam to be good at shot and retrived

or thats what im reading all the time

 

atb jackard

quality

[DIDO.1 22,627]

I cant think of any real reason to use a dog when hunting with an air rifle, they would only scare your quarry. Ok tracking wounded game maybe but how many wounded rabbits are you getting?!

If your out with the gun and want a companion dog then a lurcher or terrier would be my choice. Or even a retired greyhound, lovely quiet pet for her in doors and might just catch a rabbit or two that jump up running and dont give you a shot.

[Chriseden 5]

When I was a kid I had a Jack Russel he used to just cruise alone with me as I walked then wait as I fired and run to kill/retrieve what ever I shot didn't matter weather I was using a shotgun or 22. Take him in the bush and he would find/kill/hold/tree any possums around, I made some good money plucking them. Great wee dogs with heaps of personality my wife and I have another now although a bit small to do what the old one did lol

[PINNACLE 2,297]

I don't see the point of a taking a dog when using an air rifle I never shoot past 40yrds at live quarry so it is never far to walk and I have very few runners. I usually leave rabbits until I have a few so not to give my hide away and the only troublesome retrieves I have are pigeons stuck in trees.

 

You will be hard pushed to keep any dog still and quite for long if you took one out shooting with an air rifle let alone a beagle.

 

I have a Lurcher and go out quite often with a mate of mine who has a beagle and I have to say in my opinion a beagle would have to be one of the worst dogs to go out shooting with. They pick up a scent and go deaf, and then just go, it would not notice if you shot anything with a shotgun let alone a moderated air gun and as for retrieving it makes my Lurcher look like a world champ. Don’t get me wrong I do like them as a breed, they are cute and they certainly have their place in the hunting world.

 

I like other would suggest a Spaniel,Lurcher or JRT