Got a question about beagles.

[JimG]

Might pick up a beagle for a pet/small game hunting. If the male dog is neutered does this automatically mean that he will be useless as a working dog? You know the old wives tales, he'll be lazy, unmotivated, untrainable, etc. The dog is 3 years old if that matters.

[bobg]

Is this dog hunting now? And you are afraid he won't if you have him neutered? If he isn't get a pup. I have had more beagles in the last 45 years than i can count. 99% of then were either spayed or neutered. It sure didn't hurt their hunting ability at all.

[victorcharlie]

I've got to agree, won't hurt the hunt and might even help.

As far as the dog, have you watched him run?

If possible, watch him run solo and see if he can keep moving on the line by himself.  Then, put some aggressive hounds down with him and see if he can handle the pressure without making many mistakes.

Honestly, after the purchase price, you can feed a good one for the same amount as it cost to feed a not so good one.

[mspaci]

I always start with pups so I can train them the way I want & bond with the dog. If you buy an adult, just make sure you see him run in the wild to see if he is what you want. Best of luck,  Mike

[BCB]

I agree with all...
Be sure the older dog can even run rabbits.  An older dog can be a bit difficult to train...
Make sure the people getting rid of it are not getting rid of it because it runs "trash"...
I haven't hunted rabbits for years, but might get back into it in a few years when I retire...
Good-luck...BCB

[victorcharlie]

A pup out of a good bloodline is always a good choice if you have time.

[JimG]

Well there's more to this story then meets the eye. The dog is coming from a shelter. The 3 year old did not want anything to do with me. However this 1 year old was more than happy to come to me when called. I took him home with me. He has kennel cough and who knows what all else. Vet will look at him today. He is a 'tri-color' and I guess that there is two distinct types, large and small beagles, well he is a large. If he does not work out as a rabbit/squirrel/pheasant dog that is fine I'll just keep him as a companion. I don't know much about dog training in general but I'm going to give it shot.

[victorcharlie]

Honestly, it's rare to find a good one at a shelter.  He's there because he had some problems more than likely.

He'll probably make a fine companion, and Hey, I've been wrong before, so maybe he'll hunt?