I'd like to hear people's experiences with using running pens to train / condition dogs. I'm talking pens less than 10 acres. I currently have a 5 acre pen I brace or solo all age dogs in almost daily. This is my second year and personally I haven't seen any consequences. I prefer to run in the wild but with family obligations the pen is the only way my dogs get exercised. I'm not as interested in people's theories on small pens or what they've heard. Would like to hear from guys that use smaller pens regularly and the experiences they've had good and bad.
Couldn't imagine not having one to start pups in. Makes it so much easier and quicker when you can constantly put rabbits in front of them at an amount that might take 10 times as long in the wild. Jmo
My pen is 7 acres. It does take me a little longer to deer break my dogs that it used to but I will give that up to show my dogs more rabbits.A dog that can run one of those "professional" rabbits in a small pen that get hammered daily will absolutely burn the hair off a wild rabbit.JMO
My pen is about 7acres also and I get a lot of good runs. Only disadvantage I’ve noticed is that if they get a sight chase they are likely too push him in one of the two escape pipes I have.
Keep the fence low enuff for deer to come and go at will! You can even feed deer in a rabbit pen! Perfect situation for breaking pups in a controlled environment !
I do not have a pen. My only experience with small pens revolved around a dog we once sold. She was two years old and had only been run in the wild. We sold her to a man that had a small pen, less than 10 acres. After running her for a year, she had picked up the habit of running a backtrack and would leave a long check to find another rabbit. I blamed this on her running the fences, and being in an overpopulated pen.
I do not have a pen. My only experience with small pens revolved around a dog we once sold. She was two years old and had only been run in the wild. We sold her to a man that had a small pen, less than 10 acres. After running her for a year, she had picked up the habit of running a backtrack and would leave a long check to find another rabbit. I blamed this on her running the fences, and being in an overpopulated pen.
It is also my understanding that too many rabbits are not good. How many rabbits are too many? In seven acres, would two rabbits be about right? More? I don't know what the formula is, but if anyone at rabbitdogs knows, please share it with us. Thanks.
We try to keep 8 in a 15 acre pen but habitat plays a vital role obviously .I run almost daily and switch from open to enclosure often primarily because I’ve noticed our pen rabbits get smart quick ; a lot of double backs and different tricks to get distance where as I see very little in the open woods.
if you want to compete every weekend at our trials like I do it’s almost impossible to do without an enclosure. The guys that we compete against weekly have specific regimens of work for their dogs that quite frankly I can’t replicate on our lease. I guess it boils down to what a person is trying to accomplish with his/her dogs. I hope this has helped ! Happy Beagling
As I’m typing this reply I am bracing a derby with a solid all age female trying to get ready for upcoming derby trials
Thanks for the responses I'd like to hear even more. I personally like to have 5 or so rabbits in 5 acres. The reason is I left holes for them to hide in so normally after one has been ran close to an hour, sometimes less, it has a place to get away from the dogs. I agree with purvis, a pen for pups is a no-brainer, they get so much exposure so fast it really helps to turn them on. I like what jeffro said about running professional rabbits. I have witnessed this where rabbits run up logs, double back on trails several times, run along a downed cedar to then cut up the middle and squat. Takes a dog with patience to figure this stuff out. But an over populated pen could make one leave a long check. One guy told me a small pen doesn't let the dogs get up and run wide open enough, more twisting and turning.
A well handled starting pen for the pups, 3 acres with 3 or 4 rabbits is worth it's weight in Gold IMO.
Conservation ground that gets run most every day can have some "Beagle Wise" rabbits too.
Heartland we ought to hook up and go run sometime. I’m in Kearney so we’re practically neighbor’s lol. Heck we might even know some of the same people. But maybe not I don’t trial
A well handled starting pen for the pups, 3 acres with 3 or 4 rabbits is worth it's weight in Gold IMO.
Conservation ground that gets run most every day can have some "Beagle Wise" rabbits too.
I heard Dean Biscamp (spelling) say about 3-5 rabbits per acre is plenty. We had a 5 acre pen we used for soloing. We finished our female using that oen. But we also ran in the wild some
I never knew his screen name on here that was before I found this site. But I did get to meet him once through a buddy of mine at a derby trial years ago.
When I spoke to his wife about the hunt she talked about a dog named Boogie. Said he was Kent's favorite. There is a video on his YouTube channel "Boogie at the Nationals." I just rewatched the other day when it popped up on recommended videos. I bet he would have been a good running buddy!
I can attest to the fact that too many rabbits can ruin a hound. I owned a litter mate to FC Star R Cuttin' Up Chrissie who won five national events (Chrissie - not her sister). I didn't like this gyp and gave her to my friend. She was just started and running well but when he soloed her and she got into a check she would just leave it an go find another rabbit. My friends pen was full of rabbits due to a combination of a good breeding and raising season. While running other dogs in a pack it was common for one of the hounds to jump another rabbit while in the check.
Small pens are good to start pups and run all age dogs for exercise. Best is wild rabbits in different areas and conditions if you have the time. Just make sure dogs don’t start bad habits, pen run dogs run the paths, that is something I do not like. They need to get in the brush and stay in the brush to jump a rabbit. JMO
Small starting pens are a tool. Large running pens are a tool. When used right they work great. Over use of small mostly open pens will hurt more than help. In my opinion. The first time a pup puts its nose to the ground and runs a track for 50 feet. That's it's last time in that pen. It's a big running pen or the wild. To much can go wrong if you leave them in there to long.JMO
I’m new here, and haven’t read all the comments. My thought on pens, and I did it with my coyote dogs for years, they’re great for exercise. Over doing it in the same pen not only makes the game smart, but I noticed it will also take the hunt out of certain dogs. They get use to knowing where rabbits are going to be, and then when they get on the outside May just wonder around more than hunt. I say pens are great in moderation haha. Just my 2 cents.
Running pens have been a great tool to condition hounds. Currently running two pens here, 28 acres and 11 acres. Have noticed with the pens the dogs have gotten a lot more running in, can leave at night if needed extra attention. It's like a carpenter hammer, if you want to do the job you need tools. I use the small pen mostly younger dogs to solo or brace, the big pen is more for conditioning the older dogs. You also have a controlled environment to break from trash.
Very well put Hunt, we can explain to our friends all day BUT until someone actually comes and sees for him/her self what it truly takes to compete against arguably the best around ; it’s hard to conceive ! Pens are a valuable tool that we use on this level , just like your hammer analogy AND it’s not and can’t be the only tool . My recent trip to AKC Nationals was a gut-check , it’s so open and the judges are in strategic position to catch any flaws , so you “ can run but you can’t hide” lol
I plan on going and competing until I can no longer physically do it . Excellent post !
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