Michigan Sportsman Forum banner
  • From treestands to ground blinds, all your hunting must-haves can be found at Bass Pro Shops. Shop Now.

    Advertisement

Rabbit dog other than beagle?

17K views 34 replies 22 participants last post by  podengodog  
#1 ·
I am looking for ideas for a dog that will be used mainly for rabbits but possibly also for general upland hunting.It will also be a house dog and not penned. I have read that Brittanies and Boykins can be good versatile dogs. Anyone have success using one of these breeds for both types of work?
 
#3 ·
:idea: My parents used to have a basset hound. Their bread for bunnies. Their's had no interest at all in bunnies but would stalk attack every pheasant and turkey that wandered into the lawn. It was rather interesting watching him. He never caught one but got shockingly close to several for a hugely obese, white and brown dog shaped like a cement block:lol:.
 
#6 ·
Basset hound! Not a fast as a beagle. Not as fast as any other dog. but they do like to chase bunnies. and they won't chase them into a hole. Check out their parents for health problems. They are much bigger than beagles. Have fun!
I think I read they have the next best nose of all dog breeds (bloodhound is 1st). Easy to train with food. It's their number one love:lol:. Their number one problem is breaking their back. My parent's basset broke his somehow so he had to be put down:(. So please dont make them jump down more than a couple feet. He was 9 years old and 88#s.
 
#7 ·
Some of the bird dogs may flush and chase rabbits some, but none are going to trail, stay on, and circle them like a hound.
A Beagle or Basset Hound will also trail and flush pheasants , but may do so too fast to for the hunter keep up with. I use my older Basset on pheasants because he's slow in the thick CRP grass.
A Basset is generally slower than a Beagle when hunting/searching, but when on track mine will push a rabbit as fast as most any Beagle. They are not slow in that regard.
I wouldn't recommend a Basset Hound for a first time rabbit hound owner.
Not a lot of Bassets are bred for hunting ability. LOTS of Beagles are.
Beagles are easier to handle. Quicker to start. And a higher percentage will show hunting ability and competence. You have a higher probability of getting a good rabbit dog with a Beagle.

Sent from my XT907 using Ohub Campfire mobile app
 
#8 ·
We had a Australian shepherd named Sassy and she was a rabbit dog you wouldn't believe.She worked the cover like a bird dog and kicked up rabbits like crazy.Brush piles,fence rows,grass,briar patches you name it.She was more of a sight chaser when she flushed them,but she brought quite a few around.She would also retrieve them if they died in some thick cover.Oddest thing if they died in plan sight she would just keep hunting,but if you shot one and it crawled off or died in the thick stuff she would bring it out and drop it and look at you like you owe me one.Smartest dog I ever owned.
 
#9 ·
Do these other dogs give voice when on trail?

The beagles I have and have had, work quite well for grouse and pheasants. It takes a while to get them settled down and you have to position yourself for a shot when working an area, instead of getting a point.
 
#10 ·
some bark some don't for my money the basset would be the easiest to convince mamma i need another dog,,,but, my rat terrier will run rabbit, hunt squirrel and flush birds. she has even tree'd **** for me.
that being said there are a lot of multi purpose,,or utility type dogs that will hunt a variety of game for you. one of the best investments in time and money is a dog that wants to hunt with you and will chase feather or fur, and even retrieve in the water.:fish:
 
#11 ·
English Springers and Cockers are used for both birds and bunnies all the time.
I would give some serious thought to the above.

A wise man on these forums once told me (when I was looking to do something different for my next dog) that he thought a started Cocker or maybe even a Springer would be a good way for me to go.

I didn't listen :sad: We love the dog we ended up with but it may have been a better overall decision had I heeded that advice.
 
#13 ·
I agree with the two posters immediately above.

To be clear, I don't want my spaniels (English Cockers) to mess around with bunnies scent or follow them. I want them to be totally focused on grouse, w/c, roosters, prairie grouse, sharpies and other upland birds.

But over across the pond in the British Isles, a "rough shooting" day implies that the spaniels (ESS or ECS) search out and flush pheasant, European w/c, grouse, rabbits, hare, pigeons or sit on the bank and wait for ducks to come in. In other words, to hunt whatever may be around.

In this country we usually are more specialized. If the OP is after rabbits, get a beagle; I love to listen to the little hounds. We had beagles when I was a kid and had a ton of fun behind the hounds. And if the OP is really after "whatever is around", the one of the spaniel breeds will work well in that role.
 
#16 ·
Some of the bird dogs may flush and chase rabbits some, but none are going to trail, stay on, and circle them like a hound.
A Beagle or Basset Hound will also trail and flush pheasants , but may do so too fast to for the hunter keep up with. I use my older Basset on pheasants because he's slow in the thick CRP grass.
A Basset is generally slower than a Beagle when hunting/searching, but when on track mine will push a rabbit as fast as most any Beagle. They are not slow in that regard.
I wouldn't recommend a Basset Hound for a first time rabbit hound owner.
Not a lot of Bassets are bred for hunting ability. LOTS of Beagles are.
Beagles are easier to handle. Quicker to start. And a higher percentage will show hunting ability and competence. You have a higher probability of getting a good rabbit dog with a Beagle.

Sent from my XT907 using Ohub Campfire mobile app
The only time I have seen any basset run for than 5ft is either a young (under 2) or when their food dish is rattled:16suspect. They don't even have a graceful run with such stubby feet. Every beagle I've seen can easily run circles around any basset.:lol: They where bred for rabbit hunting with kids and the elderly. Hence why they would be slower.

I have seen some good rabbit hunting labs. Would be great for upland hunting also. With all this deep snow beagles and bassets have a harder time running. Labs with their longer legs might be just the ticket.
 
#17 ·
The only time I have seen any basset run for than 5ft is either a young (under 2) or when their food dish is rattled:16suspect. They don't even have a graceful run with such stubby feet. Every beagle I've seen can easily run circles around any basset.:lol: They where bred for rabbit hunting with kids and the elderly. Hence why they would be slower.

I have seen some good rabbit hunting labs. Would be great for upland hunting also. With all this deep snow beagles and bassets have a harder time running. Labs with their longer legs might be just the ticket.
I've never heard of using a lab for rabbits...anybody have any experience with this? I have a 3 yr. old lab that I would love to use for it, just hadn't thought of it before now being a former beagle owner and all.
 
#18 · (Edited)
People are always trying to make things into something they are not. A good example of this would be turkey bacon which is not quite turkey and not quite bacon. If you want to hunt rabbits get a beagle. It's what they were made for. They are sturdy hard hunting little dogs that are smarter than most people give them credit for. They make great companions and get along well with kids. My beagles hunt grouse and pheasants just fine. Get a Beagle.. Unless you LIKE turkey bacon that is.
 
#19 ·
I've never heard of using a lab for rabbits...anybody have any experience with this? I have a 3 yr. old lab that I would love to use for it, just hadn't thought of it before now being a former beagle owner and all.
My uncle's lab ran rabbits great but was gun shy and would hide on his door step peeing itself after the first shot. cris-remington on here has a lab that runs rabbits well enough that he has invited me to join him. Due to already having plans, I had to 'raincheck' till another time:(. I met a few other guys that use labs for rabbits also.

I own a beagle but any dog that shows an interest in and likes using its nose for whatever you want to hunt would be better than picking out a dog based only on breed. A dog doesn't know what breed it is.

Good luck!
 
#21 ·
People are always trying to make things into something they are not. A good example of this would be turkey bacon which is not quite turkey and not quite bacon. If you want to hunt rabbits get a beagle. It's what they were made for. They are sturdy hard hunting little dogs that are smarter than most people give them credit for. They make great companions and get along well with kids. My beagles hunt grouse and pheasants just fine. Get a Beagle.. Unless you LIKE turkey bacon that is.
:D
Too funny. You can hunt grouse and pheasants with a rabbit dog ( beagle) but the only thing other than birds you can hunt with a non beagle is turkey bacon. :p:p

Sent from my XT907 using Ohub Campfire mobile app
 
#22 ·
my lab was running rabbits tonight. i would have brought my beagle but i just think he would have gotten lost in the deep snow.
Since you mentioned it, I have 2 wiener dogs that run rabbits around our place daily. They bark like crazy when they are hot on the tracks too. Of course you know the rest of the story about wiener dogs in deep snow. :lol:
 
#23 ·
People are always trying to make things into something they are not. A good example of this would be turkey bacon which is not quite turkey and not quite bacon. If you want to hunt rabbits get a beagle. It's what they were made for. They are sturdy hard hunting little dogs that are smarter than most people give them credit for. They make great companions and get along well with kids. My beagles hunt grouse and pheasants just fine. Get a Beagle.. Unless you LIKE turkey bacon that is.
What he said.
 
#25 ·
Thanks for the interesting replies so far. I am out of the country on business and Internet access has been spotty so this is my first chance to reply. As one person correctly surmised, I may hunt for rabbits but also interested in whatever else that a dog may kick up that is in season. The reference to European type hunts is more of what I had in mind for a dog.

My own first dog that I can remember was a beagle, as a family pet. Unfortunately it met its demise by crossing a road without looking both ways. :sad: