# NO Retreive Beagle



## Parrothead (Apr 15, 2004)

Well, I found out this weekend that my beagle will not retreive doves. He will sniff them all over and loves to lick the feathers but won't put it in his mouth until the feathers are off!
How disappointing this is. Well, I didn't expect much from him since he can't evn smell a rabbit trail when one has just run in front of him. If he sees it he is all over it otherwise he would rather chase crickets, grasshoppers and birds that get to close to his runner. 
Anyone remember the "BEN" cartoons from I think it was in Field & Stream magazine? This beagle of my wife's has always reminded me of Ben. If you are familiar with Ben you will know what I mean. Although Ben was supposed to be a 'hunting retreiver' he always reminded me of sort of a beagle.

Oh well.
I am not even going to talk about the crazy poor excuse for a lab that I runs and hides when she sees the gun.


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## TexasPete (Apr 26, 2005)

Hahahhahah! Maybe if you can kill doves with 'Scooby Snacks', then he'll go after 'em!


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## Parrothead (Apr 15, 2004)

Well I know that would work Pete. He is a strange dog. Guess I will just have to get a newbie to go with me to be my 'fetch dog'... and take him pheasant hunting and let him be my 'brush dog' hmmm any volunteers? (pete?) Did I hear you? 
(in the voice of Foghorn Leghorn) --I say, I say speak up boy. I can't hear ya way down there!!!


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## BigChessie (Mar 12, 2005)

Mark if you want you should bring your lab down and see if we can work alittle with her. Does she retreive or playfetch at all? How is her OB?


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## Parrothead (Apr 15, 2004)

Thanks, but as they say "that dog won't hunt" and they were refering to my lab. She plays fetch in her own way and usually ends up in tug of war or she just runs the other direction to play keep away, so when she does that I just quit working with her. If we are playing its a different story. 

She is just terrified of the guns for some reason. I have tried havaing the guns and petting her and gradually moving outside.. nothing doing there. She is 6 1/2 and I have had her since she was 3 and she has always been this way. She was not raised around guns and shooting and It may have been too much for her all at once. I don't mind too much now. It was heartbreaking at first that she wouldn't hunt. 

The wife has promised that our next dog will be my lab or what I have wanted for many years..a chessie. Just having 3 dogs in the house would be a little much right now especially a puppy. We don't have to kennel the 2 now when we leave. We finally broke them of all bad habits. I don't know if it would feel right having to kennel a pup when the other 2 are being good. 
I will wait another year maybe and see how things go.


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## Walter Adkins (May 20, 2004)

You said that your lab runs from the gun. Is the dog gun shy?


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## Darwin (Apr 12, 2004)

Hey BigChessie, don't let Mark fool ya. His lab outsmarts him all of the time!!


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## Parrothead (Apr 15, 2004)

Walter Adkins said:


> You said that your lab runs from the gun. Is the dog gun shy?


 You could say that I guess. She freaks out and runs and hides. I have tried all kinds of things to get her to not do that and none of them work.


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## Walter Adkins (May 20, 2004)

Simple method that always works. Lay gun down on a dry spot in the yard. Place a dish of the dogs prefered food next to the gun (the key is not to feed the dog enything when the gun is not there). After your dog gets used to the gun that way feed the dog with your gun in your hand. Get a bb gun and spend a week shooting it while the dog eats or until the dog is used to the sound (do not shoot at something that the dog can see). Then move up in gun size. Your dog will start associating the site of the gun with good things not bad things. Play with your dog and have the gun around. I would go into how to get the dog to fetch/hunt better but that would take alot of time on your part. I also doubt your wife would appreciate you working her dog. Your life might be better just waiting on your own dog.


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## Parrothead (Apr 15, 2004)

Walter Adkins said:


> Your life might be better just waiting on your own dog.


NO DOUBT IN MY MIND BROTHER!!!!!

This is why i will agree to wait for my own dog.
Thanks for the tips though. I have tried similar method and no luck. We are still working on getting comfortable with the nail clippers... maybe if we get that one conquered we can get the gun next?


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## Walter Adkins (May 20, 2004)

Man I never new you had to get your wife used to nail clippers before you approached the buying a gun issue. Seriously though if you stick strickly to feeding your dog with the gun by the bowl this method works. You are playing on the dogs basic need to eat and that need will always win.


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