Q&A for How to Train a Dog for Rabbit Hunting

Younger puppies are easier to train, but I'm sure with a few adjustments and a little patience, you'll have no problem training your older dog.

Use treats at first. Then when they start coming back to you eagerly, start giving them praise and affection instead of the treats.

Yes, but if you are relying on the dog to kill the rabbit you might be in for a long wait, especially if it is a puppy.

It sometimes has something to do with how the dog was trained in the first place. If you used dead rabbits for training, the dog might be used to just tracking dead rabbits. Remember, with their sense of smell, a live rabbit vs. a dead rabbit might smell very different. I would suggest teaching the dog with a live rabbit.

It's easier if you have a dog that is willing to kill a rabbit, for instance, a hunting breed with those sorts of instincts. Try hunting with your dog near a relatively accessible den, preferably with babies. Baby rabbits are easy kills for a dog, and if your dog can track and chase you can probably bet that their predatory instincts will take over and they will kill or at least catch a rabbit. If not, try training them with squeaking soft toys and reward them for hard bites and shakes on the toy. Give this behavior a spoken cue.

Don't react. If you pay no attention to the deer, your dog will lose interest and learn that there is no reward for that behavior.

You can make them out of PVC piping or use chairs and a broom. Only put it up to knee height (your dog's knee height). Grab a treat and lure your dog over. Say "jump," "up" or "over," or whatever you like. Eventually it will learn.

I wouldn't suggest it. When a beagle's on a trail, they don't let anything in their way! They might run off, get lost, or hurt. Just walk/run behind the dog and keep an eye on him. Or just put him on a leash and go rabbit chasing together.

You do this by not letting them kill your training rabbit and removing the rabbit or dog as soon as the dog is aggressive towards the rabbit. By doing this, the dog will learn that you don't want them to do that.