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[March mae]

Originally Posted by saskbasset

Hello all I have a year old basset hound named Sam and he's on the way to becoming a great hunting dog. He is getting better at scent tracking and flushing, but this basset will also retrieve! Since upland game bird season opened on Sept. 15 he has already found, flushed and retrieved 2 grouses in once trip out. I am having trouble getting him to focus on rabbits when out in the field, he likes to find grouse instead. This is fine during bird season but I need rabbit meat to feed my family during the closed seasons. I haven't had a basset before Sam but have always wanted one. The last hunting dogs I ran were a black lab and a chocolate lab but they were mainly waterfowl dogs with a little skill chasing upland birds. I know bassets are stubborn so will this issue be resolved in time? Any any help/input would be great!

I'm not certain if I am relying correctly...all the strange symbols are confusing me as I am nit that computer wavy. I am trying to respond to your dog says information you posted about him being actually a great flushed. Our girl Marcy Mae is 9 months old and it is partridge season here in Ontario. She of course is a Bassett hound and trained quite easily. She is becoming more stuborn the older she gets but still learns quickly.....all the info we have read say bassets do not flush birds they are rabbit dogs. Can you Pease share will me how or what you ed with Sam to have him do this?. I would be ever so grateful!.

[Mikey T]

Do not know of a basset that will hunt rabbit that will not flush birds as well unless specific action like the use of a shock collar to train them not to. Basset are hunting dog not rabbit dogs per say you if you want a rabbit only dog you need to train them to only hunt rabbit not the other way round.

While at a rabbit field trial while two dog were hunting a rabbit macey was tracking and eventual flushed a woodcock. If anything bird are easy to track and flush than rabbits.