50 foot lead

just ordered a 50 foot lead for my walker/beagle to roam the woods and get used to hunting. I dont think i'd ever trust him enough to go off leash as he's a family pet who likely wont return if he gets his mind on a rabbit. i'd like to be safer than sorry.

wondering if anyone has experience using a long lead like this in order to get your hound used to hunting. I really doubt i want to trust him enough to unleash, but i figured it's worth bringing him out every once in a while for rabbits and birds.

it's going to be very dependent on your terrain if your dog will actually "roam the woods" or if you spend a significant amount of time untangling the lead.
don't get me wrong, long leads are indispensable for training and tracking, but for a leisurely walk in the woods I would really worry about stem density...

Let em run they come back. Or invest in gps collar unit that hound will run more than rabbits.

If you don't trust your dog to come to you when you call him you got more training to do.i have never put a lead on my hound well they are hunting. Only to walk them back to the truck after we ate done. And most times I didn't need it then . obedience training comes before hunt training. Dutch

I understand your concerns. You just want to "bring him out every once in a while for rabbits and birds. "

I don't think a long line is going to work, but it can't hurt to try it out.
You didn't say how old your dog was . I would consider spending the money on a GPS unit for your peace of mind.

When I was training beagles -a hundred years ago- we had no locator collars. At some point we had to let them go independently. Easier started with a pup than an older dog. Yes we lost them occasionally but never lost for good thankfully.

In reality , I never had a beagle come when called when he was on a rabbit. :)

this might help. whenever one of our beagles decided to stay the night in the bush I would take off my coat and throw it in the bush and go home. the next day i'd go back and he or she would be either sitting on my coat or be hanging around real close. I saw a neighbour of mine do it when I was 20 something and at first I thought it was a joke, until the next morning. now 30 years latter I still do it when I need to.

I would cancel the order. A 50 ft lead is the last thing your going to need. You will be far better off with some mentoring, visit a local beagle club or contact a bird dog club, or at least try and get out with a local hunter who has dogs.

thanks for the feedback all. i often have a weird idea and ask around to see if anyone has done it before me. looks like there aren't too many who've tried it. someday i hope to have the cash for a GPS collar. until then, i have a feeling he'd come back eventually but i just dont want to risk it. maybe with another dog someday that the kids aren't attached to, but for now, he'll stay on the lead.
im going to try it out for kicks anyways, get him used to the sound of the gun going off and see if he can spook something out of the brush. i have a feeling it won't work well, but i think it's worth a shot. I'll post pictures in the winter if i manage any success.

Keeping the pooch on a 50' lead wouldn't allow you to get much hunting done . You'd be busy untangling the lead at least 75 % of the time unless you were in a WIDE OPEN area . --- Even then it would hinder your shooting .

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Originally Posted by Gunner 38

Keeping the pooch on a 50' lead wouldn't allow you to get much hunting done . You'd be busy untangling the lead at least 75 % of the time unless you were in a WIDE OPEN area . --- Even then it would hinder your shooting .

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trying a 50' lead for a walk is one thing. going hunting with it is dangerous!
other than tracking (where you aren't going to shoot while handling the dog), a lead is short or better no lead at all.
I fully understand the pet and children issue and the fact that you want to take your dog out and expose him, but if you do want to keep him on a lead, tether it to a tree and not to yourself if you are going to shoot