Hey to all
My Name is Mike from West of Minneapolis. I have two Bassets one is more my wifes and the other we just got from a rescue after our other basset passed on.. The new one is 13 months and is a quick learn for many things. I come from a Lab tradition so its hard to break me of alot of my training techniques. He is now "waiting" well and is slowly learning hand signals..he will do anything for a treat. I have some rabbit sent but does anyone know how to introduce him to it.? Thanks Mike

to be quite frank with you i have tried rabbit scent myself and didnt really care for it. i think that the best way to go by far is live rabbits. a controlled environment of a training pen would be best but of course many dont have that luxury. take them out to where you know that there are plenty of rabbits and let them search, and work on getting them in the brush. being with an exsperienced dog helps out a lot as well. try to jump some rabbits up and get them on that track. some may laugh at this but i found that if you get them smelling the track and get them excited by showing your excitement and start belering to give them the idea thats what they need to do. you would be suprised but it really does work. trust me i have done it :) . what i prefer the most is training on fresh snow. its way easier to find rabbit sign and tracks. also i am religous with e-collars while training and hunting. when used responsobly it is one of the best training buddies you can have. and most of all be consistant. you cant take a dog out once and a while and exspect them to be a super hunting dog. anyways, there are many ways to start dogs and i havent said the half of it and hopefully someone else will have some more tips for you but thats just some of what i do

i dont think i actually answered your question. it was late after work and i just started babbling. to answer that i think i would use a scent drag. just like if you were training coon dogs. start off with short simple lines and progress into longer lines with with some turns and stuff like that. give that a try.

Mike if your hound shows any interest with playing with chew toys you can also use the scent you have on a toy or a rag to introduce the scent to the dog as a game, then progress to scent trailing with a drag. Droop had a stuffed animal that he played with as a pup, and we would pour scent on it and throw and retrieve it. similiar to the way you would train your labs with a wing. but dont be too surprised if your dog just looks at you as if to say "get it yourself". Some bassets wont lower themselves to play fetch. In reguards to a tracking collar. that is individual preference. I wont turn a dog loose without one, but others do not use them. You have to decide for yourself, but the chance of loosing a hound is always there and collars reduce this chance Good luck with your training

Night shift, Thanks alot. He seems to be catching on with a scent rag. I have tried it for about 10 yards and with treats at the end. One small step at a time and he likes one particular toy and he will bring it back a few times before he figures out he is doing for me and then he shows no interest in it. What fun .....Thanks again