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The short answer is "No, it's not too late."
The longer answer is that it takes lots of care and patience, and especially long walks in rabbit country before you ever get to hunt. I have little doubt that the dog will quickly discover the magic of rabbits, but there are lots of other issues that can arise. You don't want them chasing deer; you don't want to have to chase them for hours when it's time to go home; and, you don't want them to head for the next county when the gun goes bang.
We've trained several older beagles and bassets that grew up in the city, and those were the big issues to solve. We ended up hiking with them for several months and no guns, just to build their enthusiasm and skills.
Use a shock collar to solve the deer problem- Take the dog out and keep it on a leash till it sees deer. Let go the leash and let them chase the deer a few strides, then shock the daylights out of them. Don't yell or scold them, rather be sympathetic when they come running back to you after the shock. In very short order they will "figure out" that the deer are causing the shock, and won't want anything to do with them ever again.
As for the gun shy bit, start slow with a pellet gun or cap pistol like you would a young bird dog, and get them used to the sound. No more problems.
The hardest issue to solve is foxes. Fox will line out crosscountry, and you have no hope of catching up with the dog or getting it back for a few hours. Foxes are pretty easy to find during the spring breeding season, so that's a good time to use the shock collar just like you do with deer. If the dog does get on a fox, it will eventually give up and come back looking for you- usually long after you have given up. Best to carry a small sandwich bag of dry dogfood in your pocket. When the dog gets on a fox and won't come back, take off your jacket and put it on the ground along with the open bag of food. Come back in a few hours or the next morning and you will find a very happy dog sleeping on the coat next to an empty food bag. It will be no less likely to chase fox until you do the shock collar thing the next spring, but at least you get your dog back.
Hope this helps. If this sounds like a lot of work you should recognize that you may have to go through the same steps with any dog, even starting it as a pup. There are some great dogs floating around out there, just waiting patiently for someone with the care and interest to introduce them to the wonderful world of rabbits. I wouldn't hesitate to take one on.
The longer answer is that it takes lots of care and patience, and especially long walks in rabbit country before you ever get to hunt. I have little doubt that the dog will quickly discover the magic of rabbits, but there are lots of other issues that can arise. You don't want them chasing deer; you don't want to have to chase them for hours when it's time to go home; and, you don't want them to head for the next county when the gun goes bang.
We've trained several older beagles and bassets that grew up in the city, and those were the big issues to solve. We ended up hiking with them for several months and no guns, just to build their enthusiasm and skills.
Use a shock collar to solve the deer problem- Take the dog out and keep it on a leash till it sees deer. Let go the leash and let them chase the deer a few strides, then shock the daylights out of them. Don't yell or scold them, rather be sympathetic when they come running back to you after the shock. In very short order they will "figure out" that the deer are causing the shock, and won't want anything to do with them ever again.
As for the gun shy bit, start slow with a pellet gun or cap pistol like you would a young bird dog, and get them used to the sound. No more problems.
The hardest issue to solve is foxes. Fox will line out crosscountry, and you have no hope of catching up with the dog or getting it back for a few hours. Foxes are pretty easy to find during the spring breeding season, so that's a good time to use the shock collar just like you do with deer. If the dog does get on a fox, it will eventually give up and come back looking for you- usually long after you have given up. Best to carry a small sandwich bag of dry dogfood in your pocket. When the dog gets on a fox and won't come back, take off your jacket and put it on the ground along with the open bag of food. Come back in a few hours or the next morning and you will find a very happy dog sleeping on the coat next to an empty food bag. It will be no less likely to chase fox until you do the shock collar thing the next spring, but at least you get your dog back.
Hope this helps. If this sounds like a lot of work you should recognize that you may have to go through the same steps with any dog, even starting it as a pup. There are some great dogs floating around out there, just waiting patiently for someone with the care and interest to introduce them to the wonderful world of rabbits. I wouldn't hesitate to take one on.
