house training/hunting ability

Question
I trail my beagles, and I was wondering does house breaking & to much handling (like a pet not a hunting dog)hurt the beagles ability to perform in the field. For instence paying more attention to you than running the rabbit. I was told it would. I think that if it did not effect them it would make the dog warth more later if trained in the basics (like house broken, sit, stay, etc.)  

Answer
I am sure you will get different opinions on this subject. I have not had hunting beagles since I was a kid. We had some great hunting beagles. One of my favorites sleep in my bedroom and walked me to the end of the lane to catch the bus every morning. He was a great hunter and pet. Now, I just have pet beagles but, we have rabbits in our backyard. When a rabbit has traveled thur our yard my beagles go crazy. They follow the scent and howl. But, they stop at the wood line because, they know they can't leave the yard. After a snack they are happy. My beagles hunt snacks more then anything else =)
So, with my experience beagles can be both great hunter and pets.
Fellow beagle owner,
Ken