Neal
-
Content Count
2,569 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Articles
Gun Dealer's and Fieldsports Shop's
Reloading Room
Blogs
Calendar
Store
Classifieds
Everything posted by Neal
-
Pointer x greyhound first cross bitch wanted
Neal replied to scotty2306's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs
That's a very good point. The sires of two of my dogs are owned by a woman who uses them for dog rig sports and, when I looked at her Facebook page, there were lots of pointer crosses competing too. -
I agree. While it's true that a good trainer will get better results from a badly bred dog than a bad trainer will get from a well bred dog, it's always best to do some research first on different lines so that you have a better idea of what to expect...and then put the good work in after too.? I hasten to add that I have no experience of Labradors. I'm just talking about dogs in general.? Good luck with whatever you go for. I was once told that Labradors are born half trained whereas springers die half trained.? Not sure how much truth there is in that though.
-
That may be but we get something much worse over here which kills thousands of dogs every year...they're called dog lovers! You can always spot them by the fact that their dogs are barrel shaped and visit the vet more frequently than they should...due to being grossly overweight.?
-
That's ironic: after reading your posts about your lurcher I was tempted to get either a gundog or a gundog cross.? I decided over a year ago that I needed another one and I was seriously considering a different breed as a result of not enjoying my time (for want of a better phrase) with my youngest. I did several of those tests online of the "What dog breed suits me best" type and they usually came out with gundogs. I was tempted by wirehaired vizslas...until I chatted to a couple of people who have them and wished they'd stuck with other breeds. I was also tempted by a short haired poin
-
Currently two males aged seven and three but I'm about to pick up a bitch pup in a couple of weeks.
-
Couldn't agree more. When the number of rabbits around by me dried up, I was gutted at first but, as the kelpies gradually shifted to wood pigeons and squirrels I'm actually finding it even more fun. We don't catch as many but the "near misses" and the trying are a joy to watch. I've always found that all my dogs seem to be more excited by squirrels than any other prey...though Scout found rats a close second.
-
Forgot to add in my earlier post that I've noticed prices are starting to come down again...that's only with regards to kelpies though. No idea if that's reflected in other breeds.
-
After reading all the positive comments on here (as well as many others online) I decided to try a pair of Altbergs. On holiday in Devon in May I tried on several models but none of them felt right unfortunately. I gather they make make them to order which would improve the fit but I'm still happy to stick with my Lundhags. On my second pair now after my first pair lasted about seven or eight years. I hasten to add that's the sole not the top of the boot which is still as comfy as ever. Unfortunately, the price of sending them to Sweden to be resoled properly was too restrictive so I decided t
-
Did anybody see Countryfile last night? They mentioned a dog on there which had just broken the record for price at auction. I think it was £23K (or possibly 28?). I liked the one owned by the girl from Scotland: he wasn't backing down! Sheepchaser, am I right in thinking that Welsh sheepdogs are more upright in their working style and more vocal than borders?
-
The litter sister of the dam of my new pup sold for $25,000, which works out at over £13,000! Needless to say, I'm not paying that much.?
-
Thanks Shaaark. I think you're right. I'll have to organize a couple of trips into Pompey and Chichester.
-
I started researching for my next kelpie pup over a year ago and started panicking when I saw that the average was £1,200 and some were £2,500! Fortunately I went back to the same farmer who bred my current eldest and will be picking up my pup in three weeks at only a couple of hundred more than I paid for him more than seven years ago.
-
I have one that I see occasionally in my garden. I know it's always the same one as it has a white patch on it where, at some point in the past, it must have leaned against a freshly painted fence or something.
-
Thanks again for all the advice. I've done a bit of research and sort of found myself coming full circle. From memory of a good review I'd once read in the past (on the lines of "it's a good little knock about air rifle which does what you want of it but without the bells and whistles") I was initially leaning towards a BSA..."something" sport or lightning? However, the drawback of research is that you always find reviews which says something along the lines of, "If you like that then you'll love this..." which lead me towards Air Arms (pro sport or TX200?) or Weihrauch (possibly the 77?)
-
I "rescued" one a couple of years ago which I found on my way back from the morning dog walk. I carried it back in my hat as that was all I had to carry it in. I'd noticed some blood on the side of its head and assumed it had been clipped by a car and so took it to a hedgehog rescue place on Hayling Island. The woman phoned me later to give me an update and told me it was extremely dehydrated and that she was fairly sure the injury was consistent with being kicked! Fortunately, despite its initial state and despite her not holding out much hope for it, it survived and was rereleased. Happy end
-
I've never been to Australia but I get the impression that "us poms" have no idea how harsh it is out there for working dogs. We sneak about in the early or late part of the day in the height of summer whereas if your dogs couldn't accept those temperatures (and then some) they simply wouldn't be bred from. Unfortunately, there seem to be a few people in the U.K. who feel that the majority of the credit for the Australian herding breeds should go to the individuals who bred their Scottish/Northern English ancestors with little recourse to what was done after they left here.
-
I must admit, I was a little surprized at how friendly mine were/are as I'd assumed (with the little knowledge I had of kelpies over twenty years ago) that they'd be more similar in temperament to cattle dogs. I've only had one which actively avoided people and the others have ranged from initially wary to "Hello Mr Burglar! Come in!"
-
Thanks Phil. Good advice. I'll do a bit more research and then add my thoughts to this post.? My initial thoughts (off the top of my head, before doing any research) is that I know I'd prefer a springer and I'd always assumed I'd prefer an Air Arms but so many people are in favour of that German company that I can never remember how to spell (or pronounce)...(Weirhauch?) that I'd probably consider them too. My main concerns are a) reliability and b) nothing too big as I'm hobbit sized at barely 5' 6".
-
As Phil says in a later post, ACDs have a bit of a reputation for being "a bit funny" with strangers. I've had several occasions when people will give my pure kelpies a wide berth as they've assumed that they were "like those Australian cattle dogs" and were therefore not 100% trustworthy. I met one chap, many years ago, who'd nearly come a cropper while camping in Australia and taking a shortcut across a field with a heeler in it...he just about made it to the fence with his trousers intact. Also as Phil says (he knows his stuff?) temperaments vary a lot even within 'friendly' or '
-
That reminds me of a true story I heard once. A woman phoned a computer helpline from her mobile as her work computer wasn't working. She was the only person left in the building. After loads of advice and questions they'd still got nowhere so he asked her to look something up in the user manual. When she said she couldn't do that as she couldn't read the manual he asked, "Why not?" She replied, "Because the lights are off: there's a power cut!"?
-
Thanks for the information.?
-
Yep...that's similar to what my Nan always said, "Blue and Green should never be seen, unless there's something inbetween." Then again, she also often said, "Well I could 'a' seen a rowin' boat."
-
I've no experience of them myself, but I've heard that the Australian terrier is a great little vermin dog. Kind of similar to the old Yorkshire, Norfolk or Norwich terriers in character. I've always assumed the Australian terrier was basically the "original" Yorkshire but without being ruined by showing. What's the difference between them and the silky? Is it simply coat type?
-
Apparently, women tend to have more cones picking up a particular colour (I think it might be red) than men. My wife and I had an ongoing argument about whether her car was "blueish green" or "greenish blue." My argument was "What the hell would you know? You're terrible at colour co-ordinating...plus I've got a degree in Fine Art!"? But, when I found out the science behind it, I had to admit she was probably right. It's an amazing subject and one I find fascinating. I still can't see (no pun intended) how my daughter (and so many other people) will swear that tennis balls are green
-
Those bloody Angles and Saxons coming over here and pinching jobs from us Celts.?
