A few questions that have crooped up??

[dickyboy 1]

Just a few things that i would like years of experience to help with but as i'm relatively new i'm calling to anyone who knows?!?!?

 

1. My dog has always been a bit of a wimp when it comes to shock/pain, hes hung himself of a barbwire fence by the legs and not wimpered but when a football hit him he screamed like a banshee, but yesterday he had a fight with two cockers and was well in there never heard a squeak and they were going hard but he was coming out on top. They all got a damn good telling off but does this show any clue as to his foxing ability? so long as i enter him right does this mean he might be able to do it as i've had my doubts about his courage?

 

2. He is also very friendly and playful with the ferrets, nearly 100% trustworthy now i let them crawl over him and he just stands there. Will this "i want to play" with the ferrets behaviour stop when we're ferreting or what should i do? never used a dog ferreting so don't know what will happen!!

 

3. is there any way to teach a dog to swim......i mean he can swim but doesn't want to much?? hard to keep him in tip top in this weather and this hard ground!!

 

there was something else but i can't remember now!! will add it on when i do.

Cheers

[Guest chilli]

1) My bitch howls like mad when you do her nails . wimpers for stupid reason she does toothed quarry no probs so i wouldnt worry about that .

 

 

2) if he no's there of limits you should be ok , just be on gaurd first few times a ferret pops out of a hole instead of a rabbit

 

3) Not a clue about this one

[Vermin Dropper 2]

1, Don't know

 

2, ??????????

 

3, use a toy that he is very fond of, tie a line to it incase he doesn't bring it back, get him excited about playing with the toy and throw it in, just a few feet at first so he can get it by wading, extend the distances untill he's swimming like a good un,

[dickyboy 1]

cheers people!!

[Guest Gregg Barrow]

I’m new to the lurchers so I’m not sure how well this information will cross over to a dog with a large amount of sight hound in his/her makeup.

 

Having run scent hounds for a lot of years, pain, and the dogs’ reaction to it appears to be dependent on the association he has made in his mind. The same dog that will pull up with a thorn in his paw during a leash walk in the evening, will bust through the toughest thorns and cover chasing game. It’s then that they appear totally oblivious to the punishment the thorns are dealing out.

My last stud would melt when touched with the lowest stimulation setting on an electric collar, but would get go head to head with a cornered bobcat or hog; his intensity growing exponentially as the fight escalated.

Some of the toughest police k9’s I’ve worked are more then willing to die on the bite when they are in a full blown fight with a man. The same dog might wilt into a howling wuss on the grooming table having his nails ground.

 

I like that little bit of sensitivity around the house, it tends to make the yard work (obedience) go a little easier in the advanced stages, when your looking for more reliability then food will give you.

 

The water work? I’ve always been fortunate to have a couple of good labs around the house, dogs that love to swim. I use jealousy and competition to introduce the young dogs, picking the hottest day to walk the pond and throw a lot of fun bumpers for the older dog (s). When the pup is wound tight, I restrain the older dog (s) and throw some short retrieves in knee deep water for the pup. A passion for retrieving on land and a favorite retrieve article will go along way toward helping this exercise along.

In the absence of an older “pup trainer†I select a hot day and some old tennis shoes to go for a walk, then wade in myself, giving lots of praise for any effort made by the pup to walk out to me.

For the “hard cases†or dogs that have had a bad experience with water, I might tie them out and let them watch the other dogs having a good time swimming and retrieving for a few sessions. Ignoring the pup and making over the dogs that are swimming.

When they are fussing and wanting to join in the fun, then I cut them loose.

 

My experience with ferrets is in the negative numbers.

 

Just some thoughts.

 

Best regards,

Gregg

[dickyboy 1]

cheers again.........i feel i should add that it was the two cockersa that had come onto ground which he thought was his land and theyv'e been going there longer...........it was my bosses house!!! so male on male on male.....just territorial but his nuts are coming off anyway as he has a retained testicle. by the by but before this any dog that went for him and hes met some baduns he's run screaming..........good advice though cheers.

 

i had thought it might not predict anything but at least hes turning into a man from a boy

[hunting_mad_jock_lad 1]

 

3. is there any way to teach a dog to swim......i mean he can swim but doesn't want to much?? hard to keep him in tip top in this weather and this hard ground!!

 

 

i had the same problem with my lurcher and terrier, they wouldnt go near any large bodies of water ie, lakes and rivers.

then when it was really hot i waited until as late as possible to walk the dogs. i took them down the river which is just a short walk from my house. i decided to go in for a swim and my dogs just sat on the bank. after about 5 minutes they started running about in the shallows, then after bout 15-20 minutes confidence was really high and they started swimming after me. now any time i go near the river they dont even hesitate.

[Guest oneredtrim]

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Edited January 18, 2008 by oneredtrim

[pointer28 1]

Hi,

 

My border x fell is a complete wimp around the house, yelps and puts his tail between his legs if you shout at him but will get stuck into any dog that makes a move on him.

 

He sounds like you have him well broken to your ferrets which is a good start, just be careful when a ferret pops out of the hole as he may grab them in the heat of the moment before he realises what he has done.

 

I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by lakes and canals so I always go down to the lake with a very shallow shoreline and just walk through the water in my wellies and that gets them used to spashing around in the water. I do this for a few weeks until they're comfortable splashing about then I go to the canal and get a mate to hold my dogs on leads, I go well up and cross over a foot bridge then go back down opposite the dogs and call them over, the older dogs will dive straight in and the pup will always follow but they might whimper and cry for a minute first, but it has never failed me. Don't let them see the bridge as the more intelligent ones will just run across the bridge. Never just throw them in and expect them to swim, you'll only do more harm than good.

[miles 227]

I had a saluki bitch once who was frightened of her own shaddow,she had been badly treated as a pup and i rescued her from the end of a chain at a dog dealers. After several months of T.L.C she made she made a beutiful bitch and a great hare dog ,but still very nervouse .

When out mooching shed always walk 2yard,s behind,then this fox jumps out of a small quarry and a way up the fied,my mates dog was soon on to it but would,nt "go in". All of a sudden this bitch comes in from nowere an starts shackin the fox furiously y

When i got there the fox was well dead and i could,nt get her off it,she was just like a ferret on a rabbit,clamped on tight and not for letting go!

As i say "BELLA" was a very nervy bitch and yelpt at the slightest thing but was a natural on foxes and whent on to take many of them in the day and on the lamp,she,d rag the corpse for hours after if u let her!

Never can tell

[Guest JOEB]

I have found that lurchers are total wimps around the house, out for walks ect.........BUT.....when it comes to doing there job this is not a problem.

 

As for swimming, they will or they wont..bit like people I supose...........1 of my hounds loves it and the other hates it, so you cant odds that one.

Dont worry about it, as long as they are doing the job, no problem :thumbs-up:

JOEB