Border Terriers

[Kane 2]

Probably to much terrier for most of the so called digging lads on here

[Guest Eamon.Mc]

Probably to much terrier for most of the so called digging lads on here

Aww you could'nt keep a dog as hard as that about ye, feck she'd be laid up most of the season, 1 or 2 digs a season at most. :whistle: :whistle: :whistle:

[Guest ROOSTER]

im lost for words

[Guest shay]

More fecking shite about in the world of terriers then, breeding for money knob.

[Guest SJM]

Ok I have a genuine question for you lads, Ive read these sort of threads many times and being new to terriers (apart from bull terriers this is my first) I am eager to learn. Ive got a young border terrier, I bought him as a bushing/rabbiting/ratting terrier to work alongside my lurchers and generally have fun with. So far, hes done everything I want and Im really pleased with him. Hes grown up thinking hes a lurcher, he tears around nose to the ground all the time hunting up rabbits and pushing them out of cover, he marks holes and has recently started showing a willingness to go to ground to get to rabbits hes chased.

 

Now I have seen a few pet borders and my dog always looks livelier, slimmer and has more of a spring in his step than these waddling house pets. Because hes been brought up with luchers and a couple of bull terrier types, he is a right friendly wee thing and doesnt want to latch onto the face of every dog he meets like some of the grumpy pet border types I have met.

 

So does this mean my dog is no good in the eyes of those who dig to their dogs?

 

I would like to go digging but theres several reasons why I dont, one I have very limited experience of it having only been on a few digs as a spectator/helper, 2 I dont have any permission and 3 there arent huge numbers of foxes round where I live, so does that mean I shouldnt have a terrier?

 

Not trying to start a fight just genuinely interested in the way some peoples minds work on these forums. I dont want a terrier for a pet or for shows, I want a rough and tumble little dog that can hold his own on a days rabbiting with the lurchers and make himself useful. Surely my dog is better off doing what hes doing than no work at all?

 

Lots of folk have terriers for bushing rabbiting etc, is it really such a bad thing? I know terra is a latin word for earth, so technically a dog thats not used to ground cant really be called a terrier, thats fair enough, but is rabbiting and ratting such a bad vocation for a dog if you cant get hold of some proper hard work for it?

[Guest shay]

You are better to use it for working rabbits than have it sat eating chocolates all day, the thing that gets up my nose is the selling of pups for extortionate amounts of money, if the people who were breeding them were genuinelly breeding for themselves then they would be giving away the surplus minus the papers. Borders shouldn't in my opinion be classed as a true working breed anymore and the messers that breed them should be treated with the contempt they deserve.

 

Jeff Fenorelli and Levi Oakes are the only people worth mentioning regarding working borders and they have both now passed away.

 

The rest is just show shite.

 

My opinion lads

[Guest SJM]

You are better to use it for working rabbits than have it sat eating chocolates all day,

 

Well thats what I thought. When I got him it was with working rats and rabbits in mind and hes doing that so far so I am pleased, I got exactly what I wanted. He will never be bummed up to be something he is not, and I know a rabbit dog is considered inferior to a fox dog which is ok in my eyes, but It would be good to think there are still working borders out there in the true sense of the word. My mate has 2 border bitches that he digs to so I know they do exist.

 

If I ever got the chance to go digging I have no idea how well my dog would do, he has probably been wasted on rabbits and I wouldnt expect much of him, but if I ever get the chance I will take it, no other way to find out is there? I am not digging the f-ing hole though It takes me all day to dig to a bunny the ferrets have killed

[Guest bullhead]

WELL DONE TO THE BITCH THEY R LOVELY LOOKING PUPS

[MJC 1]

WELL DONE TO THE BITCH THEY R LOVELY LOOKING PUPS

 

cheers bullhead

[thurso jack 3]

at the end of the day there is a lot more people breeding dogs that have never seen a rat or rabbit let alone a fox, so if this guy who feeds his dogs works them, although not in the true terrier way, then who are we to say what he should or shouldnt do? for every MJC there are hundereds of people breeding dogs that have probably never even been out in the country let alone worked on game and would probably be horrified at the thought.

[Guest MASADA]

llllllllllllllllllll

Edited August 21, 2007 by MASADA

[alimac 882]

thurso jack, your spot on there.... could someone tell me why they have to be a good hard diggin dog before you can breed from them?? each to there own, rats, rabbits, or fox its all still work for the dog, no one makes you buy the pups... just my opinion

[Guest NANDO]

Edited August 21, 2007 by NANDO

[COMPO 54]

nice looking pup's

 

why all the hostility unless the parents are dug to twice a week, the lad never said they were fox dogs and never lied trying to sell them, he was very very honest, the father has done some bushing and ratting and the bitch has done the above ground stuff and run through a few earths, not an ardent digging dog

 

if i wanted another dog they would do for me, ferreting,shooting,ratting etc..perhaps even foxing

[wink hound 0]

i would never say that ratting and rabbiting is not good fun, and each to the own sport

 

the bit i have real trouble is is breeding from dogs that are not tested then charging silly money.

 

terriers are the size and shape they are for a reaosn and generally have the temprement they do for a reason, so lets remeber that and breed them for that.

 

a dog that is bread proven digger to digger will 9/10 be a perfectly good ratting and rabbiting dog, (and you are also keeping a true line of what the dogs bread for, just dont breed form it if you aint testing it and are just using it for bushing etc), but a rabbiter to pet/rabbiter mix is only asking for a poor line of dogs thats will have less chance of doing what they are put together for with less instict to hunt and kill which is what you are taking adavantage of in using a terrier.imho

 

the trouble is i have so much respect for the terrier and what it does, that by breeding rabbiter to rabbiter almost just turns it into your average mongeral to me, lets face it most dogs will chase and rabbit or rat to some degree, but how many can battle with the enemy the way a true terrier can.

 

ok rant over