Confusing one....

[Ideation 8,217]

Don't mate weve all been there at some point. Hope Tillys doin ok keep at it mate.

Yeah she's exceeding expectations at the moment pal, high prey drive, good brain and very obedient....she seems to know what I want her to do, follows hand signals, walks to heel if I tell her to, and I only have to whisper go and she's off like a train. And if she's walking to heel and we see a rabbit running near a hedge and I tell her to wait, she does. But if I don't tell her to walk to heel she'll hunt up well. Perfect with cows and sheep, even cycling through a field of sheep that are running she'll stick by my side. Honestly, if you saw it you'd think I was a brilliant trainer of working dogs, but hand on heart it has been a piece of piss, most of what she does she picked up straight away with not much effort from me at all....she just seems to have it in her. Very early in the season but I'm buzzin already, well happy with her! If my ferret problem really isn't a problem, and I get myself a keen little bushing terrier, I'll have the perfect little team for what I want.

 

She sounds like a cracker mate! If i could get my little f****r to wait when he sees game until i could send him i would be delighted, as it is, you would need to shoot him or staple him down to stop him going. His prey drive beats his obedience every time. . . . or i'm just a shit trainer haha.

 

What's your thoughts on a terrier?

[rob190364 2,594]

Don't mate weve all been there at some point. Hope Tillys doin ok keep at it mate.

Yeah she's exceeding expectations at the moment pal, high prey drive, good brain and very obedient....she seems to know what I want her to do, follows hand signals, walks to heel if I tell her to, and I only have to whisper go and she's off like a train. And if she's walking to heel and we see a rabbit running near a hedge and I tell her to wait, she does. But if I don't tell her to walk to heel she'll hunt up well. Perfect with cows and sheep, even cycling through a field of sheep that are running she'll stick by my side. Honestly, if you saw it you'd think I was a brilliant trainer of working dogs, but hand on heart it has been a piece of piss, most of what she does she picked up straight away with not much effort from me at all....she just seems to have it in her. Very early in the season but I'm buzzin already, well happy with her! If my ferret problem really isn't a problem, and I get myself a keen little bushing terrier, I'll have the perfect little team for what I want.

 

She sounds like a cracker mate! If i could get my little f****r to wait when he sees game until i could send him i would be delighted, as it is, you would need to shoot him or staple him down to stop him going. His prey drive beats his obedience every time. . . . or i'm just a shit trainer haha.

 

What's your thoughts on a terrier?

Not sure to be honest pal, I'm fairly open. JRT probably, but I also like Beddies, Lakies and Borders. I'll probably never want it to work to ground so when the time's right I'll see if I can find someone who's bred from bushers rather than earth dogs and take it from there. In an ideal world I'd like a beddie that's on the bigger side so isn't suited to working to ground, I've always liked that breed and it'd probably be a better all rounder and more suited to mooching without risk of going to ground than the others....but it does depend on what's about at the time. I'll probably look at the back end of the season so I'll be introducing the terrier after my lurchers had a full season and is a bit more established, rather than juggling two beginners at the same time.

Edited September 12, 2011 by rob190364

[rob190364 2,594]

Don't mate weve all been there at some point. Hope Tillys doin ok keep at it mate.

Yeah she's exceeding expectations at the moment pal, high prey drive, good brain and very obedient....she seems to know what I want her to do, follows hand signals, walks to heel if I tell her to, and I only have to whisper go and she's off like a train. And if she's walking to heel and we see a rabbit running near a hedge and I tell her to wait, she does. But if I don't tell her to walk to heel she'll hunt up well. Perfect with cows and sheep, even cycling through a field of sheep that are running she'll stick by my side. Honestly, if you saw it you'd think I was a brilliant trainer of working dogs, but hand on heart it has been a piece of piss, most of what she does she picked up straight away with not much effort from me at all....she just seems to have it in her. Very early in the season but I'm buzzin already, well happy with her! If my ferret problem really isn't a problem, and I get myself a keen little bushing terrier, I'll have the perfect little team for what I want.

 

She sounds like a cracker mate! If i could get my little f****r to wait when he sees game until i could send him i would be delighted, as it is, you would need to shoot him or staple him down to stop him going. His prey drive beats his obedience every time. . . . or i'm just a shit trainer haha.

 

What's your thoughts on a terrier?

 

Not sure to be honest pal, I'm fairly open. JRT probably, but I also like Beddies, Lakies and Borders. I'll probably never want it to work to ground so when the time's right I'll see if I can find someone who's bred from bushers rather than earth dogs and take it from there. In an ideal world I'd like a beddie that's on the bigger side so isn't suited to working to ground, I've always liked that breed and it'd probably be a better all rounder and more suited to mooching without risk of going to ground than the others....but it does depend on what's about at the time. I'll probably look at the back end of the season so I'll be introducing the terrier after my lurchers had a full season and is a bit more established, rather than juggling two beginners at the same time.

[Ideation 8,217]

Sounds about right mate, although good luck in finding a decent line of working beddys. You ever thought of a beagle/russel or spaniel/russel something like that? Bit on the big side to go to ground, mostly, and work well?

 

[darbo 4,779]

i use a beddy for ferreting. best nose of any dog ive owned. very good marking dog.will hunt up non stop.one big plus point of the breed is their scenting ability.the downside training him certainly wasnt easy compared to the lurchers ive had.mule headed i think is the word.

[rob190364 2,594]

Sounds about right mate, although good luck in finding a decent line of working beddys. You ever thought of a beagle/russel or spaniel/russel something like that? Bit on the big side to go to ground, mostly, and work well?

yeah would do if there was something similar about...I'm gonna keep a fairly open mind about it I think.

[The one 8,588]

Your in a no win situation at the moment your dogs young so you don't trust it marking 100% ?. I would take them all out if the dog marks try the hob and if he wont enter or nothing bolts try the jill and see whats down there . its going to be a long slow day and at the end of it you will know for sure if he's working or not or the dogs giving good markings .And if not its time he was gone

[rob190364 2,594]

Your in a no win situation at the moment your dogs young so you don't trust it marking 100% ?. I would take them all out if the dog marks try the hob and if he wont enter or nothing bolts try the jill and see whats down there . its going to be a long slow day and at the end of it you will know for sure if he's working or not or the dogs giving good markings .And if not its time he was gone

I know what you mean....I wouldn't call it a no win situation though to be honest, a no win situation would be if I couldn't get out there. Even if it is a long day, as long as we're getting somewhere I'll be happy. I'm confident that my dog will end up a crackin ferreting/marking dog, and my jill does the business for me already.......worst case scenario is that the hob won't perform and will be left at home as a companion for my jill. No reason to get rid though, I just won't take him with me

[The one 8,588]

You do that then your jill comes into season can you say you wont breed off him ?. he dont make the grade i know what i would be doing

[Ideation 8,217]

You do that then your jill comes into season can you say you wont breed off him ?. he dont make the grade i know what i would be doing

 

Vac him, win win situation.

[rob190364 2,594]

You do that then your jill comes into season can you say you wont breed off him ?. he dont make the grade i know what i would be doing

I can say a million percent I won't be breeding off him.....he was castrated 2 years ago

[tubba 38]

:laugh:

[The one 8,588]

nice but if he dont make the grade i know what i would do and you still have time to get a new hob kit in

[rob190364 2,594]

each to their own I suppose....I don't get rid of either dogs or ferrets so he's with me either way. Its not like I couldnt fit an additional ferret in my hutch if I did decide to get another one. I know what you're saying and understand your reasoning but its not how I do things.

[rob190364 2,594]

Quick update (for anyone that's interested!).....went out early door this morning, not quite as early as I'd hoped but early enough to see where the rabbits were sitting. The main area holds a warren that's sitting on the bank of a stream under really thick gorse....feckin typical, when I get chance I'm going to take a sythe and try and make it a bit more accessible. No sign of any bunnys near either set I tried last time but just for my own curiosity I went over anyway. At both sets I tried the hob first and got an exact repeat performance, on the second set he even along the exact same run along the hedgerow. Down goes the jill, I was dreading her entering and bolting anything but although she had a bit more of a look in both sets, she showed very little interest and was down for a matter of 20 seconds at most. Happy days.......note to self, get a decent mark before netting the sodding warren up and getting annoyed when ferret doesn't enter, it's pityfully amateurish when I think about it!!!

 

Walking over to the patch of bramles where Tilly was marking last time and a rabbit must have heard us coming and bolted across the field.....but we're on the wrong side of the hedge so dog doesn't even see it But I see it enter a warren on the embankment on the far side. Enter hob, straight down and rabbit bolts out of otherside of embankment from an entrance that's under gorse and runs along staying under the gorse so dog has no chance (I really need a terrier!!!). Dog bolts two rabbits out of bushes and but they're too close to a warren, I had a look and it's accessible but it was 8:30am so I had to get back for work.

 

So.....no rabbits caught, but I come back happy because at least I know now that my hob isn't scared of rabbits!!!

 

What do people do when there's a warren under a large patch of gorse? I'm thinking clear it out as much as possible and then ferret it the next day with nets, can't really think of anything else to do. If it was clear on all sides I'll probably enter the ferrets and let them find the entrances and just sit it out if they lay up and let the dog catch any bolters, but it's in them middle of a long patch.