Definition Of A Terriers Job?

[Ggib 370]

Right to the points, terrier comes from terra meaning earth, so to me a proper terrier should be a digging dog. This is where people differ, some like bushers , some like all rounders that do a bit of everything and some like above ground only. You know where you stand with above and below, but this all rounder nonsense, to me could never be trusted for I would always doubt the dog in question, always wondering did it walk past an occupied earth for easier quarry that day like rabbit and I'd always be wondering am I going to break through to a rabbit? To me above and all rounder is failed earth dogs that don't have the minerals to do the ultimate task below ground. What's every bodies thoughts on this one? . P.s this isn't an attack on any bodies dog or breeds in person,

[Accip74 7,112]

Are you attacking ratters? Lol

For me, they've only ever been earth dogs. I've got a young unentered bitch here now.....first terrier for years, but if she doesn't want to work below, I've got no other use for her what so ever, a shame, but true....

That don't mean I can't see the value of a good all rounder though, for those who have got that need...

[Ggib 370]

Are you attacking ratters? Lol

For me, they've only ever been earth dogs. I've got a young unentered bitch here now.....first terrier for years, but if she doesn't want to work below, I've got no other use for her what so ever, a shame, but true....

That don't mean I can't see the value of a good all rounder though, for those who have got that need...

I find a proper decent digging dog doesn't get worked on rabbits, for it's not nice digging to a fecking bunny , any that I've seen have all been 100% earth dogs never get near rabbits,

[Accip74 7,112]

 

Are you attacking ratters? Lol

For me, they've only ever been earth dogs. I've got a young unentered bitch here now.....first terrier for years, but if she doesn't want to work below, I've got no other use for her what so ever, a shame, but true....

That don't mean I can't see the value of a good all rounder though, for those who have got that need...

I find a proper decent digging dog doesn't get worked on rabbits, for it's not nice digging to a fecking bunny , any that I've seen have all been 100% earth dogs never get near rabbits,

Yeh absolutely.....my old man was always saying to me 'keep them off rabbits' lol & digging to a rabbit is soul destroying, especially in company lol

But there will be plenty who get away with both I'm sure...

[fat man 4,740]

I think where the problem lies is people that use there terriers regardless of breed for bushing,ratting and diging the odd fox then breeding and advertising pups as earth dogs or working bred pups and not stating that 90% of the work they do is above ground.There is nothing wrong with keeping these type of terriers if that is what a person is into and if they get sport out of doing so fair play every man to his own but when selling pups should be truthfull as to the actual work the dogs are doing.Most people selling pups will tell the buyer exactly what he or she wants to hear,and most inexperienced buyers will be taken in by the storys of how many digs the perents have had and the depths they were dug at and the only guarentee they get is as far as the gate and once your past it guarentee is gone.The definition of a worker is an arguement that will always be there,everyone has there own opinion but everyone should at least be honest about there terriers.

[anwar1980 2]

I wouldn't say my jack bitch is an all rounder more a jack of all trades, she is a demon on the foxes and by this I mean bolting them as I have no interest in spending my days digging holes in solid flint and chalk, she's extremely handy on the rats, will flush anything from cover. Now this is where she differs from most terriers I can take her pigeon shooting and have her retrieve birds all day and last but not least she has retrieved a shot duck from water. Unfortunately I can't take a lot of credit in teaching her this skill set, she just has endless drive, a calm nature and a willingness to please which makes her a dream to work with in the field. Happy hunting guys

[fireman 10,794]

Right to the points, terrier comes from terra meaning earth, so to me a proper terrier should be a digging dog. This is where people differ, some like bushers , some like all rounders that do a bit of everything and some like above ground only. You know where you stand with above and below, but this all rounder nonsense, to me could never be trusted for I would always doubt the dog in question, always wondering did it walk past an occupied earth for easier quarry that day like rabbit and I'd always be wondering am I going to break through to a rabbit? To me above and all rounder is failed earth dogs that don't have the minerals to do the ultimate task below ground. What's every bodies thoughts on this one? . P.s this isn't an attack on any bodies dog or breeds in person,

I don't think you've ever seen a good bushing/mooching terrier work.

[foxdropper 17,092]

Personally I think rabbits do a digging dog no harm unless its positively encouraged .If I kept mine away from them they would never be off lead as the buggers are everywhere out the back fields .A bit of free range hunting up is inevitable but does not effect the digging one bit .You need to get things into perspective and think about reality .Not many terrier owners live in areas that are devoid of rabbits therefore excerise is one big hunt off lead and let's face it the terrier needs free running for fitness .Once working though I've never owned a terrier that preferred rabbit to its real quarry .

Summers without rabbit hunting would be very boring for me.I class my terriers as earth dogs through and through but doesn't mean rabbitting and ratting are off limits at all.As for all rounders not a chance .

[dogs-n-natives 1,181]

I keep terriers for digging, but they get to hunt big stuff above ground, like boar and deer. Ive not ruined one yet. Had a few headaches, but its all good fun.

[marshman 7,756]

If you think about it logically , it all depends what they're bred to do originally back when terriers where first created. To my mind a terrier would have to multi task and do all sorts of vermin control to earn he's keep, not just digging . I don't suppose if you were sat in your hut in the Middle Ages and you were over run with rats that were eating your winter supplies ,then you'd expect your dog to deal with them or if you was starving not expect him to sneak ya a rabbit. So I suppose an all rounder was probably a handy tool for survival !

[johnrussell84 2,765]

Personally I think rabbits do a digging dog no harm unless its positively encouraged .If I kept mine away from them they would never be off lead as the buggers are everywhere out the back fields .A bit of free range hunting up is inevitable but does not effect the digging one bit .You need to get things into perspective and think about reality .Not many terrier owners live in areas that are devoid of rabbits therefore excerise is one big hunt off lead and let's face it the terrier needs free running for fitness .Once working though I've never owned a terrier that preferred rabbit to its real quarry .

Summers without rabbit hunting would be very boring for me.I class my terriers as earth dogs through and through but doesn't mean rabbitting and ratting are off limits at all.As for all rounders not a chance .

 

 

Thats the way mines works mate aswell sitting in waiting on the cold and wet weather for digging would bore the life out me

[pernod 466]

Had what i would class as genuine digging dogs in the past who were also used for beating woods for fox, deer etc. Of course there were situations that sometimes held up the beating. Lol. Keeping a dog only for earthwork means your missing out on a lot of sport and potential permission. Only my opinion of course.

 

Pernod..

[wi11ow 2,657]

would you swoop a terrier for the black and white bitch NO this bitch done everything you could dream of doing in earth work stay all day any depth she never won shows but trust her to the end of the day

[skycat 6,172]

You can get terriers that never go to ground on rabbit, only on stuff that they are meant to. It all depends on how you bring the dog up, and the amount of exposure it has to different game in different situations. I once worked my 'all rounder' terrier bitch, many years ago, along a massive bank covered in bushes that was all rabbit warrens. She worked loose, and ignored every hole until she came to one that had a fox in it. Luckily the lurcher told me where she was or I'd have been all day trying to locate her below ground. That particular lurcher would also never mark a rabbit hole if we were out foxing. If she was out with the terriers looking for fox she completely ignored rabbit holes. But if we were out with the ferrets she'd mark rabbits to ground. Dogs are a lot smarter than many people give them credit for, and providing they are allowed to learn different tasks then there's no reason they shouldn't do both earth work and cover work.

 

I wouldn't class that as a failed earth dog at all. My own terriers would far sooner work a fox to ground than hunt rabbits, but if there's no earth work available then they'll bust a gut in cover: only down side to working an earth dog above ground is that you have to be sure there's no fox earths about for them to drop into or things can get a bit more interesting than you planned

[Rory4 267]

Well said Foxdropper 100% agree