New Pack

[tb25 4,626]

Without a busher mate I wouldn't see many rabbits local to be..now my small lurcher does well in cover but she's no terrier and tbh I want her on the out side ..not doing a bushing terriers job.o.p came across he wanted something simla to the way I mooch.hunt.thats why I said get terrier first.and yes 2 good plummets doing what I would want be perfect.same as eny other terrier mate

[chrisbullx 2,541]

I dont think you will beat spanielxbeagles,terrierxspaniels or beaglexterrier for bushing as there's always a risk of terriers dropping to ground & once they drop in they will carry on dropping in which will become a more a nuisance for a bushing man atb cbx

[HGN 150]

I was considering a plumber tbh gaz but they just so expensive from what I have seen and just ain't got it atm

 

Have you considered a Plummer cross pup? I know of a litter and its proper bred and priced - pm me?

[krawnden 1,036]

Can't beat that combination of busher and lurcher - once you've got it sorted you won't believe the fun you'll get from it.... But as Gaz has said, I definitely wouldn't get two pups together - in my book that's a recipe for frustration at best, disaster at worst. I'd want an absolute minimum of 12 months between pups, and probably nearer 18 tbh. But I disagree with the idea of getting a terrier first. If you do that, right from the word go when you have the 2 of them out together, the lurcher pup will be seeing rabbits dashing from one piece of cover to the next, fleeing down the middle of hedgerows etc. And a young lurcher pup, however well bred, is very unlikely to be capable of catching that type of rabbit. Repeated failure is the fastest way to ruin a lurcher - it'll just get so disheartened that it'll stop trying. So if I was in your shoes I'd get the lurcher first. Then once it's at the point that it's switched on to rabbits and is catching a reasonable percentage of the ones it runs, then I'd get the busher.

 

As to your original question about what sort to get, there is no 'best' combination. You only have to read through some of the posts on this site to see what a wide variety of bushers and lurchers people have success with. I have a 3/4 terrier, 1/4 whippet bushing bitch I'm delighted with, but you'll see plenty of people singing the praises of hound crosses, spaniel crosses etc as well as russells, plummers, patterdales, pure spaniels etc. Do your research and find out as much as possible about the parents; if you can try and see them working. I'd say that possibly the breeding of the lurcher is more important than of the busher, depending on what you plan to use it for. If all you want to do is ferreting and bushing/mooching then I'd suggest not going for a half cross lurcher (ie collie x greyhound, bull x greyhound etc) - they often tend to be quite heavily built which isn't ideal for the fast acceleration and short runs you often get with that style of dog work. Instead I'd suggest something with more sighthound in its makeup. But if you plan on using the lurcher for anything else - lamping, for instance - what I just said maybe goes out the window as first crosses can make great lamp dogs. It's horses for courses. Good luck, whatever you end up going with...

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Can't beat that combination of busher and lurcher - once you've got it sorted you won't believe the fun you'll get from it.... But as Gaz has said, I definitely wouldn't get two pups together - in my book that's a recipe for frustration at best, disaster at worst. I'd want an absolute minimum of 12 months between pups, and probably nearer 18 tbh. But I disagree with the idea of getting a terrier first. If you do that, right from the word go when you have the 2 of them out together, the lurcher pup will be seeing rabbits dashing from one piece of cover to the next, fleeing down the middle of hedgerows etc. And a young lurcher pup, however well bred, is very unlikely to be capable of catching that type of rabbit. Repeated failure is the fastest way to ruin a lurcher - it'll just get so disheartened that it'll stop trying. So if I was in your shoes I'd get the lurcher first. Then once it's at the point that it's switched on to rabbits and is catching a reasonable percentage of the ones it runs, then I'd get the busher.

 

As to your original question about what sort to get, there is no 'best' combination. You only have to read through some of the posts on this site to see what a wide variety of bushers and lurchers people have success with. I have a 3/4 terrier, 1/4 whippet bushing bitch I'm delighted with, but you'll see plenty of people singing the praises of hound crosses, spaniel crosses etc as well as russells, plummers, patterdales, pure spaniels etc. Do your research and find out as much as possible about the parents; if you can try and see them working. I'd say that possibly the breeding of the lurcher is more important than of the busher, depending on what you plan to use it for. If all you want to do is ferreting and bushing/mooching then I'd suggest not going for a half cross lurcher (ie collie x greyhound, bull x greyhound etc) - they often tend to be quite heavily built which isn't ideal for the fast acceleration and short runs you often get with that style of dog work. Instead I'd suggest something with more sighthound in its makeup. But if you plan on using the lurcher for anything else - lamping, for instance - what I just said maybe goes out the window as first crosses can make great lamp dogs. It's horses for courses. Good luck, whatever you end up going with...

Fantastic post. You won't go far wrong following this advice.

[stagmad 91]

What sort of country/ground do you hunt? That will have a lot do with the decision you need to make. What do you need the dogs to do?

[Plucky1 1,119]

Great post from Krawden pretty much covers everything and as I thought from other posts everybody thinks they have the best, I've offered him a decent day out seeing 3 plummers and my young lurcher working any type of ground he likes but as I control a lot of the land around where he lives it will be interesting to see where he has permission, Stagmad, it is mainly grass pasture and crops around Whitchurch,plenty of thick hedges to do and patches of heavy bramble/gorse,etc, 2 of my bitches are in pup at the moment but even at 6wks and 4 wks respectively they will catch a lot of stuff on the day, I only have a lurcher pup coming up 5 months to do the running at the moment but he will see what bushing is all about,failing that I have plenty of mates with decent runners that come out with me that will enable him to get a balanced view on things, most lads that come from a shooting background only last a year or 2 with lurchers and terriers as they think its like shooting,most drift back to what they know best, you do get some that last the course and they just look upon it as another bit of sport adding it to what they already do, I am careful where I take lads these days due to some bad ones going back and others trashing everything in sight so he will need somewhere to go that's his permo for me to meet him, WM

[hjckcff 1,737]

 

I was considering a plumber tbh gaz but they just so expensive from what I have seen and just ain't got it atm

 

Have you considered a Plummer cross pup? I know of a litter and its proper bred and priced - pm me?

 

i would check this out

[Dave6592 51]

Cheers dave just looking for something all round so can have a bit of sport any suggestions on terrier breed ?

Like has been said, there are many types of bushing dogs that do the business. If you have vast expanses of land then a hound cross may be better, if its more thick bramble and tight hedgerows then a Jack Russell would be my choice of bushing dog.

[chrisbullx 2,541]

plummers are the best Dave haven't you heard lol

Edited June 12, 2016 by chrisbullx

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

plummers are the best Dave haven't you heard lol

I don't think anyone has said they are the best. Depends on the ground and what you do. I would be surprised if another terrier or a spaniel type bettered my Plummer on my ground but I'm always open to suggestion and have got plans to see some very good spaniels working this coming season.

 

That doesn't mean all plummers are decent though either. I've heard of a lot of shit ones about out there.

[Plucky1 1,119]

plummers are the best Dave haven't you heard lol

I don't recall anyone saying that in any post on here but if you have a terrier of any sort that can be trusted to rat amongst livestock,ferret like a gun dog,retrieve off water of any sort, face any cover any time of the year,hold a fox on its own,bolt a fox or dig to it, mark any type of hole 100%, catch rabbits 7 days a week all year round,move cattle and sheep,be shot over anywhere and track a deer,guard my van and bark to tell me when the phone is ringing,work all day and still be a good pet for the kids then I'd like to see it,we all keep the dogs that do a job for us and nobody is trying to sell anything to anyone,don't be impeded by your lack of experience with other types of dog breeds, 95% of plummers are poor and oversized but there are lines that have been worked on all quarry for a very long time, WM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

a few pics

[chrisbullx 2,541]

Yes they might be handy ferreting,ratting,bushing dogs as for earth work leave it out will you & no inexperience mate I've been around enough to know plummers are nothing to shout about & they wouldn't do serious season under the sod atb cbx

[Plucky1 1,119]

Yes they might be handy ferreting,ratting,bushing dogs as for earth work leave it out will you & no inexperience mate I've been around enough to know plummers are nothing to shout about & they wouldn't do serious season under the sod atb cbx

AS I said inexperienced, you really need to get out and see it for yourself and not listen to lads that have only ever seen poor ones, they will take care of business whatever is in front of them, I know of lads that only dig to them and don't touch anything else, mine are kept as all rounders and suit me fine, I've seen lurchers jib above ground and yet seen loads of these 15lb terriers hold big dog foxes on their own and stay till dug, WM

[chrisbullx 2,541]

OK mate what ever you say I'm inexperienced lol to all you serious digging folk get rid of your russells,patts etc & get a plummer lol you want to stop watching them ratting dvds lol