How to train a lurcher to mark?

[mike1458 14]

I am new to ferreting and I have my self a nice young lurcher. Just wondering how do you get your lurcher to mark the warrens which are occupied or is it fully based on their natural instinct?

All help is appreciated.

ATB Mike.

Edited September 6, 2009 by mike1458

[Sighthound 49]

You can't really 'teach' your dog to mark.

Take him out with you and if you notice it showing interest in a hole put the ferrets down IF they bolt then praise your dog.

Never praise your dog if nothing bolts as you really don't want to encourage false marking.

It is then up to you to spot the signs, my lurcher just freezes over a hole whilst my spaniel gently paws at the hole then steps back.

 

Good luck

[Malt 379]

My little JRT goes down the fecking holes if there's anything there half the time!

[lilpip1234 62]

what i did was build artificial bury and drop rabbit or two in there learnt the signs then and just get them out ferreting more dog'll pick it up hopefully as it goes along

[stealthy1 3,964]

Try to take your dog to a place where it can see rabbits shoot into a warren, once it gets used to the scent of rabbits around the tunnels it will start to take an interest in every warren it comes across that has occupants, if you know your dog you will notice when it finds a warren thats occupied, then its time to enter the ferrets, after doing this a few times the dog will start to show occupied warrens with a more pronounced manner, this is how I start all my dogs marking, and its always worked for me, there's only one golden rule, never loose you temper with the dog, or it may start to false mark just to please you

[solostoke 1]

go out and dont use any nets, when the dog shows any interest put the ferrets in and it will get to chase the bolters. the dog will soon learn to mark for you. just dont praise him when he looks at a hole or he will "mark" every hole he comes across, the reward he gets is the rabbit to chase.

atb

[John-B 4]

Never trained my dog to mark warrens, he just sticks his head down, wimpers and starts digging, he has even bolted rabbits with his persistance

[anthonytomo 8]

i didnt train my beagle to mark warrens i used to spot a rabbit out on a feild or where ever i was an let him watch what hole it was in the he used to go mark it an i found out which holes they where in you can tell when a dog knows he or she will pay alot of atention to one hole in particualer and to be honest usely for me thats the one they willl bolt from most of the time

[John-B 4]

Have you ever wondered what dogs can smell??? how the hell can they smell if a rabbit is down a hole 8 foot underground??? it's beyond me.

[Sighthound 49]

Have you ever wondered what dogs can smell??? how the hell can they smell if a rabbit is down a hole 8 foot underground??? it's beyond me.

 

Very true, they also listen, my very first lurcher (pre locator days) would mark above where the ferret and rabbit were laid up, he'd scratch the ground above, he couldn't smell them so he must have listened, he was rarely wrong. I've never had a dog since who could do that.

[John-B 4]

Have you ever wondered what dogs can smell??? how the hell can they smell if a rabbit is down a hole 8 foot underground??? it's beyond me.

 

Very true, they also listen, my very first lurcher (pre locator days) would mark above where the ferret and rabbit were laid up, he'd scratch the ground above, he couldn't smell them so he must have listened, he was rarely wrong. I've never had a dog since who could do that.

 

 

Very good point that, on our last outing my dog was showing a lot of interest to a certain patch of grass, I stuck my hand through the grass and soil and pulled out a rabbit with a ferret attached to it, Had Col as my witness, bizarre...

[anthonytomo 8]

they dont smell whats down there they smell a strong sent at the entrance of the hole an listen an try and get further down dogs arnt as stupid as we think

[mike1458 14]

Thanks for all your replies. They will all come in helpful next weekend when I start the season off. She already scratches at holes which I think are occupied so hopefully if I put a ferret down something should bolt. Once again thank you very much for the help.

 

ATB mike.

[anthonytomo 8]

alll dogs will mark once they no what a rabbit is all you need to no is your dog an youll understand its behaviour

[col g 0]

Have you ever wondered what dogs can smell??? how the hell can they smell if a rabbit is down a hole 8 foot underground??? it's beyond me.

 

it could either be one of two things i think.

1) rabbits urine.if yo notice once you squeeze the urine out of a rabbit once it has been dispatched it has got an aroma of its own.i think that rabbits "dribble" as they are moving about much the same as a rat or mouse does.this could be one answer.as the rabbit is entering the sett or being chased to ground.the rabbit dribbles.the dog can pick p on this scent and give yo a positive mark.

 

the only other thing i can think of is that they have scent glands in there feet.much the same as a dog.when dogs foul,wether it be rine or the other they will scratch their two hind feet around where they have done their buisness to leave their scent.i dont know wether this will also apply to rabbits.

 

i think the first one has a chance to be a bit nearer the mark.as you know we have ferreted setts before where they have absolutley reeked of rabbit urine.the dogs have marked them and we have also smelt it our selves while we have been netting up.

the other way ive also been looking at this ,is when we have had rabbits,where is the first place the dogs have started nosing after we have dispatched them and put them to one side.

dont ask me where toby learned to mark up because im still trying to work that one out

Edited September 6, 2009 by col g