Low standards...... too low

[black/whites 4]

You'll have to look long and hard to find honest terriermen,and that's where you'll find the decent terriers,not saying you won't find them elsewhere,but the line bred worker to worker stuff won't be always be found in the breeders with well known names,good topic pal,shall be interesting to hear other's views,

Higgins.

HOW TRUE

[Guest eastmids]

This is turning into a good topic, is there any lads on here who have bred from a bitch of unknown breeding and produced top quality terriers for generations after? I've got a good mate who has a couple of good dogs from a bitch of unknown breeding but it's too early to say whether the outcross was a success or not, depending on the pups they produce etc.

 

rabbit hunter, i know a few lads that bred from bitches that there breeding was unknown, all of there off- springs were rubbish, were an other litter of unknown breeding with a bitch took place and they got a few good workers,

what happens here is even though you dont know the breeding of the bitch, you can bet your few bob that bitch that produced the good litter had good breeding behind her,in my life time with dogs,and speaking to some real old timers ( including my mate martin )some of the best old badger dogs they seen working were mongrels off the street, with some having cocker spaniel blood in them and others having collie blood in them, from reading some of the post on here you can really see that guys really put there heart and soul into there dogs, and do there best to try to produce the best they can,but there is no 100 % formula out there we can follow , the greatest thing in producing top terriers is "hindsight" and we all have or stories we could tell about that subject, hungry hunter you started a good topic, and fair play to you for not getting up-set by my or others posts, but i do know the type of guy / breeder your on about, every area has them .i myself was victim to them as a young lad, who has not been ???? now i am off to my kennels to get my "dealer dog" for a nice handy dig that i have lined up for this afternoon. ye ha...

thats a good post p***y and a good thread lads,

[unforgiven 0]

I've just read David Harcombes latest book. I found it refreshing as its the first book on terriers and their work that i have bothered to read. The reason i found it refreshing is because I read more or less what i've been thinking/practicing.

Its provoked me enough to start a topic on here. As was reading a book on the subject this is a first too. I enjoyed reading about his love of and more so his devotion to the upkeep in quality of the earthdog and even moreso the honest terrier man. I find it very hard to find good dogs but even harder to find honest men.

The standard of working terrier has dropped to a very low standard. I do not have what i would consider a good dog and havent had one for the past three years. But, the dogs that i do have, most of the so called terrier men i have met all over the country would, (if they were their own)would make them out to be top notch..... worth breeding from. They would make excuses for them..... he's too big, its not a stop end, blah blah blah.

I have to agree with Davids comments on breeding in the book. Breed close and use the best within this. I've seen dogs fail and still be bred from and sold to unsuspecting, unexperienced lads just trying to get on the ladder so to speak. This turns my stomach. These men are most likely the lazy so and so's that don't bother to back fill after their failures.

I've also travelled far to see good dogs working. I love the sport, i don't have to own the good dog in the earth, i equally enjoy digging to another mans dog working well. I find it hard to even find good consistant dogs anywhere let alone a good line of terrier. Many times of late i have travelled to see some good dogs work, lets put it like this, some of them worked well. But when asked to see the dogs work a second or a third (this was pushing it). Either the owner or the dog said no.

Most of the people that will read this post will have low standards, they mightened even realise it. I am of the opinion that if the dog isn't good enough for me well then he's not good enough for anyone, unless for a pet. I've seen some soft hearted people pass on dogs for free only to see others to pocket from it. One bitch in particular was useless, wouldnt enter the ground. Passed on for free, then sold, then the bitch was lined with an equally bad sire. The pups were lately advertised for a crazy price with all sorts of lies attached to them. What a prick.

Where have the honest men and their dogs gone?

There is certanley sense in what you say but again " What is an honest lad with goog honest working dogs"

As Cleanspade said "His standards are diffrent from mine as is mine diffrent from yours"

Again if every one actually stood up and got acounted for in Field Sports instead of trying to out do the next lad and there dog .

HONESTLY AT TIMES WE ARE OUR OWN WORST ENEMY .....

PS read my signature. atb unforgiven

[sounder79 80]

you just do what you can,some fellas are breeding dogs for years,some are starting out and might not know anyone to get a pup off.everyone has different standards,the fellas giving out about shite goin around obviously have super dogs and have never put a foot wrong themselves,my hole,its not what you know its who you know,they were well taught.

[WILF 46,811]

Some lads are their own biggest fans and some lads are their own biggest critics......its the latter that I would trust more.

[fionn 21]

:aaaaaaa

Edited January 1, 2010 by fionn