Whippet Advice

[doris 6]

yeah be really interestred to see how this one turns out . . . . good luck

[figwood 0]

Hi people,

 

it's been a while since my last post and I've had my ups and downs ..but things are on there way up again.

 

Taking sound advice from people on here I set about getting a rabbit skin. The woman who was house sitting for me whilst I was back in UK and has moved to an acreage, phoned, and during our conversation mentioned that her cat (the very same one that belted up my whippet) is bringing home baby rabbits, so I go over there with skinning and ragging in mind. Whilst I was there I was looking at her poultry and picked up a tin sheet to tidy the place up when 3 mice run out...and my whippet went for them!! trapping them with her feet and sniffing nose to ground when they got lost in the grass, so I turned over another sheet of tin and the same deal..lots of sniffing and in general interest, so, with that in mind I tied an small rabbit skin on a long piece of line and set about giving quick jerks past her..and she did take a big interest..this is the first time she had ever done this, perhaps it was being quite close to a small animal that was quick to move, I don't know, but I let her catch it and throw it in the air and shake it then took it away before she got tired of it or before she ate it (I put it in the freezer for the next day).

 

Since then she has been showing great interest in the rabbit holes on my block and has started chasing the kangaroos with a lot of vigor, but about 2 months ago she was running full pelt and jumped some logs and hit a rock ripping her skin and muscle and needed to be put under for an op and staples but she has fully recovered now and is showing no affects of the injury.

 

Last Tuesday I was sitting on my verandah about 9pm having a drink with my neighbour that has a lurcher (a runt of the litter bred by a local pig hunter, is very hairy and has a big % of stag hound and wolfhound in it), when we heard a scream, and the lurcher dash off into the darkness only to come back with a live rabbit in it's mouth, which was soon dispatched and put in the fridge, but the question is..did my whippet catch it first hence the screaming?

 

Now the nights are drawing I can get out around the paddocks earlier and we will see what happens when we meet more rabbits, got to get a ferret but at 100-180 $Aus they're not cheap.

 

OK, been waffling on for to long...

 

Cheers

 

figwood

[Bri 81]

Well done for sticking with the wee dog. Time and patience works wonders. Wish you all the best for the future I'm sure the wee bitch will turn out a cracker.

 

Jesus christ that is some price for a ferret!!! do they retrieve live to hand .

 

 

 

Cheers Bri

[paulredtop 8]

you could try a bag rabbit an easy kill might start her off if you do get her started slip her on easy ones to build her cofidence and when you take her out if she gets the rabbit on the first slip stop try and finsh on a high an if she is scard of men evrey time a man comes in to the house give her a treat then after a while she should start to associat a male with good hope this helps atb

[fieldsman 51]

If you have a lot of rabbits it may be worth buying a lamp get her used to running around in the dark with the lamp then when you'r both confident show her some easy bunnies.When a dog is shown a rabbit in the lamp light as close as you can get there's not many dogs that will stand and watch it run away without showing some interest.The more she sees the better the penny will soon drop.Then there will be no stopping her.Good luck whatever you do