Late Starters

["Earth!" 503]

from an early age,mine are running pipes and earths(after a worker has tried),its all play and they love it.at around 12-14mths,they are allowed to self enter/after marking an occupied place but all easy places..

pups should be allowed to be pups..

if they aint showing interest by 18mth theyre gone..

if they work it and come away a few times,theyre gone..

no minerals,no place with me..

 

ive one bitch,near on 4yr old.see her at home with her tennis ball and acting like a puppy but put the locator on,different terrier..

wish all mine were that way..

[Terryorr 27]

Good replies Lads and Lasses, keep them coming, all interesting reading

CHEERS

[Guest dee mac]

myself and digging mate bred a bitch that would nt even kill a rat or even give it a dirty look until she was 18 months now her older brothers from previous litter and even her litter mates were looking too ground from 12 months onwards but not her. she was held onto as she had been only bitch in litter and if truth be told my digging mate had a soft spot for her .anyways one day while we were digging too her litter brother she had been barking the place down so as we back filled i let her off chain to keep her quiet and she ran too ground and was heard getting very personal with her new found friend anyway the fist time she done anything she was just over 18 months we dug to her that day and bitch never looked back she s been dug several time in one day and last season had 27 single handed digs and in may past had her first litter after 3 good seasons work so if brededing is right give them a little time as they can change in the blink off an eye ps her brother we dug too the day she stared never made the grade gradually going down hill once we upped the work too him we never seen that coming either.

Edited August 5, 2010 by dee mac

[Kye 77]

I know of terriers that where dug at 7 months old, and are still going strong!...but ive had NOTHING but bad luck with early entering!...just stick to what i know know...and thats still hard to get a good terrier!..lol.

kye with the different type of qarry availible to you in the states , if your terrier was to

show early promise on ground hog , , would you try them on

coon ,that young as i know lads over there say some of them small

terries are to small to cope with a big coon in bales and loose under the barns , them

coons can be a handfull for them tiny ground hog terriers

Hello mate...

Im sure you can dig coon with small dogs, and of course people do it,..BUT...ive yet to see a real ground hog type terrier that was an awesome coon dog...there just two very different animals mate...i have a dog on at the moment, that hasnt seen a ground hog (there not my cup of tea) but he would probably do well on them, so far he has been very tidy on the coon...he is 21lbs and around 12", so although short, there alot to him, a very dense dog...ive seen smaller type terriers dug on coon, and although the diggers DID account for the game, the dog didnt work how i would want it to, and there is often alot of messing around, ie, digging more than one hole, the dog not holding or pushing the coon to a stop end etc.

[gotPatterdale? 1]

Good read! Thanks for all the info.

 

Regards,

 

B

 

 

[Terryorr 27]

One of the terriers my mate breed was a dog called dog Todd. He was a big strong dog weighing in at about 18lb. Anyone who seen the dog working would have said he was exceptional. Todd always done enough to get the job done but could mix it if and when he had to, he was sensible about it. Todd didn,t start working until after 2 years old. He was shown stuff at a stop end when he was about 15 months and hadn.t a clue, he actually went in, turned around and lay beside it waging his tail, thinking he had found a new friend. When the penny dropped he knew then they weren,t his friend. Todd worked until about 10 years old.

[n dev 0]

some good posts their lads.

[wexford-digger 1]

I have a lakeland dog there at 16 months,he has had 2 3 foot digs but i am holding him back till this winter,however i had 2 brothers of his from a previous litter,same dam and sire and i sold them because they wernt showing signs of starting at nearly 2 year old,my mate is now digging with these 2 dogs flat out so it just goes to show that you have to have faith in your terriers and give them the time they need

[marrajack 1]

At what age do you give up on a terrier pup? I have seen pups being dug at little over a year, showing too much agression and after half a dozen digs are finished. On the other hand, I have seen pups not catching on until nearly 2 year old and making excellent digging dogs who have a bit of sense and working until maybe 9 or 10 years old. What is your opinion

 

 

I have had both types & one of the worst dogs I had to start went on to be a really decent digging bitch, some men operate a 3 strikes and out rule. I think leave it till it works then look for improvement

[tb25 4,627]

iv heard ov dogs as late as 6,7 startin and doin well,very well

[Simply Bull 02 11]

good effot lads

[erik 71]

i stard to use one of mine below ground this year at a age of 4 ((he was my boardog)) looks like he will be a mixer

[Panna 68]

i stard to use one of mine below ground this year at a age of 4 ((he was my boardog)) looks like he will be a mixer

 

He is not a late starter by his own "fault", he only didn't get the chance until now. But he did use his chance very nicely!

 

 

YIS

[DABCHICK 58]

I have no set times for starting a dog,

I look to the dog to show me how they are developing and when they need to be started. I look at their reactions to their surroundings everytime i'm out with them.

Some will be under a year, some over 18 months( I wait till the summer is over even if it doesn't suit) some will get up to 3 digs their first day out to get them thinking, some will get one very quick dig then more time at home to think about it.

 

The more flexible your approach the more successful you'll be.

 

I have one at the moment @ 20months thats ready to rock when hounds start in 4 weeks, but who wasn't ready @17 months when the season finished.

 

Bryan.

AGREE WITH YOU MATE AT TIMES WE ALL THINK WHEN AT CEARTAIN AGE WISH IT WAS LIKE THIS LIKE THAT BUT ITS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE HAVE BITCH HERE YES SURE LOT OF YOU WOULD MAYBE OF GOT RID BUT SHE HAS DONE A BIT AT END OF SEASON AND SHE SHES NEARLY THREE BUT SHE WILL HAVE TO SHINE THIS ONE OR SHES DUST HOPE SHES BEEN WORTH HANGING ON TO AS IVE HAD HER FROM A PUP REGARDS DABBER Edited August 13, 2010 by DABCHICK

[erik 71]

i stard to use one of mine below ground this year at a age of 4 ((he was my boardog)) looks like he will be a mixer

 

He is not a late starter by his own "fault", he only didn't get the chance until now. But he did use his chance very nicely!

 

 

YIS

 

 

yes and no cuz the first 3 years he just run over the set's and payed no intention to enter it