Introducing dog to rabbit

[Tumbleweed 1]

My lurcher will be a year old in October so I'd like to introduce her to her first rabbit this winter.I havnt attempted to find her any rabbits yet cos I spent the first year training and making her a good family dog.

Ive noticed lately that shes just started to get he eye in;stopping when she gets to open ground and scanning the area. Shes always loved to chase pigeons and she plays hide and seek with the kids (the kids hide in the wheat fields and she has to find them.)

I want her first encounter to be a positive one so I was thinking of taking her ferreting. I know alot of people do this but I dont know exactly how. Do you have someone stay with the dog at a strategic place and wait for a rabbit to bolt and then slip the dog? My problem with this is that theres alot of cover on my permission so she wouldnt have much time to catch it as the rabbit would bolt from one hedge to another.

Is it acceptable to have a caught rabbit taken out into the open and let it loose there for the dog to chase? Not sure if this would be considered cruel or illegal although I wouldnt personally have a problem with it.

[iceman001979 1,316]

Thats called baiting and your not aload till do it but most will.Try get her with older dog and let her watch the older dog work she soon pick it up.

Would not run the pup around all cover try get new permisssion where the pup will have a chance.

[dytkos 17,802]

The legal alternative is to shoot a rabbit with an air rifle and let the dog (hopefully) retrieve it.

HTH. Cheers, D.

[driller killer 33]

The legal alternative is to shoot a rabbit with an air rifle and let the dog (hopefully) retrieve it.

HTH. Cheers, D.

I did this with my pup, as where i walk her there a lotsa rabbits and in the day she didnt stand much chance of catching but she tried when she could,(tried to hold back on this but couldnt allways) did it so she thought she caught them, boost her confidence, shes just about 1yr now and just started her on the lamp, 2 short trips and 2 rabbits both times! were both well chuffed!

Maybe try lamping with her?

[pro keeper 111]

Hi mate try takeing your dog lamping choose a rabbit which is a long way from any cover get as close as possible then slip it on the rabbit, you should be able to get within 5 yard of a good sitter which is great for a young dog i start my dogs this way and it works for me, i like to move on to ferreting alittle later when they know what rabbits are about, atb mate phil

[jac 12]

this is a bit funny , but when i wanted my dog to start hunting rabbit, i took her to a place where i knew there were pleny of rabbits , and I started chacing one, shouting get it get it lol. the dog was chacing me at first but then saw i was after somthing and took over. shes hutted rabbits from that day. still had to do some traing to get her to think about what shes doing.

[Ideation 8,216]

this is a bit funny , but when i wanted my dog to start hunting rabbit, i took her to a place where i knew there were pleny of rabbits , and I started chacing one, shouting get it get it lol. the dog was chacing me at first but then saw i was after somthing and took over. shes hutted rabbits from that day. still had to do some traing to get her to think about what shes doing.

 

 

Now i have this wonderful image in my head of someone watching a dog chasing you, chasing a rabbit.. . . . .

 

TBH i've never had to convince a dog to chase things, just what not to chase. My current pup (6 months) wants to take down anything that i haven't specifically taught him not to, his motto seems to be 'if in doubt, put it on its arse' - at the moment we are still talking squirrels, rats, mice, frogs, birds etc etc as i haven't entered him properly yet.

[jac 12]

(

Now i have this wonderful image in my head of someone watching a dog chasing you, chasing a rabbit.. . . . .

 

god knows what they thought if anyone was watching lol

[lurcherman 28]

The legal alternative is to shoot a rabbit with an air rifle and let the dog (hopefully) retrieve it.

HTH. Cheers, D.

 

 

i agree shoot the rabbits with an air rifle then (IF) the rabbit runs wich depends where you shoot it then slip the dog. plus this method is a very good confidence builder for pup:thumbs:

[lurchersteve 0]

I was going to ask a similar question myself but I am a fair way off introducing her to her first rabbit. Some great advice thanks

 

Steve

[dpb82uk 138]

i was told the moor i get mi young dog out hunting and ferreting or doing the job you wunt the dog to do the better it will get at its job

 

i took mine pup out ferreting useing nets she wood jump on any rabb that hit the she only started to get the rabb at about 4 month old be fore that age she wood just sit and woch me ferret or piss about with the ferrets i wood tie her up so i cud net up and after id dun that i untie her and keep her on leed and walk her about the set geting her to sniff all the holes any rabb that bolted in to any of me nets i run over to shouting get it molly get it it wasnt long til she was geting every rabb that bolts now she a year old and doing well all the things i wunted to learn her seemd to cum natrol to her by far the eseyist dog to train iv ever had that just what i did iv now started her on the lamp

[runforyourlife 361]

Thats called baiting and your not aload till do it but most will.Try get her with older dog and let her watch the older dog work she soon pick it up.

Would not run the pup around all cover try get new permisssion where the pup will have a chance.

 

 

 

lol, "get new permission" yeah its that easy.....tssssshhhhh..

 

 

Ideation is spot on, normally only teach a lurcher what not to chase.. Take it ferreting mate ye, dont have it on the slip, let it mooch about and sniff the holes(she may mess the nets up but does it matter, till she has learnt). Its up to you what you do, either net them so she can jump and hold them till you arrive, or let them bolt freely, it doesnt matter if they hit cover. She will give chase, and soon realize that if she positions herself in the correct place she may just get one....its not rocket science, but people try to make it. To a lurcher chasing a rabbit is like us talking, you never remember how you picked it up, it just came naturally, just enjoy it pal.. It will come together without any need to worry...

[Tumbleweed 1]

Thanks for all the advice.Think I'll just start taking her with me everywhere this year.Ferreting and air rifling.Hadnt thought about shooting one. Chances are,she'll see the right rabbit at the right time if shes out enough.

In the mean time,I just made her a "flirt pole" - a pole with string on the end with a toy attached to it. Apparently Bull Terrier owners use them alot. I realized she was doing alot of straight line running but had no reason to twist and turn.

I used the flirt pole with her yesterday and its great. Really gets the dog to use all those other muscles it needs to catch rabbits as they zigzag about.Nice exersise for them without taking them out if you have a fair sized garden.

It gave me a good idea of how she will strike the rabbit aswell. She kind of get parallel to it then lunges across.

Give it a go if you havnt tried it.Its great fun.

Edited August 20, 2010 by Tumbleweed