BREEDING WORKING TERRIERS

[pockets 0]

"Ultimate digging dog" are your words pockets - I didn't say that.

 

Semantics are not my game fella perhaps i misread you?

 

You were saying that nondescript Russell's were the business if I'm not mistaken?

[Butler 396]

i would be interested in anyones opinion on what is THE ULTIMATE DIGGING DOG

 

One that could do the job and be shouted out... would be handy.

 

 

Oneredtrim.

 

 

IMO a dog like that is a good tool to have in any team of dogs. Not everyones cup of tea but i wouldn't be without mine she gets the most graft out of any dog me or my mates own

[david2363 42]

"Ultimate digging dog" are your words pockets - I didn't say that.

 

Semantics are not my game fella perhaps i misread you?

 

You were saying that nondescript Russell's were the business if I'm not mistaken?

 

 

I wasnt trying to underline any strong opinion on the subject. But over 20 years ago I used to go out a couple of

times a week with some fellas who took well in excess of 100+ Foxes per season with what could only be described as "nondescript Russell types" and some of their dogs wernt just bayers,but very adept Fox killers.

 

So actually, it's notso much of an opinion, as an observation.

 

Shit, have I said something uncool??

[PBurns 9]

In my opinion, it's a bit silly to talk about an "ultimate" working terrier. The goal with terrier work should not for a mediocre owner to pray that he or she stumbles on an exceptional working dog; it should be for more terrier owners to yearn to take average working dogs and elevate them to greatness by giving them a tremendous amount of field experience.

 

And yet we do not hear this sentiment expressed very often. We live in a world of one-minute rice and dial-up miracles, and above all we live in a world of advertising and hype. Everything has to be "new and improved" and dogs have to be "ultimate" even if their owners are not.

 

Wouldn't it be nice if more of the people breeding "working dogs" were working them more often?

 

Some folks seem to post 20 puppies for every dig. For them the purpose of dogs seems to be breeding them, not working them. For these folks, giving a dog a couple of digs over the course of its life is just part of their marketing gimmick, the same as posting pictures of litter after litter on the boards. Two bolts and a three-foot dig, and they are convinced their bitch is a living legend and should produce 2 litters a year for the rest of its life.

 

The serious digger knows that giving a dog real field experience takes a lot of time per dog. A dog does not get 100 or 200 digs in a couple of weekends. Giving a dog a lot of experience means you cannot afford to have a large kennel; if you did you would never have the time to work more than a handful of dogs as they should be worked.

 

By the same token, if you do not have a lot of dogs in your kennel, you cannot afford to have dogs that are so hard they get wrecked often or seriously. A dog that manages to take itself out of the field four weeks out of every five is a dog that is not going to build field experience very quickly and is going to be expensive to maintain.

 

The bottom line: there is a mathematical balance here, and it does not favor big production.

 

 

P.

[whin 463]

to me put him in dig him out or wait for a while and see if the can get him in a stop i have a few patts good breeding and self entering at a year old ,there not over hard ,but hard enough to keep testing quarry put ,all the best

[Stabs 3]

when i started out in terriers years ago if you bought a russell or a laky. you got just that a laky that works like a laky or a russell that works like a russell

 

nowadays the types are that mixed and matched /crossed outcrossed/cross bred

 

lakelands that look like russells, russells that work like lakelands patts that stand back and bay russells that close with there quarry and murder it without a second thought hav'nt read the books.

 

you used to be able to go to a certain breeder and get a certain type. that would inveriably work

in a certain manner. these strains are disapearing and in my opinion if you have a type or strain

that produces a consistant workstyle then its worth guarding as its a rare thing.

 

sorry to drone on a bit but i just wondered what you guys/gals thoughts on this where.

am i wrong if not why is this? changing times... messers.... what???

 

Seen that so many times mate. Lads have dogs they deem to be good dogs and they work a particular way which suits them and for some reason they mate them to dogs, which might be good, but work in a totally different manner. You lose consistency this way and you end up with what you describe above. If you've got a good bayer for arguments sake, and she's doing the business for you week in week out, why breed to to an iron hard mute type? Surely if the bayer is working for you and getting you results, you'd want to breed to another type like her? Just a thought.....

[Butler 396]

Seen that so many times mate. Lads have dogs they deem to be good dogs and they work a particular way which suits them and for some reason they mate them to dogs, which might be good, but work in a totally different manner. You lose consistency this way and you end up with what you describe above. If you've got a good bayer for arguments sake, and she's doing the business for you week in week out, why breed to to an iron hard mute type? Surely if the bayer is working for you and getting you results, you'd want to breed to another type like her? Just a thought.....

 

 

If you keep putting good little bayer to good little bayer you end up with wafflers IMO.

[woolbr8stl 0]

There are still a few good working strains in the US, but you have to know where to find them. Patrick hit it when he talks about the work and time involved to get the best out of our working dogs, and he and I don't always agree Too many people here pop out puppies for the show ring with no regard for their working heritage. Good sensible workers are still around, just a little harder to find.

[Lew 111]

i now what your saying mate but to be honest i dont worry to much about a terriers working style.as long as the terrier can find anywere and stay till the job is done i am happy

 

 

I agree mate