Doubling Up

[Stabs 3]

I've just been reading some old F&MWTC year books and in nearly every instance of the rescues reported the dogs were doubled up. I'm not talking about putting another dog in to get a mark, I'm talking about "Rags was entered, followed by Judd ten minutes later" kind of thing. Was this practice more common in the past?

 

I can understand that faulty technology has a part to play in some digs having multiple dogs, but to start off with two to ground before the day has begun strikes me as unusual. At the end of some of these digs there has been over six dogs in one spot

 

I know it was more common with blokes like Lucas, but that was a different kettle of fish. How long has the one dog maxim been the standard? Or has it always been aspired to but with individuals choosing to ignore this, whether due to their standard of dogs or possibly their ignorance of the task at hand. Maybe the common denominator in the need for the rescue in the first place was the simple fact of doubling up to start with?

 

Anyway, just a thought....

[valerio 32]

It's a common practice here in Italy expecilly while hunting bxxxxxx in real big dens

[Stabs 3]

Does it? I've never started off with two dogs in at the off anywhere

[Wilky 0]

I have a copy of the F&MWTC compilation 1966 - 1988 ish, I can't remember off the top of my head (I'm at work) and when you read the old rescues the further you go back, the more common it appears to be, obviously in days before the collar it was more prevalent, although I remember the days of no collars and we only ever used two terriers in extremely big rock piles, such as Farrars or the Big House, for anyone who can remember and never in an earth, unless we needed to use another dog for a mark, but some of the rescues in the old year books state two, three or four dogs in drains!!! now that's just got to be cats knackers, although it does make good reading and some of the pictures of the old lads in wellies and flared jeans are excellent.

[Guest trev]

One dog one dig no matter what the size or circumstances are, taking into consideration that you may need to enter another if something goes wrong with the box, other than that it dosent matter how big the place is, if it two big dont dig it.

 

I know people that still use two dogs in the ground, they also class their terriers as being good ones lol.

[Stabs 3]

I have a copy of the F&MWTC compilation 1966 - 1988 ish, I can't remember off the top of my head (I'm at work) and when you read the old rescues the further you go back, the more common it appears to be, obviously in days before the collar it was more prevalent, although I remember the days of no collars and we only ever used two terriers in extremely big rock piles, such as Farrars or the Big House, for anyone who can remember and never in an earth, unless we needed to use another dog for a mark, but some of the rescues in the old year books state two, three or four dogs in drains!!! now that's just got to be cats knackers, although it does make good reading and some of the pictures of the old lads in wellies and flared jeans are excellent.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

We're on the same page Wilky

 

That's pretty much my sentiments Trev.

[socks 32,253]

were they talking about big old borrans ??? if so then the whole point of entering the terrier is to bolt the fox NOT to dig to it as that would obviously be impossible .... now the fox is far more lithe and agile than a terrier and could quite easily give the terrier the run around in these places all day so entering more than one dog would effectivly apply enough presure on the fox to make him bolt to the hounds .... i started going out digging with my old man as a kid in the early seventys before the badger laws came into force and he always used one dog one dig and if the dog couldnt do the job it whent to rainbow bridge ... i have always been of the same opinion and wouldnt give kennel space to a dog that needed back up to do the job .........

[Kane 2]

I wonder if some of the old F&MWTC year books leave out to much detail,eg was the terrierman working for a pack with an impatient master almost ordering the terrier man to enter more than one dog in an effort to bolt the fox more quickly.Most freelance terrier men at any time in history would of probably been less inclined to enter more than one dog wanting to test the terrier and be more sporting same as most modern day decent terriermen.

I have never worked the big rock piles described in some of the rescues and I would imagine an agile fox could lead a single terrier a merry dance perhaps encouraging the entering of a further terrier or terriers.Luckily the rescues I have attended have always involved just the one terrier to ground and the terriers have either been young and at the beginnig of their careers or old and at the end.

[valerio 32]

I've talked with my uncle on this argument this evening.He is now 75 and have hunted all his live.he talked me that when he was young they used to hunt big rock dens that are now included in regional protection area,and he and his mates used normally 3 dogs at the same time to try and bolt the quarry.Back then they all were farmers and quite poor so the loss of chickens or lambs was a hard blow,so it was their opinion to make it all to kill foxes,badgers and all other vermin.It's allways interesting to listen to old hunters they can teach you lots of things.

[J Darcy 5,871]

Yes Stabs, during the formative years that the wholedigging game floursiehed in, the 70's, many places were worked with dogs doubled up. This was purely done to, i guess, get a result. Probably the one dog couldnt do its job, so another was fired in, and so on....that was way of life back then.....i too have the compalation and its a bloody good read...several family members in there too... ..some good reads from the 's!....JD