Longnetting lurcher myth or legend

[reddawn 2,173]

Well weve all got our own ideas and heres one of mine,how about food as a incentive ?. you could walk the dog ( it has to be a collie x for me )out into the field and whilst walking back towards the net you could throw food/treats to the left and the to the right whilt giving a command (seek), it wouldnt take a collie type to long pick it up (pardon the pun)....Thoughts anyone ?

 

 

just out a curiosity what ye mean by a colliex?? a 1/2x or just a collie lurcher??

[Mr Wilkes 3,036]

I personally wouldnt consider a 1/2 x collie lurcher (too much desire to catch ), id opt for a collie x gundog or simular.i have experience with labradors and in my opinion they would be perfect crossed with a good working collie. i must say im not knocking collie lurchers and good luck to anyone who trys to train one to the net.

[reddawn 2,173]

I personally wouldnt consider a 1/2 x collie lurcher (too much desire to catch ), id opt for a collie x gundog or simular.i have experience with labradors and in my opinion they would be perfect crossed with a good working collie. i must say im not knocking collie lurchers and good luck to anyone who trys to train one to the net.

 

 

I personally wouldnt consider a 1/2 x collie lurcher (too much desire to catch ), id opt for a collie x gundog or simular.i have experience with labradors and in my opinion they would be perfect crossed with a good working collie. i must say im not knocking collie lurchers and good luck to anyone who trys to train one to the net.

 

 

i agree, not saying a lurcher cant be trained to do the job, i doubt i could do it anyways, especially with me own lurchers, was a mistake on my part i seen colliex an thought lurcher i too have seen the collie/gundog x an i agree it makes a very handy clever dog, never know if all fails way this collie i may try a collie/lab

[Mr Wilkes 3,036]

Keep us informed on your progress..and any forays out with the nets.

[reddawn 2,173]

Keep us informed on your progress..and any forays out with the nets.

 

 

[Tiercel 6,986]

There was a simular topic a few years ago on another forum. It run for many pages. To be honest it was a very good thread, in that a lot of people gave input and insight.

 

Although at the conclusion of the thread there was no definitive answer.

 

My input then is the same as now, I do not think a hunting dog or cross would be able to do the job. The temptation to chase with the obvious conclusion, would just be too great for any dog with hunting blood.

 

However, that is not to say that it cannot be done with a dog with the right attributes. (Not a dog with any sort of hunting ability, but bidable)

 

If you think about it, the dog would not really have to hunt for the rabbits as the presence and smell of the dog upwind should be enough to persuade the bunny to head for home. A dog that could quarter a field slowly would be a bonus, as the last thing you want is a load of rabbits hitting a net at full speed at the same time.

 

As a bye, why would you want a dog to stay while you ran the net out? Would it not be better if the dog just followed you at heel while you are setting the nets out? Think about it, you start at point A, tell the dog to sit. Then you run your nets out to point B, You then have to return to point A to collect the dog. Would it not be better if the dog stayed at heel till you ran the nets out, you can then cast him out to do the bant without back walking the set?

 

To be honest. I think that it is possible that dogs have done this, but, more by accident than design. I feel a long netters dog is more in the imagination of the creative writer than in the realms of reality. But, that is just my opinion.

 

TC

Edited July 13, 2012 by tiercel

[Romany 1,065]

Theres only one good dog for longnetting, and thats the "dumb dog" the draw chord

[Tiercel 6,986]

Cider talking. Sorry

Edited July 13, 2012 by tiercel

[Romany 1,065]

Ideally longnetting is a three man game to maximise the killing of the net, one to run the net, one to peg behind and one to chord the field, it can be done with two, but bloody hard work for one..Ive done the odd single handed night out, but as I say, its bloody hard work and you cannot set as quickly as having a trained team...Ive longnetted since I was at junior school, Ive travelled with some of the best longnetters in the country, yes you could have a bit play around using a dog and you will get some bunnies in the net, as you would shaking boxes of matches, clapping your hands and the likes, keep your dog for lamping..the longnet is effectively a killing mechine and a dog is not a cog

[storm323 191]

Some really good replys to this topic.its man and dog working as a team that I love seeing it would be easier to do it with just man power but so would lamping with a rifle.

[reddawn 2,173]

iv stated before on here that i aint a longnetting purist, i have always had to work alone, i have had a good few bags so far, but i think thats to to do with the abbundance of bunnys rather than me skills lol

my lurchers are lamp dogs, an do a bit of ferreting an bushing, but to even consider taking 1 out on a nite with the nets would be madness lol

the way i net is like was described earlier on this thread, i prefer to work single burys rather than whole fields, dropping a net infront of 1 instead of them all along the hedges.. i know my land an try an net the burys that hold the most bunnys, but it dont always go to plan..

even tho i do it my way, its still hard work an i think the company of a mutt would be nice to have with me on these nites out, wether or not this collie will do the job in hand, who knows, but i will try, nothing lost, nothing gained only time will tell, if i had a couple of other guys local who were as keen as me, then i guess id do it the proper way, but for now its just me, an hopefully 1 nite soon itll be me an the collie after all i only play at nettin compared to some a yous guys

[Mr Wilkes 3,036]

reddawn,as you probably know nothing is set in stone with the "longnetting game" and everyones approach to the game is different.i admire your conviction in trying the dog route. i do as you do locally,and know from years of netting my district where to place a net .and one of my most enjoyable drops (local term)produced 3 rabbits...yes only 3 ! but it ment a lot of thought and fieldcraft to be able to get those 3.

 

Romany,you say its bloody hard work "working" a net by oneself, can i ask what yardage were you running (local term) out ?.every year Two of us make the long pilgramige to deepest norfolk to net rabbits and we regulary run a couple of hundred yards out to catch 60- rabbits a time,now if thats the type of single handed netting youve done then i can understand as i wouldnt like to deal with that regulary.

Edited July 14, 2012 by Mr Wilkes

[smithie 2,443]

im not a dog man but if i was to try a dog for longnetting i suppose it would have to be colliexlab or spanial type as you would have less chance getting stopped late at night if the dog doesnt look like a lurcher.

 

would a collie be inteligent enough to do a job without crossing it? i

[Mr Wilkes 3,036]

Your probably right smithie,why bother going to the trouble of crossing when a pure collie can do just about any task.

[bigdaz 688]

Dogs to my mind that should be able to do it, very possibly wrong, any well trained herding dog, any well trained gundog or any lurcher bred from the ones mentioned.