Working Borders

[Birchdown 38]

Totally agree with you there stando. If you bring'em on right and don't rush things they're no different to any other breed of terrier. I'v had terriers for over 30 yrs and a few borders for over 20 years. I just prefer borders because i find them a tad steadier and easier to train.

[matt1979 766]

My borther works 2 alongside lurchers above ground and to the gun and both bitches are very steady were easily trained and as already mentioned very steady for a terrier, also a easy to live with dog imo cheers

[marshman 7,757]

Lads it seems from reading your posts that the Borders you work are good all round terriers doing ratting , bushing and going to ground . But are there any of you that use your Borders solely for earth work and dig to them on a regular basis? Lads this is a genuine question I'm not trying to have a snidey pop

[rossthedog 76]

love em love em love em, working terriers are the kings of all dogs and a working border is the icing on the cake ,patterdales and lakelands work to please themselves a border works to please you too, anybody with a working terrier is realy living the dream keep at it lads .

[stando 177]

Lads it seems from reading your posts that the Borders you work are good all round terriers doing ratting , bushing and going to ground . But are there any of you that use your Borders solely for earth work and dig to them on a regular basis? Lads this is a genuine question I'm not trying to have a snidey pop

 

I only use mine for earth work and they have to be up to the grade, theres too many people who only have a few dig's a season and then think they have a good dog and then breed from sub-standard animals :censored:

 

if genuine lad's were honest about their stock and gave them plenty of work they would soon see if thier dog's are proper digging stock

[marshman 7,757]

@stando. I agree 100% I suppose that goes with any breed !

[stando 177]

Marshman,

 

yep,it should do,

 

trouble is theres alot of "men with terrier's" but not many "terriermen"

Edited September 28, 2012 by stando

[MuddyPaws! 27]

a friend of mine works 2 on rats and cover.. in my opinion they arnt the smartest dogs in the world and miss quite a few but i suppose their not the worst dogs in the world!

[rossthedog 76]

a border should enter as easily as any other breed of working terrier all those t slag off borders should take a good hard look aheir own dogs and make sure they are properly tested

[Marcos 44]

A few weeks ago I was looking for a Border stud on here for a nieghbour as there are none local to me. He has decided not to breed now but it set me wondering if many of you work pure borders and if so how good are they.

Also do any of you just work borders and no other breeds..............or is the Border another terrier that the Kennel Club has ruined

 

I can only comment on the situation here in Australia,

Borders I find are more laid back than the JR's I have had around the house and farm, but both are good breeds and a good dog can't be a bad colour or breed it's what you want in a dog in your team. I have 5 Border bitch's here as well as others that I have given out to mates and like all breeds (I think) range from super hard to more a bayer, but all mine stay and do the job well enough for me and that’s all that really matters! We have had some good times with them and in Australia working kennels of Borders are not common, JRT, Patterdales as well as Jagd terriers are easier to procure in that order but you have to be prepared to pay as the costs of bringing in dogs from overseas is very high and the world doesn’t owe me a dog for nothing so I am happy to pay to get the right dog if I need it in my program.

The kennel club dogs generally are bred to show and the show people are pretty much anti hunting in Australia! However there are some exceptions to this and whilst it has taken some time to find people and their dogs if you look hard they are there. Many dogs that were sold out of the city to farmers ect that have got plenty of go and hunt in them, also some very good breeders that are generally on properties that have dogs that maybe are not being tested fully but at least are out there doing what they are bred to do. I have been able to get several good dogs from these people and they have proven themselves to me over time to be as good as any other dogs here.

This Autumn and Winter we had a very good season with hundreds of foxes to be seen, more than I and many older hunters have ever seen. A couple of very good seasons with the numbers exploding, this year a bounty was reintroduced for fox and wild dogs so many more people hunting but foxes seem to be still high in numbers. A mate not far from me got nearly 700 foxes this season, him and two mates. We didn't do that well as I have to earn a living so we didn't quite get 100, but all good foxes and some very good digs as well as some good runs with the stag hounds.

I have started two young bitches this season with one working her first fox solo at just 12 months and has done a great job on at least one or two digs per week so she looks good, the other a bit slower to go to ground but by the end of the season was starting to enter on her own at 15 to 16 months, both are very full on (8 to 12 months) on top of the ground with very good noses and drive in creeks and cover.

I really like the breed they have good and bad points but I will continue to breed workers and get them out hunting.

Cheers

Edited October 28, 2012 by Marcos

[welshwizard 33]

This thread is shaping up to be a good one. I kept a bitch pup back out of a litter I bred last year, I have just started taking out bushing, etc. and she is taking notice,using her nose. I took her to an earth where there a fox had been seen. She started scenting around the mouth of the earth, I then encouraged her and she went to ground, not far but far enough for a pup that had never been or seen an earth before. So I am pleased with the way she is shaping up, I know that one swallow does not make a Summer, but you have to start somewhere.

[billybear 32]

This thread is shaping up to be a good one. I kept a bitch pup back out of a litter I bred last year, I have just started taking out bushing, etc. and she is taking notice,using her nose. I took her to an earth where there a fox had been seen. She started scenting around the mouth of the earth, I then encouraged her and she went to ground, not far but far enough for a pup that had never been or seen an earth before. So I am pleased with the way she is shaping up, I know that one swallow does not make a Summer, but you have to start somewhere.

 

That's a nice looking border. Don't look overly big. How is she bred ?

[danny300 2,240]

heres my bitch just over 2. she wont leave a ditch or cover till what ever she is on is put out. have had a bolt so far with her. so will see over the next few months how she gets on