A few Newbie Patterdale questions

[Pipey Magregor 0]

Hows it going, I'm new to these forums so I'd like to say hello and thanks in advance for reading my post.

 

I bought a Patterdale Terrier last week, he is only 10 weeks old, but I wondered if I could ask you people a few questions about working them (especialy ratting) diet and exercise.

 

I'm not experienced in ratting or any other hunting but it's something I'd like to get involved in, I've got a couple of friends who hunt and take their terriers ratting (and I've tagged along a few times and realy enjoyed it) but I thought I'd sign up to these forums to get more oppinions from some real knowledgeable people so that I can actualy learn something from other experienced people who work their terriers, rather than just listen to the limited source of a few lads who I know who do it.

 

Please excuse my complete newbieness to all of this lol.

 

1) What age should my Patterdale be before I take him out ratting?

 

2) What do you find is the best way to introduce your terrier to ratting?

 

3) What do you find is the best diet to feed a working Patterdale on?

 

4) Besides taking your terrier out ratting ect, how much more exercise should I give him?

 

5) What sort of medical / hygiene precautions should I take when I take my dog ratting?

 

6) Is it OK to keep the dog in the house as a pet aswell as a working dog?

 

I would realy appreciate it if anyone could help me out with these questions, thanks again for your time.

Edited June 14, 2007 by Pipey Magregor

[Guest Lurchers2006]

Hi mate,

I will try to answer your questions but there will be better people to give you some info I would introduce your terrier to rats at around 7 months old and the best way to introduce it is really just take him out with another dog if you can and he will more than likely nail a few rats As for diet the best way to feed any working dog is raw meat and veg e.g. chiicken,rabbit,tripe but if this isnt possible just get the best quality dry food you can, tinned dog food would be the worst option, Give him a walk everyday and you will soon see what sort of excersise he needs, dont do to much walking with him at this age though Apart from the normal puppy jabs im not really sure if there any other vaccinations needed? Somebody else will fill you in more here When hes working and gets a few bites just clean the wound with disifectant and leave him to it himself, And as for keeping him in the house I dont see a problem because he is most probably going to kill rats like any terrier worth a carrot should so they will be no need to get rid of him if thats all you want him for?

I hope this is of some help to you but again there will be people who can help you out alot better than me

[Guest digdeep]

iv got one question mate you just doing rats with it?

if so house dog "pet aswell" will be no probs. But the best way i think is get a live rat let him chase it and grab it the way he wants, open field ideal for that, he needs to learn that they bite back so not too young mate id say bawt five/six month then let him come out on his ways not others, if you do it this way let him bay at the rat for a good 5 mins first

good luck let us know how you get on

[Pipey Magregor 0]

Ahh cheers lads, I realy appreciate your time and advice.

 

Lurcher, I guess I'm doing OK with the food then, because I am currently feeding him raw eggs in the morning mixed with abit of skimmed milk, but I am feeding him cooked chicken that I get from Iceland (only £1 a pack) with a mix of veg, twice a day.

 

I always make sure he's got a bowl of fresh water aswell.

 

He seems to love what I do him, he loves carrots aswell (dont know whether thats normal ? lol) he'll take a carrot out of his bowl and run off with it and sit there and happily crunch on one until its gone, then go back to the bowl for all the rest of his scran.

 

I was wondering about Tuna? with a mix of veg with it, just like I do the chicken.

 

Is it realy important to feed the raw meat? if so why is that?

 

Dig Deep, Yeah mate mainly just rats I think I'll have him on, maybe Rabbits aswell but I'll see mate.

 

In your experiences have you found a dog to be crap with Rats but good on Rabbits? and vice versa?

 

He was going barmy at the kids Hampster the other day.

 

The kids thought it was a good idea to put the hampster in its ball, and to start with the dog thought it was just a ball for him to play with, but when he sussed the Hampster inside, he went crackers, barking like mad, baying at it he was, until he tried nipping at the ball thats when I thought I better take it away incase the hampster ends up on the out and I end up with teary eyed kids because their hampster is in 10 different pieces lol.

 

I seen him doing the same to the mop handle aswell ? lol, the mop head had come off and he was jumping around barking and nipping at the metal bit that once had the head attatched to it ???? lol god only knows what he thought it was lol.

 

Today he started to dig in the back garden aswell, dont know whether thats normal for his age but he was going pretty hard on the one part of the garden.

 

He has been better than what I expected out of him for going to the toilet in the house, he's only slashed on the carpet maybe three times, and each time he's looked at me like he knows he's done somethign wrong and has jumped in his bed like a grounded child would go to their room lol.

 

So far I feel like its gone pretty well, and I am realy looking forward to the years I have ahead of us.

 

Here he is chewing on a chew -

 

 

Piping at the camera -

 

 

Having a Kip -

[Nell 1]

He looks a belter mate, good luck with him, i'm sure you'll be fine!

[Pipey Magregor 0]

Cheers Nell,

 

I hope he grows into something worth while (work wise), it's mad because I havent had a dog for years, but now I've got one I think I want to get more.

 

I'd of had his brother aswell the day I got him, but I was just thinking of the space, plus not being all that experienced with dogs for quite a while (never mind working dogs) I thought it best to just have the one of them to start with.

 

When we left, Me and my brother sat for over half an hour debating whether or not to go back and get the brother, he was thicker set than my one and had more of a broken coat, my heart was saying yes buy him, but my head was saying no you've not got the room or experience you stupid person , couldnt help but feel gutted to leave him .

[Pignut 4]

He looks lovely and a fine boy.

 

FYI, Patterdales are addictive and you will find one is not enough - two is great!!!

 

Good luck

Pignut

[Pipey Magregor 0]

He looks lovely and a fine boy.

 

FYI, Patterdales are addictive and you will find one is not enough - two is great!!!

 

Good luck

Pignut

 

Defenately, I realy do want another one, but I'll wait for a bit first.

 

With some of the advice and stuff I pick up off you lot, and with the experience I gain from having him, I hope I'll have the know how to govern a pack of them soon enough.

[martin 332]

Hi 'PM' I wouldn't give him a whole carrot to eat,as,they contain a massive amount of sugar.Also feeding raw is a choice for you to make,but,the difference it makes is quite outstanding to the condition and stamina of the dog.I feed my JRT pup(23wks)raw chicken carcases(meaty as my butcher can't bone them out very well,and I get them free),raw breast of lamb,raw beef,and I also cut a rabbit(fur and bones-no guts)into 3 and let her have that.Along with this I also give her minced up fruit/veg(parsnip,cabbage,broccoli,apple,orange,sweet potato) and meaty bones(lamb and beef).I have just started to add 'Keepers Mix' that I get from Dorwest Herbs,this contains....powdered kelp seaweed,celery seeds,lucerne(alfalfa),nettles,rosemary,psyllium husks,cleavers and wild yam.I cannot give too much info about this as I have only just started her on it.

The properties of the individual herbs are....

Kelp Seaweed......for minerals,coat growth and pigmentation.

Celery Seed.........for suppleness and free movement.

Lucerne................a nutritious source of vitamins A,C,E and K.

Nettles.................rich in Chlorophyll and vitamin C.

Rosemary............for digestion and flatulence and to maintain a healthy heart.

Psyllium Husks.....for a healthy bowel and digestion.

Cleavers.............to maintain healthy skin,kidney and bladder function.

Wild Yam............useful to sustain a healthy intestine.

 

I hope some or all of this information is helpful in some way................Martin.

[Muddyboots 2]

Hi! Pipey Magregor,

"Welcome to hunting life"

Thats a cracking looking pup you have there! all the best with him.

Muddy.

[tornado 0]

Awesome little dog mate.

 

Cooked chicken is a no no in a dogs diet. cookng it takes out all the nutrition. Youd be better feeding raw. You can get the raw stuff from Pets at home or if you have a butcher close to home ask about the carcasses there. Martins diet sounds great, try the pup on this and you will see the benefits Just make sure you watch him with the bones to start with. When they are raw they are a lot easier to digest but its still worth the watching. Good luck with him mate

[Guest ripstop]

Awesome little dog mate.

 

Cooked chicken is a no no in a dogs diet. cookng it takes out all the nutrition. Youd be better feeding raw. You can get the raw stuff from Pets at home or if you have a butcher close to home ask about the carcasses there. Martins diet sounds great, try the pup on this and you will see the benefits Just make sure you watch him with the bones to start with. When they are raw they are a lot easier to digest but its still worth the watching. Good luck with him mate

START RATTING AT ABOUT 7- 8 MONTHS OR WHEN YOU FEEL HES READY MAKE SURE HES GOT HIS ADULT TEETH FIRST THOUGH LET HIM DO IT ALONE AND HELL MATURE A LOT QUICKER FEED RAW CHICKEN OR MINCE NOT TRIPE AS IT STINKS AND IS NEARLY ALL WATER TRY YOUR BUTCHERS FOR PET MINCE IF TOU CANT GET IT GET THE BAGS OF CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS FROM ICELAND ABOUT £2 FOR 1.5 KG , DR JOHNS IS AN OK BUDGET DRY FOOD FOR APPROX£7 PER 15 KG. KEEPING HIM IN THE HOUSE WONT MAKE HIM ANY DIFFERENT BUT HELL BE COMFORTABLE ANDD YOULL BE ABLE TO CHECK OR SEE ANY HEALTH IRREGULARITIES EASIER THAN IN A KENNEL SOME SAY DIFFERNT BUT IF THEY ARE MADE OF THE RIGHT STUFF THEN HELL BE JUST FINE JUST MAKE SURE HE KNOWS WHO IS BOSS. BALL CHASING AND RUNNING UP AND DOWN HILL SIDES FOR MUSCLE AND STAMINA BUT BE CAREFUL INCASE HE GOES IN TO A SETT THAT YOU DONT KNOW IS THERE AS RABBIT WARRENS CAN GET KICKED OUT OVER NIGHT AND THEN YOU WOULD HAVE A BIT OF TROUBLE ON YOUR HANDS. DONT OVER DO IT AND WASH HIM WELL AFTER A RATTING TRIP MAKE SURE YOU WEAR GLOVES INCASE YOU GET DIRT INTO YOUR HANDS BEST OF LUCK AND PM ME IF YOU NEED ANY MORE INFO CHEERS RIPSTOP OH AND GOOD LUCK WITH THE PUP

[Pipey Magregor 0]

Brilliant!, Can I say a BIG thank you to those that have taken the time to reply to me and for the warm welcome to hunting life you've all gave me and especialy for all the great advice.

 

I shall print this off and take it with me as a chopping list .

 

I'm gonna cut down how much Carrot he eats, and the Raw meat is an absolute defenate, I'll get him on that the next time we go shopping.

 

I've been giving him tuna with a mixture of veg, would you recommend Tuna? he seems to particularly enjoy the Tuna.

 

I will defenately take all this on board and follow up on it, I want the best for him so thanks again for the advice.

[Pipey Magregor 0]

Cheers Vixen, I am extremely thank full of everyone for doing just that.

 

If he comes together even half aswell as the dogs you've put pictures up of in the RIP Wee Blackie thread then I shall be a very very happy bloke.

 

I just hope all goes well.

 

I'll keep everyone up to date on his progress.

[pointer28 1]

My terrier won't eat raw chicken for some reason, although he'll gladly eat raw mince beef. If I stick the chicken wings in the microwave just for a minute he'll eat them no bother. They're not cooked, but just the rawness gone off them, turkey drumsticks are great too, lots of meat on them and the dog will spend ages stuck into them, while he'll eat chicken wings in about 30 seconds.

 

Chicken bones in the wings are OK as long as they're not cooked but I only give him those when I'm there, just to be on the safe side.

 

Mine lives in the house and it does him no harm as long as they know who the boss is and you don't spoil them too much.

 

As for ratting, I'm pretty sure he'll pick it up himself, one just ran across the yard in front of me and my border x fell terrier just pounced on it and killed it without any encouragement or other dogs to show him, I suppose it's just in their nature.

 

Another patt pup I had killed his first rat at 14 weeks along with a 10 week old whippet x grey pup. I would never recommend this to anyone, but it just happened and neither of them got bitten. We let them run around the yard while we were clearing their run and they pounced on a young rat on the dung heap and gummed it to death.

 

Unfortunately, this determination to kill small animals also includes ferrets so make sure you introduce them well before you bring them ratting with any ferrets, or you might very quickly fall out with a hunting pal.