New Dog

[Guest FOXDOG]

Hi everyone,

Last night I got a 18 month old lurcher from my brother who is more of a part time hunter and only has the one or two dogs, Now the dogs is 25 inches and 52/53 pounds and at 18 months old is the best rabbit dog I have ever seen Which is why I took on the dog because I know he has some bad habits. The first being he doesnt retrieve and if you go to him he runs away so he scares rabbits away The worst thing is that in the last few weeks he has decided bunnies are on the menu and eaten a few.

Now the question is can these problems be resolved? Its not as if its the first few bunnies this dog has taken over 400 hundred rabbits since he was started at 13 months old which I think is an achievement in itself. The problem was my fool of a brother didnt realise how much potential this dog has and did no training with the dog I know if these problems can be fixed it will take alot of work but my god this dog has potential I once seen the dog catch 30 rabbits out of 32 slips and his biggest bag is 39 at 16 months old so I really am chuffed to have the dog in the first place

So come on some of you more experienced lurchermen and women give me some advice

[ferret15 0]

go right back to basics and don't go near another rabbit until his recall is 100% make learning part of a game for him teaching him to bring you a pelt and to fetch it for you you can even play seek it let him see you hide it then encourage him to find it and bring it to you reward the positive behavior and ignore the negative when he retrieves the pelt to you give him a tid bit (randomly) so that he thinks he might get a treat if he brings it to you then move on to a dead bunny and do the same hopefully this will encourage him to retrieve for you the biggest thing you need to do is work on your bond at the moment it sounds like hes not seeing humans as part of his pack so hunts on his own for him self make this a partnership and you will crack it IMO

 

GOOD LUCK

[Guest FOXDOG]

go right back to basics and don't go near another rabbit until his recall is 100% make learning part of a game for him teaching him to bring you a pelt and to fetch it for you you can even play seek it let him see you hide it then encourage him to find it and bring it to you reward the positive behavior and ignore the negative when he retrieves the pelt to you give him a tid bit (randomly) so that he thinks he might get a treat if he brings it to you then move on to a dead bunny and do the same hopefully this will encourage him to retrieve for you the biggest thing you need to do is work on your bond at the moment it sounds like hes not seeing humans as part of his pack so hunts on his own for him self make this a partnership and you will crack it IMO

 

GOOD LUCK

Thank you ferret15 I understand what you say about him thinking he rules the roost I have to try and get him to understand that I am the leader and he serves me As for a good bond well I have been walking him the past 6 months with my own dogs so in the end my brother gave him to me as it was obvious who the dog had taken to

[FERRETBOY 680]

good luck with the training mate but if all fails you will probabley get very wound up with the dog.i suppose you may have to go back to basics with him but i cant see him getting much better if hes already doing this.good luck i know i wouldnt dare take on a dog which is behaving the way yours is.

 

good hunting

 

rew

[Guest Frank]

I find cheese slices good, as a treat, when he comes to recall ect. Easy to carry and individualy raped.

 

I hope you can bring him round and wish you the best of luck, but, as REW pointed out, he might be too set in his ways and will not listen.

 

Keep us posted, all the best,

 

Frank.

[martin 332]

I hope you will keep us informed as to how he gets on,as,I have a theory that any old dog can be taught new tricks(so to speak).I would definitely do as Ferret15 said and go back to the basics,and,do not let him see a rabbit at all for a few months.I look forward to you telling us how well he is doing..........................Martin.

[Stabs 3]

I find cheese slices good, as a treat, when he comes to recall ect. Easy to carry and individualy raped.

 

You sick b*****d Frank

 

Was that a Freudian slit?

[Guest Frank]

Shit, i see what i have just written , what i ment was, packed idividually.

 

Frank.

[Guest FOXDOG]

Martin will do Anyone else have any thoughts on the matter?

[montague 0]

Martin will do Anyone else have any thoughts on the matter?

 

I once grabbed a handful of cheerios out the cereal cupboard my dog loved them For recall i mean

Edited July 26, 2007 by montague

[Guest MOLLY]

I find cheese slices good, as a treat, when he comes to recall ect. Easy to carry and individualy raped.

 

You sick b*****d Frank

 

Was that a Freudian slit?

MOLL.

[Crow 1]

Hi

 

Let me get this straight. The dog is now 18 months old, and has taken 400 rabbits since it was 13 months old. That's one hell of a catch rate, especially when you consider that it would have started in late Feb so presumably most of those 400 catches were made in the feb/march/april period. That's over 100 rabbits a month, or three a day every day!

 

Now, I'd say that either you've got your maths wrong, or the dog is pig sick of rabbits!

 

Either way, the problems you're experiencing are not unsolvable, but to explain fully will take more time than I have right now. I'll PM you tomorrow!

 

Crow

[lucky 578]

Hi

 

Let me get this straight. The dog is now 18 months old, and has taken 400 rabbits since it was 13 months old. That's one hell of a catch rate, especially when you consider that it would have started in late Feb so presumably most of those 400 catches were made in the feb/march/april period. That's over 100 rabbits a month, or three a day every day!

 

Now, I'd say that either you've got your maths wrong, or the dog is pig sick of rabbits!

 

Either way, the problems you're experiencing are not unsolvable, but to explain fully will take more time than I have right now. I'll PM you tomorrow!

 

Crow

 

that would mean theres no closed season for him maybe some unborn young were added to make such a tally

[Guest FOXDOG]

Hi

 

Let me get this straight. The dog is now 18 months old, and has taken 400 rabbits since it was 13 months old. That's one hell of a catch rate, especially when you consider that it would have started in late Feb so presumably most of those 400 catches were made in the feb/march/april period. That's over 100 rabbits a month, or three a day every day!

 

Now, I'd say that either you've got your maths wrong, or the dog is pig sick of rabbits!

 

Either way, the problems you're experiencing are not unsolvable, but to explain fully will take more time than I have right now. I'll PM you tomorrow!

 

Crow

Believe me the maths aint wrong!! Crow your probably right about being sick of rabbits but the brother who had him is only 17 so is inexperienced and is also very keen, a bad combination because that dog got some lamping The numbers I am talking about can be achieved on a massive farm that is overrun with rabbits, if you think about it 3 a day isnt that many Thank you crow dont forget the PM

[Guest FOXDOG]

Wel I have just had the dog in the garden and he has retrieved a dummy 5 times in a row I left it at that as I dont want to sicken him, I also got him to sit on command Il keep you updated and ill see whether I can get rid of his bad habits