Cairn Terriers???

[staffyspen 43]

Anyone have or seen a little cairn terrier work cover for rabbits, how well did/do they work?

Ill be looking for 12inch bitch for thick cover, pushing rabbits to lurchers and the cairn popped up!!

 

Thanks

[sikastag_1 689]

A guy I went to gamekeeping college with his mum had one mate he used to take it out bushing ferreting etc and it did the job, was a bit of a fruitcake tho lol it would have probably worked fox if given the chance, why did you pick the cairn? Would you not be better off way a cocker spaniel? Or a terrier from a working background? I've got a black that works cover like iv never seen and regularly shows up gun dogs way retrieves on shoot days hel work the thickest cover retrieve from water etc he's about 15 inch so why do you say you need a 12 inch dog?

[staffyspen 43]

Haven't chosen the cairn yet mate, name popped up due to size, coat etc.

I do a few golf courses with some heavy cover so 12inch is my ideal, my uncle has 2 springers, too big!

[sikastag_1 689]

I'd be wary of taking on a cairn you'd probably have to take a pup from the kc brigade. Iv never known any cover to be too thick for a spaniel mate and iv went beating on all types of estates all over Scotland, what about a wee cocker? Iv 2 cockers that work the thickest of cover although iv found myself sitting here trying to picture what the cover is like that its too thick for a springer, I'd imagine any terrier would do what your after.

[Cleanspade 3,322]

Haven't chosen the cairn yet mate, name popped up due to size, coat etc.

I do a few golf courses with some heavy cover so 12inch is my ideal, my uncle has 2 springers, too big!

 

look into the plummer terrier fella. they are tailor made for this sort of work. thats if your set on a terrier. cs

[staffyspen 43]

Cheers fellas, its all just ideas at the minute, won't be purchasing anything yet so getting advise.

As for the cairn, I know back in the day they were worked but my concern was whether anyone still used them and was actively breeding them.

I know spaniels do the job well for the guns but wanted something a bit smaller but still rough.

 

Thanks again

[shaaark 10,694]

A mate of mine had a cairn x russell bitch years ago, bred from his dad's russell to a neighbours cairn bitch, looked practically pure cairn. Only about 11", brilliant rabbiting/ferreting dog and would work the thickest bramble/cover you could imagine, good on rats too.

[staffyspen 43]

After looking at the cairn it is something that appeals, just finding a working bitch that someone is going to mate up!!!

[tinytiger 822]

When i was a young fella my best friend had 2 cairn xs ,one was a white cairn x russell -a right good bitch -excellent busher/stay till dug to ,people aggressive when told to be but not otherwise-the other one was a cairn x border -not worth a fuk at anything.The cairn/border was called steffi because she was a pup whenever s.graf won wimbeldon so some members on here might remember when that was.(both of them were out of the one cairn bitch).Thje russellxcairn bitch always made me curious to see what a fullbred cairn would be like as a hunter_still havnt tried it though.

[patterdale666 1,620]

I got one about 3 years ago for a mate of mine he was lookin for a pet for his kids so i got this free to good home 12 months old cairn pup the people that had told me it was uncontrolable lol anyway i had the dog for a week before the mate collected it and it was flyin through cover while moochin about with the other dogs seemed to be into it now i wouldnt keep one but it wasnt a bad little dog and i know it gives cats hell any time it gets the chance.

Best of luck with whatever dog you get

[staffyspen 43]

Cheers mate, still nothing popping out to me!!

Everything always comes back to jack russells!!

[wuyang 513]

I've always used little jack russell's for bushing, just your average household jackrussells, my smallest one looks like a lap dog, but is an excellent bushing dog. All my jrt have been smooth coated, any reason why you want rough? I thought about getting a plummer for my next, but jrt have always done a great job for me. Or you could go down the cocker/ terrier route.

Bushing with terriers works for me as they tend to yap when close to the rabbits which lets the lurcher know. I do think smaller terriers fly through the rabbit runs quicker, but a taller one would still do the job. I just have to be careful of my jrt trying to get down the rabbit burrows every now and again.

[salclalin 240]

One of the best Bushing dogs i've ever seen was a Cairn Terrier.This was over 30yrs ago.Didn't know who it belonged to it used to tag along with us.But it could Bush with the Best of them.

[spazzy paddy 127]

when i was much younger and didnt know much better i used to take my mums westie ratting and rabbiting,had some great summer holidays with that dog. atb sp

[welshydale 22]

Buy urself a sporting lucas terrier u won't go far wrong