working borders

[m.r1 7]

Hello John

 

Your first quote In my humble opinion, a terrier that is dug to 10 times a season and is 100% every time will, after two or three seasons, be an experienced, tried and tested terrier. but there are always exceptions to every rule.

 

It cannot be tired and tested to its full capabilities with such little amount of work, I know where you are coming from, there are some terriers because the fashion they work may only manage 10 digs a season and require long rest periods! Ive had them retired befor the 20 mark! Depends on the 10 earths you worked and the quality of effort the terrier had to perform and was required, for example, did the quarry give it the run around for over 1 or 2 hrs or was it straight in to a stop. WAs the ground soft allowing the quarry to dig in if the terrier wasnt right up to it and keeping it busy or was it ver hard ground where there would be plenty of banging spooking the quarry to move and forcing it on to the terier. none of us know what is going on under ground, thats the beauty of terrier work. By working your terrier in a variety of setts/earths would be to me the measuring stick of how the terrier performed and if it was to be given the prestigious title of a working terrier

 

some terriers may self enter and are that natural you would think they have been here before. But even with natural terrier like that I would start them in puppy earths and test as they develolop with out over taxing them

 

Some terriers after several digs may give you the feeling they are right and up for it, it is then your decision to pick your places My method may not be your method, I will judge a terrier by its maturity and not its size or breeding, Hard decision to make and it can be the ruination of your terrier, but I disagree with calling a terrier a worker with such little amount of work to test all its attributes, such as finding, digging on, staying in the 1 spot or never giving up on the run around until it has bolted or bottled its quarry up.

 

I have entered terriers under the age of 12 months, that was when I was a young teenager and didnt have the experience or guidance, at 10 monthsto me is very young and I would never consider it now.

 

And before any one says it was a big strong type, it doesnt matter, its still young in the head, however, your choice. I am surprised the so called well known terrier man done this and this may have contributed to the early demise of the terriers attitude to work or was it the sheer amount of stick the terrier had accumalated?

 

Your comment The question is: was the dog a "proven terrier" after 200+ foxes, along with other quarry along the way, in anyones eyes the answer must be yes, or was the dog a cur for refusing to work, well thats another yes. I cannot answer because I didnt see the gfashion the terrier worked nor the places it was worked, if it done 200 fox dig in 1 ft deep 2 hole entrance places my nanswetr is no, not arsed if it has done a thousand of these, my answer would still be no, piss easy work

 

Other comment "s a terrier that works none stop from a young age until a ripe old age digging in excess of 20 digs every season - including healing time - just a bit far fetched for some of us"

 

Realistic to me and my aim in all my terriers, I have never been one for the numbers game, I recently had the displeasure of putting one of my old bitches to sleep at the age of 10 years, true story, she self entered to a fox at 14 months old, done about 1 hr or slightly more, nealry bolted the fox only for the lurcher! She was never in the 1 spot just kept going round and round and she eventualy wobbled out

showing her battered face, in a fine mess. Lucky for her her half brother was there who is a huge strong terrier, he entered, grabbed thge fox, we opened up at 3 foot and the fox was dead. She went on fronm theat experience to be 1 of my best terrier I have bred and owned, how many lads would have put her down? BVut getting back tio numbers I couldnt telle you what her total tally was, I could trace back, but who is arsed, so long as she or any terrier has been tested thats all that counts.

 

What was the terriers name and its breeding, I know a few lads in the area may be related?

 

Sorry may have got lost in my reply, to much going on around me to concentrate, if I have missed something I will come back, or give me a memory jog

 

speak next week, busy ironing!

 

Good luck

[TimJ 0]

Nice post