Search Or Mark?

[pbrookes 450]

After a discussion with an old hand the other day I thought I throw this out there and see what everyone's views are. How do you like a dog to work. You come across a earth with obvious signs of use your experienced dog has a sniff and comes away uninterested now this place is a big rangey spot would you take the dogs word or would you prefer a dog that enters and searches the earth before saying no. Bearing in mind the game could have been laid still for 12 hours or so . Me personally I would like the dog to search it especially if its a big spot and looks in use but he said if there's nowt in the dog won't enter. I know a dogs nose is far superior to humans but is it that good to be able to detect something that may be deep underground from the mouth of a hole?

[hack 301]

for me personally a good experienced dog know,s when there,s something in so if the dog say,s no then it,s no dont like the dog,s that have

to go in every earth to make sure just waste,s alot of time atb

[rob284 1,682]

We've got a dog that knows before she gets to the earth. Took time to trust her, but she's 100% right everytime.

[pbrookes 450]

I think that's what it's about, trusting the dogs judgment. Sometimes though a place looks nailed on and a little niggle in your mind is thinking the dog could be wrong. But like u say an experienced dog rarely is.

[Dabhand 887]

the right dog should never be wrong,just my opinion

[shaneg 2,578]

I had a dog before that when your walking into the earth he would be pulling the arm of you from 10 yards from the entrance of the earth if there was something at home. If he wasnt pulling I could bet my house there was nothing at home. Was the best dog I ever had lost him to ground after. Didn't realise what I had till he was gone

I had a dog before that when your walking into the earth he would be pulling the arm of you from 10 yards from the entrance of the earth if there was something at home. If he wasnt pulling I could bet my house there was nothing at home and he would never enter unless the was something at home.Was the best dog I ever had lost him to ground after. Didn't realise what I had till he was gone

Edited June 30, 2013 by shaneg

[marshman 7,757]

When I was a lad I went out with a few of the local terrier men . Now these were men that my father had dug with so I was pretty pleased to be out with them . Anyway one the men had these big fell types I only had my long in the barrel bent legged jrt . So this fella lets hes dog at this earth that looked like no one was at home and hes dogs confirmed this , so him and the other men walked on , but my old jrt gave a mark I called out to the men and told them that my dog had said yes . They just said "come on leave it no ones at home you gotta trust the dogs" but it was to late I had let my dog go . They started to walk back saying no ones at home ,sure enough ten minutes later you could hear my dog baying away . All the way through the dig the piss taking of the other man and his dogs started he wasn't happy at all ! Moral of the story you got to trust your own dogs lol !

[Cleanspade 3,322]

i like a dog to run through . we have had a couple of terriers that would mark from the top and they where never proved wrong. even though we used to run a little jack through if we thought it waranted it. the reason i like a dog to run through is down to me having a few poor dogs over the years. and this has left me miss trusting.

a good experienced terrier will miss very little if anything. and can save a lot of time i just like to be double sure

[dean 11]

Dog doesnt need to run an earth to know and the more you work it you will learn to trust but only experience can learn this

[Rat face 1,655]

sometimes its hard tho when you look at a spot and the kick out spills down the banking, and you think to yourself got to be one in hear and the dog takes a quick sniff and says no! as a kid it would do my nut in but as I have got older I have learned to trust my dog more, but sometimes I sill find my self asking when out with a new dog is this dog 100%? lol

[THE GENERAL 1,982]

As a rule of thumb no matter how much you trust a terrier I always double check with another dog after a terrier has gave a negative mark along a bank whether it entered and ran the burrow or just had a sniff and wasnt interested. It only takes a few seconds to do and it puts your mind at rest to any doubts you may have especially if the spot looks well used. Even when I would be out in other company I would encourage it to be done and explain its not for doubting any mans dog because i gladly will let them double check an earth after my own terrier has said "no"

I thought most guys do the same. It doesn't happen that often but over the years I have witnessed fox dogs giving negative marks in or along a bank for foxs only to be put back on a lead and another terrier double checking the same place and getting on and digging down to a terrier working a fox. Makes you wonder doesn't it! A few heads have been well turned over the years.

Edited June 30, 2013 by THE GENERAL

[Cleanspade 3,322]

As a rule of thumb no matter how much you trust a terrier I always double check with another dog after a terrier has gave a negative mark along a bank. It only takes a few seconds to do and it puts your mind at rest to any doubts you may have especially if the spot looks well used. Even when I would be out in other company I would encourage it to be done and explain its not for doubting any mans dog because i gladly will let them double check an earth after my own terrier has said "no"

I thought most guys do the same. It doesn't happen that often but over the years I have witnessed fox dogs giving negative marks in or along a bank for foxs only to be put back on a lease and another terrier double checking the same place and getting on and digging down to a terrier working a fox. Makes you wonder doesn't it! A few heads have been well turned over the years.

i agree. and if you dont check how do you learn if the dog is 100%. as you only have the dogs word for it. and even though it finds regular that dont mean its not missing the occasional one

[Rat face 1,655]

As a rule of thumb no matter how much you trust a terrier I always double check with another dog after a terrier has gave a negative mark along a bank whether it entered and ran the burrow or just had a sniff and wasnt interested. It only takes a few seconds to do and it puts your mind at rest to any doubts you may have especially if the spot looks well used. Even when I would be out in other company I would encourage it to be done and explain its not for doubting any mans dog because i gladly will let them double check an earth after my own terrier has said "no"

I thought most guys do the same. It doesn't happen that often but over the years I have witnessed fox dogs giving negative marks in or along a bank for foxs only to be put back on a lease and another terrier double checking the same place and getting on and digging down to a terrier working a fox. Makes you wonder doesn't it! A few heads have been well turned over the years.

I bet some red faces as well lol

[THE GENERAL 1,982]

 

As a rule of thumb no matter how much you trust a terrier I always double check with another dog after a terrier has gave a negative mark along a bank. It only takes a few seconds to do and it puts your mind at rest to any doubts you may have especially if the spot looks well used. Even when I would be out in other company I would encourage it to be done and explain its not for doubting any mans dog because i gladly will let them double check an earth after my own terrier has said "no"

I thought most guys do the same. It doesn't happen that often but over the years I have witnessed fox dogs giving negative marks in or along a bank for foxs only to be put back on a lease and another terrier double checking the same place and getting on and digging down to a terrier working a fox. Makes you wonder doesn't it! A few heads have been well turned over the years.

 

i agree. and if you dont check how do you learn if the dog is 100%. as you only have the dogs word for it. and even though it finds regular that dont mean its not missing the occasional one

Correct. I remember one day a long time ago I along with a few friends met up with other lads for a days digging. The talk they were coming out with about these dogs nearly put fear into me about taking my dogs out of the van. In particular they had a prize bull Russell dog that had (apparently) some great digs under his belt and they thought the world of him. Anyway the first spot that morning we ran was a high bank of winds the bull Russell ran the earth saying nobody was at home so on down the hill we went tried a few other holes nothing about. My friend who wasn't into hunting that long at that stage asked after we had finished checking the last earth, could he let his young black terrier (8months old) off the lead, nobody seen a problem with it so the bull Russell was put on a lead and my mate put the collar on his pup just for safety. We walked back to the van and just before we got to the lane we realised the pup wasn't with us. We found him in the first earth along the winds working away, he bolted the fox and the lurcher missed it but put it to ground into a hole we didn't know before was there. Gathered the pup up, collared up the other lads (good) bull Russell and he entered the burrow and came out calm as you do, saying nobody home. He didn't make it home himself, we dug the fox out with another terrier anyway. Lesson learned for all that day.

Edited to mention that on the way home the lads had put it down to the dog having "just jacked it in" I myself believe the dog had probably "jacked" beforehand only they were not aware off it. Who knows?

Edited June 30, 2013 by THE GENERAL

[dev 226]

Depends on the terrier, if my old bitch says no its a no. I dont check after her. Most times i trust the dog but if the earth looks really good and i start to doubt the dog then i go for the old girl to check.

Shes my lie detector!!!! Lol