Tips For An Inexperienced Owner And Dog?

[Westy76 546]

Hi vicky,we all had to start somewhere and a lad from here gave me a break so I'm happy to do the same for you.

I've got permo or can come to you up to you.

[Westy76 546]

Double post

Edited July 3, 2013 by Westy76

[baw 4,360]

 

 

Your biggest problem Vicky is the dogs teaching itself what to do. Unfortunately that means its learning the hard way and will sicken itself i.e chose runs. There are two types of dogs, ones that are used to catching and ones that are used to not catching, you want your dog to be in the first category. It's like everything else new to something, you don't teach them the hard way. For example, if you had a kid, you wouldn't start him out fishing for salmon, where he might get 1 a year, lose interest and think, whats the point. you'd take him to a trout fishery where he's more likey to get 4 a day. The dogs used to missing cos it just picks the rabbit that moves or is closest which usually is the hardest. That's where us supposed more intelligent make up the hunting partnership. He does the catching, we do the selecting. Anyone who has walked into a field of rabbits with the dog off the lead knows how it feels when you let the dog do both, it usually ends with the dog running straight down the fence line and the rabbits making a dart behind it to safety. On the other hand, dog on the lead, same scenario, you'll hold the dog while entering, watching the impossible catches escape while looking further out in the field for the sitters or ones that he has a good chance of catching. Whilst its good for your dog to be at your place of work and allowed the freedom to do what he wants, its detrimental on his hunting. You just need to strike a balance as to what you want out of the dog. Is it more a companion getting the odd rabbit or do you want it to be a hunting companion. I feel while its free to roam teaching itself, the latter will be hard to accomplish. It would be ok if the dog was already taught the art then allowed to do its own thing but not the other way around but still worth a shot. If I were you, I'd arrive at work an hour earlier, take the dog to the fields where the rabbits are, keep him on the slip and chose the easiest rabbit you can find. Slip him on that and see how he goes. Ideally when a young dogs learning his trade, you want to end on a good note, i.e a catch but if he's getting let loose while your at work, that's not going to happen but you'll get a rabbit or 2, so its a compromise but he won't turn into a 100% hunting companion filling bags IMHO. When I'm bring up a pup, i don't take it to places where there are rabbits unless its at the stage where I'm teaching it to chase them. There is a Definite line between play and work. mixing the two for me, isn't right. But at the same time, the fact your dog did a summersault trying to catch, says the dogs still got heart for it. You can tell the difference between a dog going through the motions and just chasing for the fun of it and one that's running its hardest to catch it. Always amazes me the prey drive of a lurcher. It spends its entire youth getting taught not to chase, sheep, chickens, pretty much everything. Till one day we tell it to chase and expect it to do it. To its testament, it usually does. Hunting is a partnership between man and dog, neither is much good without the other. Hope that's bored you as much as its hurt my finger

Skycat from this forum writes some damn good books.

Penny Taylor in the real world.

she also dishes out some top draw advice too.

As does Baw - see above....I honestly do think that Baw could well be one of this country's top fieldsports writers in decades to come...Darcy, Fairclough and Baw...got a certain ring to it... Future generations will rank him alongside other greats...Plummer, Hancock (not he of the peddler hue), Sheardowm, Walsh, Taylor, Drakeford, Drabble, Harcombe and co....

 

So Baw when can we expect the first of many...got a good tiltle for you....The Lurcher...on Keyboard and in Cyberspace....

 

Go on get it writ.....

Haha cheers pal. I much prefer ripping the pish from saluki guys but I do have a soft spot for damsels in distress

[BORDERSCOT 3,816]

 

 

Your biggest problem Vicky is the dogs teaching itself what to do. Unfortunately that means its learning the hard way and will sicken itself i.e chose runs. There are two types of dogs, ones that are used to catching and ones that are used to not catching, you want your dog to be in the first category. It's like everything else new to something, you don't teach them the hard way. For example, if you had a kid, you wouldn't start him out fishing for salmon, where he might get 1 a year, lose interest and think, whats the point. you'd take him to a trout fishery where he's more likey to get 4 a day. The dogs used to missing cos it just picks the rabbit that moves or is closest which usually is the hardest. That's where us supposed more intelligent make up the hunting partnership. He does the catching, we do the selecting. Anyone who has walked into a field of rabbits with the dog off the lead knows how it feels when you let the dog do both, it usually ends with the dog running straight down the fence line and the rabbits making a dart behind it to safety. On the other hand, dog on the lead, same scenario, you'll hold the dog while entering, watching the impossible catches escape while looking further out in the field for the sitters or ones that he has a good chance of catching. Whilst its good for your dog to be at your place of work and allowed the freedom to do what he wants, its detrimental on his hunting. You just need to strike a balance as to what you want out of the dog. Is it more a companion getting the odd rabbit or do you want it to be a hunting companion. I feel while its free to roam teaching itself, the latter will be hard to accomplish. It would be ok if the dog was already taught the art then allowed to do its own thing but not the other way around but still worth a shot. If I were you, I'd arrive at work an hour earlier, take the dog to the fields where the rabbits are, keep him on the slip and chose the easiest rabbit you can find. Slip him on that and see how he goes. Ideally when a young dogs learning his trade, you want to end on a good note, i.e a catch but if he's getting let loose while your at work, that's not going to happen but you'll get a rabbit or 2, so its a compromise but he won't turn into a 100% hunting companion filling bags IMHO. When I'm bring up a pup, i don't take it to places where there are rabbits unless its at the stage where I'm teaching it to chase them. There is a Definite line between play and work. mixing the two for me, isn't right. But at the same time, the fact your dog did a summersault trying to catch, says the dogs still got heart for it. You can tell the difference between a dog going through the motions and just chasing for the fun of it and one that's running its hardest to catch it. Always amazes me the prey drive of a lurcher. It spends its entire youth getting taught not to chase, sheep, chickens, pretty much everything. Till one day we tell it to chase and expect it to do it. To its testament, it usually does. Hunting is a partnership between man and dog, neither is much good without the other. Hope that's bored you as much as its hurt my finger

Skycat from this forum writes some damn good books.

Penny Taylor in the real world.

she also dishes out some top draw advice too.

As does Baw - see above....I honestly do think that Baw could well be one of this country's top fieldsports writers in decades to come...Darcy, Fairclough and Baw...got a certain ring to it... Future generations will rank him alongside other greats...Plummer, Hancock (not he of the peddler hue), Sheardowm, Walsh, Taylor, Drakeford, Drabble, Harcombe and co....

 

So Baw when can we expect the first of many...got a good tiltle for you....The Lurcher...on Keyboard and in Cyberspace....

 

Go on get it writ.....

Haha cheers pal. I much prefer ripping the pish from saluki guys but I do have a soft spot for damsels in distress

 

 

Distress...............ha ha that'll be after they meet you............

[baw 4,360]

no, I think the word your looking for is desire

[my hounds 313]

VS,i am willing to send/give you 2 dvds by Dave Sleight,Purdys Progress and Lurcher Fieldcraft to me worth having and i think 1-2 more on here will agree,so if you are want to PM me a postal address and its ok with your folks etc,i dont mind sending them,regards,Trevor.

[baw 4,360]

Great offer that Trevor

[Vicky Steadman 328]

i'm no damsel in distress hehe.

Trevor that's a really generous offer, really appreciated, I feel a little rude taking though!

the farmer I work for mentioned that he's given his neighbour permission to do long netting in the fields, so I could take my dog along with them when they're out. not sure when they'll go out but its a step in the right direction, I need to ask who the chap with the other lurchers is and see if he'll let me tag along one night too.
she caught a little rabbit yesterday morning, I think it was feeling the heat a bit and was just sitting in the middle of a field, was nothing impressive but surely good for her confidence.

[Vicky Steadman 328]

a nice shot of my lovely little girl the other evening.

Edited July 8, 2013 by Vicky Steadman

[skycat 6,173]

Your biggest problem Vicky is the dogs teaching itself what to do. Unfortunately that means its learning the hard way and will sicken itself i.e chose runs. There are two types of dogs, ones that are used to catching and ones that are used to not catching, you want your dog to be in the first category. It's like everything else new to something, you don't teach them the hard way. For example, if you had a kid, you wouldn't start him out fishing for salmon, where he might get 1 a year, lose interest and think, whats the point. you'd take him to a trout fishery where he's more likey to get 4 a day. The dogs used to missing cos it just picks the rabbit that moves or is closest which usually is the hardest. That's where us supposed more intelligent make up the hunting partnership. He does the catching, we do the selecting. Anyone who has walked into a field of rabbits with the dog off the lead knows how it feels when you let the dog do both, it usually ends with the dog running straight down the fence line and the rabbits making a dart behind it to safety. On the other hand, dog on the lead, same scenario, you'll hold the dog while entering, watching the impossible catches escape while looking further out in the field for the sitters or ones that he has a good chance of catching. Whilst its good for your dog to be at your place of work and allowed the freedom to do what he wants, its detrimental on his hunting. You just need to strike a balance as to what you want out of the dog. Is it more a companion getting the odd rabbit or do you want it to be a hunting companion. I feel while its free to roam teaching itself, the latter will be hard to accomplish. It would be ok if the dog was already taught the art then allowed to do its own thing but not the other way around but still worth a shot. If I were you, I'd arrive at work an hour earlier, take the dog to the fields where the rabbits are, keep him on the slip and chose the easiest rabbit you can find. Slip him on that and see how he goes. Ideally when a young dogs learning his trade, you want to end on a good note, i.e a catch but if he's getting let loose while your at work, that's not going to happen but you'll get a rabbit or 2, so its a compromise but he won't turn into a 100% hunting companion filling bags IMHO. When I'm bring up a pup, i don't take it to places where there are rabbits unless its at the stage where I'm teaching it to chase them. There is a Definite line between play and work. mixing the two for me, isn't right. But at the same time, the fact your dog did a summersault trying to catch, says the dogs still got heart for it. You can tell the difference between a dog going through the motions and just chasing for the fun of it and one that's running its hardest to catch it. Always amazes me the prey drive of a lurcher. It spends its entire youth getting taught not to chase, sheep, chickens, pretty much everything. Till one day we tell it to chase and expect it to do it. To its testament, it usually does. Hunting is a partnership between man and dog, neither is much good without the other. Hope that's bored you as much as its hurt my finger

Can I use your words in my training book? Seriously, that is so well explained

[aaron the coursing man 144]

I've had my bitch for just over a year now, she's 16 months old. She's my first dog so I've pretty much spent the first year with her doing obedience training and enjoying her youth, but now I want to start working her... Not too much as my family don't like it, but i'd like to say I can work her a bit. I take her to the beef cattle farm where I work, and she gets the odd rabbit on the land there (she stays loose and does her own thing so I don't always see what she's up to) so she has experience with killing them but never actually done any work.

Whenever I see rabbits I try to aim her at them and 9/10 times she's chases, but she sometimes just stands and watches them run away even if they look close enough. She's quite hit & miss with them, so I wonder if maybe when she misses she loses confidence? Today she ran at a bunch of young rabbits, most ran uphill into cover but one went down hill - Nancy ran after it, reached down to pick it up but lost balance and somersaulted over the top. She chased a few more after than but seemed to lack confidence and gave in quickly.

How can I build her confidence? Is it worth meeting up with someone, as I know there's a couple of people that lamp and ferret in the area, or will she learn things herself in her own time? How do you bring on a dog of that age?

Any tips for a newbie and her dog would be greatly appreciated!

easy slips to build confidence plenty of kills under the dogs belt and they will gain confidence