starting the season with a young dog

[shaun v 3]

im starting the season with a couple of young dogs which when they are right in my mind will be run on hares but also used from general mooching to lamping.

what i would like to hear is peoples different methods at starting and entering there young dogs from exercising to running there first rabbit.

pleasing no bitching on this one, i want everyone to have a open mind on this

Edited August 21, 2007 by shaun v

[gavmac 0]

im starting the season with a couple of young dogs which when they are right in my mind will be run on hares but also used from general mooching to lamping.

what i would like to hear is peoples different methods at starting and entering there young dogs from exercising to running there first rabbit.

pleasing no bitching on this one, i want everyone to have a open mind on this

There is no rules no fair law when bringing on a young one .

Always try and let the pup think its on top its all about confidence well thats my opinion

[Guest MOLLY]

Ive never started a pup lurcher, but i would think making sure the dog is physically and mentally prepared. And make it as easy as possible.

Im very interested in how people do it.

MOLL.

[inan 841]

im starting the season with a couple of young dogs which when they are right in my mind will be run on hares but also used from general mooching to lamping.

what i would like to hear is peoples different methods at starting and entering there young dogs from exercising to running there first rabbit.

pleasing no bitching on this one, i want everyone to have a open mind on this

Did you own a dog calledFlint Shaun? A popular way to introduce a pup is to slip it in on course when a made dog is allready running big ears,I have allways started mine,pre ban by slipping them doubled up,I think a lot of it depends on the individual dog and its breeding,many coursing men I know give a youngster selected runs from a quite early age,of course the danger is that the short slip to cover turns out to be a stinger ,with the hare ignoring the easy escape ,and straight lining the dog.If you had Flint ,I dont think you need any advice on this.Regards Inan.

[shaun v 3]

im starting the season with a couple of young dogs which when they are right in my mind will be run on hares but also used from general mooching to lamping.

what i would like to hear is peoples different methods at starting and entering there young dogs from exercising to running there first rabbit.

pleasing no bitching on this one, i want everyone to have a open mind on this

Did you own a dog calledFlint Shaun? A popular way to introduce a pup is to slip it in on course when a made dog is allready running big ears,I have allways started mine,pre ban by slipping them doubled up,I think a lot of it depends on the individual dog and its breeding,many coursing men I know give a youngster selected runs from a quite early age,of course the danger is that the short slip to cover turns out to be a stinger ,with the hare ignoring the easy escape ,and straight lining the dog.If you had Flint ,I dont think you need any advice on this.Regards Inan.

cheers inan, yeah i still have him and he's looking well .

the thread was to see other peoples methods and thinking, i havent been on here in a while so it was a way of getting to know different people aswell

[Guest reload]

I am no expert, but having them out seeing from a youngish age helps them be prepared for what lies ahead of them.

First rabbit mine saw was in a net, at 4 months, first rabbit daytime was by accident at 6-8 months and first lamped about the same time.

Now i am starting to pick some hopefully easy ones for him tonight on the beam. He wont be running big ears though.

 

Its down to your own judgment on the dog and its breeding, everyones differnt and this is where the art of knowing your dog maybe.

[IanB 0]

I'd be getting the basic commands in from day one, till the dog was to a standard of retrieving and recall, etc I was happy with, I'd also have the youngster in contact with a ferret from an early age, with a cage nearby so the dogs always aware of them at eye level...when the time was right, I'd introduce the dog to rabbits, upwards and onwards to bigger.. obviously the easier the better, take time and have patience

[Meerihunter 7]

Personally the most important thing in bringing my pups up is getting them in rough/wooded ground as much as possible so as to produce sensible running hound they don't see the open fields until they master the rough stuff. Obedience work? I do nothing formal with my saluki's instead I concentrate on forming a bond and let the pup learn its job. They start killing when they can find quarry themselves or joining with the older dogs that's basically it.

 

Edited August 21, 2007 by Meerihunter

[Nell 1]

At last a decent thread!

 

Nice to see you posting again Mr V

 

I always have a young lurcher out with me all of the time from an early age, mainly on a lead just watching.

Basic commands are a must, recall, retrieve etc. also from an early age but not too much so as to bore the dog.

I encourage them to jump as soon as they are old/developed enough (mesh at the bottom of pen door etc)

The first time lamping I tend to keep them on a lead, again watching. On the next time they might get one or 2 easy slips, and gradually build them up over a period of time, as and when they're ready, sometimes you have days like this: but......patience is a virtue!!

 

I also have them out from an early age with the terriers, again on the lead for the majority of the time as I dont want them running anything when they are not ready. I usualy start leaving them loose when they are a little older and at least have a chance of catching the bolters.

 

Then it's time to meet charlie, on the lamp at first sqeaking with a more experienced dog, once they have had a few like this, then I will try them on their own. Once I know they can take one by themselves then this is when I leave them fully loose when out with the terriers, at least then I know they will take whatever bolts

 

These are only my methods, right or wrong, they work for me. I have never brought on a "coursing" pup so cannot comment on this, I just let mine run them when I fell that they are ready, but accidents, as always, occasionaly happen!

 

One thing I do live by is that they will never learn anything sat in their pen!!! You only get out what you put in!

 

YIS

[baz 464]

well shaun since im starting the same dog as you ill tell you my plans, ...he,s very keen to go, he has done most of my neighbours cats, and is dying to get amongst the hares, im just going to run him on smallish fields till the fens are wet enough, then im straight down there,...ill only run him single handed, as i think he will try and kill another dog over a hare....and then around december time,im going to let you buy me breckie when i win our 3 way match

[shaun v 3]

i'm glad to be back nell. well baz make sure you and your pal are ready to pay up

the pups at the moment have had quite a few daytime rabbits, i had my young bitch what i got off lofty out last friday up the moors on the beam and she did really well for her first night out, she watched my pals dog run a few and after that it was everything i wanted, from running the beam to retrieving to hand.

over the years ive seen alot of lads who will only use there dog for one specific job ie coursing.

thats not my way of thinking, i would much prefur the dogs to be capable at lamping or hunting game up or any other part of hunting, i put this down to laziness and being single minded, ive been guilty of this aswell ,

at the end of the day its a dog , its our job to show them and not to catergorise them, saying your a saluki x so you will run hares or your a collie x so you will do the rabbits, some breeds are better at some jobs but it dosent mean that they cant do other stuff.

Edited August 22, 2007 by shaun v

[sounder 9]

what we do here with all young dogs is ferret rabbits a let it off in a field to get the dog following

and a handy kill they know what a rabbit is next time or first time u lamp them.

[leec 132]

shaun the pup off of lofty is it out of luke and sally?i give my pups loads of daytime rabbits with the terriers and lamp them early on selected runs then bring onto hares a little early than you should in the season like now [only pups] on small land if that is how your pup is bred mate was with the brother to it the weekend an another pup off of luke back to a bitch called baz [i think] from wales

[Guest BIG FRANK]

let it be a dog for the first year dont over train or confuse i did this with one of my dog drilled it in retreaving ond now she cant be arsed.

THE FIST YEAR YOU WILL FEED.

THE SOCOUND SHE WILL FEED YOU!

[Nell 1]

let it be a dog for the first year dont over train or confuse i did this with one of my dog drilled it in retreaving ond now she cant be arsed.

THE FIST YEAR YOU WILL FEED.

THE SOCOUND SHE WILL FEED YOU!

 

The answer lies in what you have said mate, dont over-do the training when the dog is young. For me, I get the basic commands out of the way early on and then shall we say "top them up" every now and again, but don't over-do it otherwise the dog will lose interest, after all they aren't robots!