Breaking Dogs To Ferrets

[mrgjones 64]

got myself 3 ferrets and all the gear i need to get started today. id like to take my 2 terriers along but not untill im 100% happy there safe around the stinkers. the dogs are both 2 and a bit years and have done a lot ov ratting. has eanyone had eany luck breaking them at this age ans how did you go about it? there pretty steady dogs and good with all live stock.

 

atb mr g

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

My bitch wanted to kill them when I got her. She was about 2/3 years old.

 

Just time mate. Loads of time. Keep the "no" command the same. I used a cup of water and if she went to grab them threw it at her and said "leave".

 

I put 3 ferrets on the patio to play around (there is a 2 foot wall around the patio so the ferts can't go anywhere) and kept my bitch on a lead at first. Then when I was fairly confident she knew they were off the menu I let her off the lead and made her lie down and watch them playing. If she went towards them she got the water.

 

Then once I was happy she knew the score I gave them a saucer of milk to all share.

 

Good luck.

[bobby blackheart 1,209]

My bitch wanted to kill them when I got her. She was about 2/3 years old.

 

Just time mate. Loads of time. Keep the "no" command the same. I used a cup of water and if she went to grab them threw it at her and said "leave".

 

I put 3 ferrets on the patio to play around (there is a 2 foot wall around the patio so the ferts can't go anywhere) and kept my bitch on a lead at first. Then when I was fairly confident she knew they were off the menu I let her off the lead and made her lie down and watch them playing. If she went towards them she got the water.

 

Then once I was happy she knew the score I gave them a saucer of milk to all share.

 

Good luck.

was that a lurcher or a terrier gaz? hard to break a 2 yr old terrier thats been killing vermin.not saying it cant be done mind-double trouble with 2 atb mate get a muzzle

[nothernlite 18,077]

big difference between a lurcher and a terrier no a easy one good luck

[lifelong cumbrian 1,826]

Be a bit harder when they are not pups and have done rats but is possible. It is very easy to train a pup but could be more difficult in your situation. I have my ferret cage in my dog shed so from pups my dogs and ferrets are always around each other. I would make a wire cage you can put on the garden and let the dogs see them (one at a time), while telling it to leave. You might have to do this for a fair while, you will soon get a good idea as to the intent of the dog. When you get the dogs ferret trained you need to also get the ferrets dog proof. Last thing you want is a ferret nipping a dog that has done rats.

[mrgjones 64]

muzzle sounds like a good idea. just taken the dogs out to the cage one at a time to see them for the first time. thay were both verry interested but not baying and wineing as thay would [BANNED TEXT] marking a rat. after 5 mins of snifing about the dog would just start doing laps ov the yard like he always dose at nite but the bitch just sits and watches them. its gona be slow progress but ill get there dont realy want to have to leave the dogs at home.

[Mick C. 229]

Broke a Russell bitch to ferrets last season but she hadn't done work of any kind

 

She was very dodgy around the ferrets .

 

I was constantly using a very sharp sound something like TSHTT followed by leave it or GET YOU

 

She started to respond to this but once I took her out hunting she became unsteady eventually after a few dodgy outings she began to realise that when a ferret was entered ther was a good possibility that a rabbit would bolt and these were fair game.

 

Seeing the other two dogs work with the ferrets without the rollockings also helped a great deal I think.

 

I think if she had worked rats first then it would have been a more difficult task.

 

Depends on the temperament of the terrier your working with as well I would of thought.

 

As with everything little and often will usually produce a good outcome

 

Best of luck

[Mick C. 229]

Get the ferret out and handle it in front of the dog you will soon see what the dogs intent is.

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

Mine was a lurcher not terrier. Sorry for any confusion.

 

And I agree a terrier that's been working vermin would be much more difficult

[onthehunt 40]

My lurchers have grown up with ferrets so they were playing together as pups/kits. although one of my bitches did turn funny when she came of age as she started to work became a bit over zealous around the ferrets but took her a couple of months to learn that they were not game by working on outings with the ferrets. This has only happened with her not my other two. Depends on the dog they should all be treated as individuals. good luck

[Foxhole 22]

i would never trust a terrier round a ferret . I have two terriers and i would not even attempt it. I am sure others have with success ....

Edited October 27, 2013 by Foxhole

[Stretch177 39]

It is going to be a very long and testing time for you to train the terriers to leave the ferrets, even if terriers haven't worked they can take time to break them, yours having already worked rats are going to be extremely difficult. Not saying impossible but very unlikely and could take months and months.

 

I have a terrier who has been broken to the ferrets since she was 4 months, never had any problems with her while out ferreting as she soon clicked on what they are used for. Also the whole ferret cages and run are full mesh front, so the dogs see them daily in the cages and also when they are let out around the garden.

 

Good luck as your going to need it

[mrgjones 64]

had a few hours out today in the gail forse wind! firstly the ferrets wer spot on had 6 in the bag 2 digs dog had one in cover , neted the rest then because of geting pissed off neting up on my own in the rain desided to bolt the last set and have a go with the 12g missed 4. beter stick to the purse nets!.

eanways back to the dog breaking situation. i desided in my wisdom that if my little bitch new the ferrets wer part ov the team the mabe the penny would drop a bit quicker. so i used the dog to put rabbits to ground. then put the ferret box on the floor while i neted up an let the dog run loose she would have a sniff ove the box then go back to nocking all my nets off.

 

[BANNED TEXT] i got set up i tiyed the dog well back from the holes and used on stinker at a time so i could defo catch it before it got to the dog! but she was good as gold not a whine out ov her [BANNED TEXT] the ferret was on top. and by the end she seemed bord ov the sight ov them. but [BANNED TEXT] a bunnie hits the net shes goin up the wall. so i let her hold one in the net from a pop hole keeping her on the lead. so i think after seeing wat goes on today shes starting to figure things out a bit. at the end ov the day i sat with the ferret in my hands and let her have a sniff ov it and she was good. no were near there yet i want to start with the bitch because she leads the dog and sets an example to him so the plan is get her on side then the dog should be easy. its gona take a while but after today im confident i can do it. love to have both dogs off the lead in the garden with the stinkers by the summer. thats wat im aiming for. but if it goes wrong the mrs will have my f****n pants down! cheers mr g

[Mick C. 229]

 

The terrier I refer to is a jack russel bitch.

 

She was a fully mature dog when I took her on.

 

Luckily for me she had a very easy nature.

 

 

[mrgjones 64]

nice dog mick looks a happy little thing.