Breaking Dog To Ferrets?

[irishdogs 48]

It is essential to break your dogs to ferrets from pups if possible to make things easier in the field when they are adults ... Obviously more difficult when its an adult dog ... I have a half door on one of my ferret courts and my young bitch will often jump in there pick up one of the ferrets drop jump back out drop it on the yard and carry on the process until all the ferrets are in the yard where she takes great joy in playing with them lol .......

Can't see this fella getting to that level with the ferrets but if I can get them to the stage that gaz1989 and fireman's picture show I will be happy

[lifelong cumbrian 1,826]

 

Make a little wire cage that you can put the ferret in to let the dog see it for the first few times, you may have to put the dog on a lead. A mink trap is ideal for this. Just keep letting the dog see the ferret everyday, watch its reactions, you will need to get confidence in the dog before you can let the ferret out, keep it on lead at this stage and talk to the dog telling it to leave it.

It is very easy to train a pup to ferrets but it could be difficult for a 2 year old dog that has had a lot of kills, If the dog is steady it could be possible. My ferrets are in the same shed as my dogs so they accept them 100%.

Don't put your ferret in a cage, it will fret and move back and forth, the dog will pick up the signals and it will have the opposite effect. Show him the ferret in your hand, in a 'calm' environment. At first.

 

 

Each to their own, I put my ferrets in the cage every day when cleaning them out, they are 100% ok in it and don't fret one bit. Obviously if the ferret was fretting I would not use that method.