Breaking pup to ferrets

[Frosty79 75]

Hi guys any advice on breaking my 12 week old terrier  pup to ferrets, I have a ferret and the pups trying to bite through the cage to get at it.my lurchers were no problem breaking in a nip on the nose as a pup through the cage and they never bothered again any tips would be appreciated

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

If it’s a confident pup you will have your work cut out if it shows that amount of wanting to kill it .

Ideally a bit  younger would of been my choice but I know plenty of lads that have broken adults to ferrets .

[the lamping ferreter 160]

I would usually say your method have the cage the other side of the run so he can see it but not bite it maybe 

[Squirrel_Basher 17,100]

Just drive the little fella mad mate ,needs a one to one with reprimand daily 

[king 11,972]

get the ferret in your hand and sit on the floor let the pup have a sniff etc.if he want's to bite the ferret. give him a tap on the nose and a firm no.let them share some food.

no good having either behind mesh looking at each other.it will frustrate the dog no end.

handle the ferret for a few min's untill your hand's smell of ferret then rub your hands all over the dog's head especially around his muzzle nose etc.

so he is continually having the smell of ferret going up his nose.

but the no1 thing to do is keep everything chilled out and relaxed and nice and quiet and calm.

[the lamping ferreter 160]

Suppose so if his determined I broke my pup on the day got the ferret out in my hand and everytime he came close I gave him a smack on the nose didnt take long then we was ferreting Job done he has been bitten twice not through going for one but for just getting to close but that's only because I didnt take the time to let the pup see him through the cage ect when I first got him 

[Aussie Whip 4,125]

Yeah,reprimand when excited around the ferrets,praise when calm.As you said nipping alright on most lurchers but not terriers.Just have the terrier around the cage a lot till it ignores the ferrets.

[Frosty79 75]

The pup lives in the house so its not looking at it all the time,thanks for input I'll just spend plenty time with them its a clever pup recall retrieve and sit coming on a treat

[eastcoast 4,159]

The job is as good as done mate. The pup is only 12 week old, you have ferrets on site and seem to have common sense. That's all you need.

I would be concerned if a terrier pup, a proper terrier pup, was not letting the devil drive him on with a ferret. It will be the 1st furry little thing he has came across in his life?

Control the exposure. Let one ferret out during the exposure (assuming it knows dogs), have him on a lead. Let him sniff etc. Give a little flick on the muzzle when/if he tries to use his mouth. Use the lead, use your voice. I would not personally advise trying to share a bowl of food or drink with the ferret until the little fella understands that this is an animal that he is not allowed to harm and is on our side. Even then, with a terrier, it's pushing things.

He will soon understand but may not be happy with it until you start ratting or rabbiting with him. Then he will understand that ferrets are a good thing. Clever dogs they are but wired differently to the "typical" lurcher.

Obviously these are just my personal opinions. There are no rules, only laws when it comes to terriers. But the above is very brief explanation of what has worked for me and I have had terriers that were 100% broken to ferrets. Unfortunately I have come across terriers that were only 95% broken to ferrets.

 

 

Edited March 26, 2019 by eastcoast
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