Teckel

[joelad 1]

Thanks for the input lads

Perhaps i should have been abit more clear when starting the topic.

I didnt expect a teckel to be anywhere in the same league as a patterdale. I’m after something that’s just a steady bayer and can be dug to on a shallow earth or run a drain. Something that can do abit of ratting plus i like the fact you can track with them and also work them alongside gun dogs.

Thanks

[joelad 1]

Just now, joelad said:

Thanks for the input lads

Perhaps i should have been abit more clear when starting the topic.

I didnt expect a teckel to be anywhere in the same league as a patterdale. I’m after something that’s just a steady bayer and can be dug to on a shallow earth or run a drain. Something that can do abit of ratting plus i like the fact you can track with them and also work them alongside gun dogs.

Thanks

And yes a locator collar would be going on

[Rebel 833]

4 hours ago, joelad said:

Thanks for the input lads

Perhaps i should have been abit more clear when starting the topic.

I didnt expect a teckel to be anywhere in the same league as a patterdale. I’m after something that’s just a steady bayer and can be dug to on a shallow earth or run a drain. Something that can do abit of ratting plus i like the fact you can track with them and also work them alongside gun dogs.

Thanks

A teckel from working breeding should do most of that. 

Have a look at West Sussex working teckels on Facebook. He looks to have decent enough stuff and digging lines.

Im sure there are others who keep working teckels that might have pups available.

Good luck with it, they're good fun.

 

[Luke Richardson 2]

A Teckel will do just that, small bit of digging work and ratting,,, tracking up. Bushing. Universal really. They have the heart of a lion... I say to mine if you could look in a mirror and realise what you are you'd have a culture shock. I've got a litter of 5 2 week old and i've knocked so many people back that didn't have a clue. Can't just throw a dog down a hole and expect it to have a do' and be bomb proof.  One guy expecting it to be down the hole after its first jabs. Told him where to go as you can imagine. 

[lurchers 2,762]

Got my ex this bitch off my mate as he has some good ones.This thing would of grafted it I let her.she was always hunting up and could stand her own to

[dillydog 8,462]

The ginger b*****d has had a few, they're a bit of fun but nothing idtake serious 

[Victor_84 189]

On 07/04/2024 at 15:45, Daniel cain said:

They are a fad...just like them jagd terriers....if they was any good,they would be everywhere....they just a money making scheme, same as XL bullies etc....unless you got collars on them... right a  pain in the arse if they drop to ground and you dont know where they are terrier on a lead,dog marks,you collar it up,let it go...no need to f**k about with a formula that already works

By the same logic, patterdales are not common in our area.

[Victor_84 189]

On 07/04/2024 at 10:38, joelad said:

Good Morning

I have been reading numerous threads on here about people who have worked/still work teckels. I know alot of people use them mainly for bushing etc but does anyone have any experience using them for Earth work? 
What are your geniune thoughts on their ability, they seem to be becoming more popular

Many thanks

This is the best thing invented for a earth. When fox skin cost money and earth hunting was popular, classic smooth-haired dachshunds were the most common earth breed. There are very few of them now. Many people keep jagdterriers, because they are universal. But I agree that it is strange for an english hunter to look for a dachshund.

Edited May 5 by Victor_84

[Victor_84 189]

Translation of an god article from a hunting magazine about hunting with a dachshund in our area. I don't know English well, I use an online translator, but I'm correcting it. I hope it will be clear

Dear colleagues in my hobby, today I want to tell you about burrowing hunting with small, funny dogs on short legs that run freely under the sofa without bending down, which were bred in Germany back in the XVI century specifically for hunting badgers and which were safely put on sofas by numerous breeders far from hunting. Yes, I'm talking about a fearless eath hunter – a dachshund.

Somehow it has now developed that dachshunds are considered an decorative breed. There was a case when we came to the hunting farm for a badger and a hunting specialist, writing out a permit for extraction, asked perplexedly: "And where are your jagdterriers?" And when I replied that we had come with a dachshund, and with one dog, and even with a one-and-a-half-year-old, he made it clear that the case, of course, was ours… but there's nothing to do with this dog at all on the hunt. And even more so on the hunt for such an animal as a badger! Looking ahead, I will say that after the hunt, which that hunter observed from beginning to end, his opinion about the breed changed dramatically.

Actually, it is not surprising that the hunter tried to warn us against such an ill-considered, in his opinion, use of a dog. The autumn badger is a small bear that has not yet gone into hibernation, but has already gained fat, with long and sharp claws like knives, located at home, where the walls help. Such a beast with an unprepared dog in a hole can do anything he wants – and seriously injure, and bury, and even kill. The largest badger, which we hunted with a dachshund in the settlement (badger hole), weighed thirty kilograms. But there are also bigger copies. This is a serious opponent for a dog weighing 7-10 kilograms.

Edited May 16 by Victor_84

[Victor_84 189]

continuation...

I didn't compare a badger to a bear for nothing. Although they are from different families, the badger is from the marten, and the bear is from the bear, but their ancestors clearly once sinned against each other. Otherwise, why do they even have a similar footprint? The badger trail is like a bear in miniature… Scared you? I'm scared myself. And now you have to let your pupil loose on this beast. But I must note that a trained dog – with a good team, with all the necessary tools and with a search engine device - can be safely launched into the badger settlement.

So, I'll start in order.

I quite often hear from owners of jagdterriers or fox terriers (and so, it's no secret) that they diligently avoid introducing their dogs to a badger. I don't want to make a fuss about all terriers – I know there are successfully working for badgers in the natural burrow of the jagdterriers, but for the most part their manner of working in the burrow is not quite suitable for hunting badgers. The swift and fearless attack of yagda, close contact, grip – all this often ends in serious injuries. I've already told you: The badger's weapons are not only teeth, but also sharp claws. It doesn't cost him anything to cut open the dog hanging from his grip. I have seen the terrible consequences of such attacks – scalped wounds of the lower jaw, when the skin is pulled down from it to the throat, front teeth knocked out by claws, completely bitten off noses, torn off auricles. The excitement, anger and fearlessness of terriers when hunting badgers do them a disservice.

A dachshund behaves very differently in a hole. To begin with, thanks to the anatomy, the dachshund does not have to crawl on its elbows in a narrow hole. Its short legs allow it to move and maneuver rapidly without being exposed to the blows of an attacking beast. And they allow themselves to lunge, "fence" – with their voice, pinches and punches, forcing the beast to move into a cauldron or a dead end. Usually, the dachshund does not even have to come into full contact with the badger, often we get the dog out of the hole practically uninjured.

Working in full height gives the dachshund another advantage over terriers working on their elbows – when working in a hole, the dachshund does not squeeze its chest in an uncomfortable, non-physiological position when an increased supply of oxygen to the muscles is necessary, it has the opportunity to breathe deeply, which does not bring it to hypoxia.

 

Edited May 16 by Victor_84

[Victor_84 189]

continuation...

There is another advantage of the dachshund. This is a dog that "works with his head." The well-developed central nervous system of representatives of this breed allows you to quickly form new reflexes and predict the situation based on them. In other words, dachshunds learn very quickly and skillfully apply new knowledge in practice.

Now about the team. We almost always hunt with four of us, not counting the dog. Hunting is, let's say, forceful, fervent… Sometimes you have to dig holes three or more meters deep, so the sooner you are replaced, the longer you can rest on the surface and dig into the ground with renewed vigor, the faster you can come to the dog's aid. I must say that my breeder Pavel-Penza is constantly hunting with us. A hunter since childhood, a decade and a half of experience in burrowing with a dachshund – his advice is irreplaceable. Living in another city, he does not miss the opportunity to come to see the work of the dog, which he handed over to me as a puppy. I also want to introduce two other permanent participants – Severa and Petrovich. The team is well-worked, everyone knows what to do, everything is always in its place.

The key to successful badger hunting, not counting the dog, is good shovels. A pair of standard bayonet lengths, a shovel regular and shortened for working in a narrow pit and a small bayonet shovel. The shovels must be properly sharpened, at an acute angle. To chop the roots and cut into the clay. In addition, there is a heavy crowbar or foot, sharpened not with a "pencil", but with a "spatula". A good headlamp. The axe is also good and heavy. There is another item without which I would not recommend hunting a badger in a hole with a dog. This is a search engine. A transmitter is hung on the dog's collar, from which the receiver located at the hunter catches the radio signal. Thus, you can see where the dog is. Firstly, it makes it much easier to find the place where the dog locked the beast. And secondly, if you do not hear the dog's voice from the depths of the earth, then the device at least shows its movement. It means that everything is in order, it means that she is alive. It's very soothing, you know. I am aware of the existence of two types of such search engines – Terrier Finder and Bellman&Flint. We use the second one. I am often asked: but how did they hunt badgers before the invention of these devices? I will answer – the dog works with the voice according to the beast. It can be heard through the thickness of the earth even with the naked ear. Dachshunds with a good, articulate voice were chosen for the tribe. But no matter what the voice of a burrowing fighter is, if a badger digs up a dog in soft sandy soil, cuts off its way to the exit, covering it with earth in a dead end or pocket, the dog will fall silent and, if genetics does not have the ability to break through such jams, at best it will only whine, and saving pits will have to be dug at random. So it's just a sin not to use the fruits of scientific and technological progress, since this allows you to help a dog selflessly fighting in a hole with a dangerous opponent.

[Victor_84 189]

continuation...

Actually, it's probably all about preparing for the hunt. Now let's go directly to the process. It is necessary to start with the search for badger settlements. They usually dig their holes in the slopes of forest ravines and, being sedentary animals, do not leave their settlements for no reason. However, brood holes are also found in open fields, near water and a forage base. The hunting season lasts from mid-August to the end of October, but in August the animal is still active, eats, has gained not enough fat, and it is better to let it catch up at this time. So there is very little time left for hunting, a month and a half.

It makes sense to check the burrows from the end of September. The entrance to the badger's living hole is always cleaned. If the gutter is clean, not covered with foliage and other debris, and there are fresh tracks near the hole or scattered awns of badger hair, then you can safely expect to find the owner of the house. The dog will finally confirm this – we put on a radio collar, run the dachshund named Awl into the hole and give it time to search. For five to ten minutes, she moves around the hole until she finds the beast and begins to work in one place with a voice. At this time, we determine the dog's location and depth to centimeters. We give a few more minutes to make sure that the badger is firmly locked in the boiler, and begin to dig a hole.

At this time, the shooter controls the holes. Sometimes it happens that a fox has settled in the badger settlement, and her dog will definitely drive her to the surface, having "exchanged" in the cauldron. So at first, the shooter does not connect to strength exercises with a shovel. But when it becomes clear that we are not dealing with a fox, the team gets to work in full force. Most often, the case is not limited to one pit. A dog can stop an animal not in a dead end, but in a transition and keep it there for a long enough time until we start making noise with shovels from the surface. And then the beast will most likely move away in search of a safer place. Well, once again we have to determine the location and start digging – in the hope that this time the beast has reached a dead end. The sounds of shovels crashing into the ground not only frighten the badger, but also tell Awl that we are with her, we are close, we will be there soon. This always gives her confidence, she starts to work more actively, and this can also turn a badger if he has escape routes. Sometimes we manage to remove the soil only with a bayonet, and sometimes it happens that we manage to dig a meter and a half, and only after that it turns out that the beast had somewhere to escape.

[Victor_84 189]

continuation...

Sometimes it happens that the Awl drives the badger all the time almost non-stop. Five to ten minutes on the spot – and back on the road. In these cases, we try to catch the smallest depth and pile on the shovels together. If the depth is a meter, the four of us manage to pass it in five minutes. Because we have good shovels and a strong arm, yes.

But even if such a gift does not happen, nevertheless, after passing our meters into the depth, we somehow reach the cauldron where our trophy sits locked. At this time, it is necessary to determine the direction of the dog's work. In no case should you open the cauldron over the badger – he will certainly be afraid of sudden light, people and break through the dog, simply sweeping it out of his way. At this time, severe injuries may be inflicted on the four-legged assistant. Therefore, we open the cauldron between the dog and the beast or behind the working Awl. For this, we just need our good heavy crowbar. You can open it if there is even forty centimeters left before the passage. We close the exit with a shovel and, carefully breaking the ground, reach the dog. Evacuate the Awl from the boiler, close the entrance with a shovel and clear the gap.

[Victor_84 189]

continuation...

Calm down and put on a good headlamp. And with a flashlight and a gun, the shooter goes down into the pit. We open the entrance to the cauldron, look inside with a lantern – if the beast is there, then it remains to take a firing position and wait for the badger to appear in the gap. A headshot, applause, a dog ruffling its rightful prey. The number of the fraction is unimportant, at this distance – 1-2 meters – any fraction, even for a snipe, flies like a bullet. It is necessary to shoot at the head without fail, so as not to pierce the valuable badger fat, which, if mixed with blood, will become unsuitable for melting. Well, not all of it, of course, but a good piece will go into the trash can. There are barbaric ways of extracting a badger when it is beaten with a pitchfork without a shot, but usually it is a long and painful death, it most likely looks rather unethical, fat and skin deteriorate… You have to have respect for the beast. Therefore, only a headshot.

By the way, proper badger hunting does not end there. It is necessary to reclaim the destroyed settlement. The passages are cleaned, branches are cut with a good (you remember) axe to cover the ceiling in the boiler and in the corridor. A tightly laid roof is covered with good shovels with earth. In this case, after proper reclamation, the burrow will be populated next year. Repeatedly checked. We hunt the same burrows every year – the beast always comes.

So, the hunt is over, there is something to be happy about. We have clearly seen the result of centuries of work on breeding and preserving the breed, the result of the breeder's work, the result of training with the dog, the result of the work of the dog itself. Maybe Awl is not an outstanding bitch, but this does not prevent you from feeling the excitement and, I'm not afraid of this word, the poetry of burrowing hunting...

 

[Victor_84 189]

continuation...

After all, an inside look is valuable. This kind of hunting looks primitive from the outside – they came with shovels, put on a device, dug a hole, killed an animal. And from the inside, these are the experiences of the first minutes – is there a beast? The joy of starting a dog's work. A surge of adrenaline when the dog stopped the beast in the cauldron, disappointment that the beast was able to push through the siege, interest in where the dog would stop the badger again, exhaustion from physical fatigue, emotional tension of the last centimeters, empathy for a small selfless fighter with a beast two or three times larger, the joy of prey, relief after that as soon as you make sure that the dog is all right... On what other hunt is a dog so on equal terms with a beast, and a person is only an observer for the time being? On what other hunt can you experience such a storm of emotions and the whole wide range of human experiences!?