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Hello lads, merry Christmas and all that. I’ve got a terrier in my kennels that starting to test my patience. 
 
Great dog, keen as mustard and all that but time and time again I’ve broken through to her steadily baying away only to find she’s sat with something mid tube on one occasion I broke though and there was nothing there however last week I said to myself if I break through I’ll clear the tubes up and pop her back in to make sure it isn’t my fault rather than blame her. Lo and behold it was sat about a meter back from the open end of the tube and eventually bolted itself - Happy says, a nice morning out (I only dig on my own and keep it private).
 
However today we popped over to seasoned place, in she went, which was an incredibly large earth with multiple holes spanning across a bracken bank. Straight away she sat at 2.4 baying away well, too many entrances to net I kept an eye out for the bolt but nothing was to be seen. For the next hour maybe two she barley surfaced and worked the entire earth sitting and baying on occasion but shortly moving on and covering a great distance. Eventually on one occasion when she popped out, nose down looking for the next way in I picked her up and sat her back in the truck as I didn’t want to be sat there for another hour trying to get a mark. 
 
my question is simple, what am I doing wrong? Or is the bitch at fault for not working her quarry to a stop end and staying. She isn’t massively experienced however for what’s she’s done I’ve found she’s intelligent and very safe often comes away without a mark. Please don’t recommend PTS or moving her on, I understand many terriermen wouldn’t tolerate this however for the times I have dug to her successfully it has been a great pleasure. I’ve had a conversation with a lad local to me and his response was “she’s not hard enough to hold them” which made me think one man’s preference may not be another’s. 
 
all the best & happy new year 

Morning lads,
so I’ve always had black fell terriers and work them to ground. But for a few years I’ve noticed people starting work slightly broken coated very short coupled terriers that are little savages. I never really get a clear answer to what’s in them but I really like the look of them.
 
one chap told me he’d crossed his Sealyham with a Russel and it turned out a good little worker. Just wondering if anyone else has had any experience with this breeding specifically for earth work? 
 
thanks 

Good evening Gents,
 
Using this platform again as I find it a great way to reach out into a pool of knowledge and great experience.
 
Now I don’t work my terriers to hounds here in Ireland, but more than often will find myself having a wonder about my permission and trying the terriers in some common spots. However, I have noticed I’ve drawn more blank days than good and wanted to know what those who don’t work terriers under hounds provide consistent work for their own, how do you go about your day out to guarantee an earth will be occupied and how do you feel about drawing blank days.
I worry by doing so my terriers will go flat and maybe cause a negative impact on their careers as working terriers. 
 
Go stead, 
Oshea