Could you train a collie to round up rabbits into the longnet at night?

[whippeter69 88]

Whilst ferreting today with my mate he bought his collie(awesome marker) and we talked about training a pure collie to hurd rabbits into the longnet at night, would this be an easy task do you think, whats your views?

Edited January 18, 2009 by whippeter69

[Brimmer 220]

  whippeter69 said:

Whilst ferreting today with my mate he bought his collie(awesome marker) and we talked about training a pure collie to hurd rabbits into the longnet at night, would this be an easy task do you think, whats your views?

A pure collie is a very underated dog for rabbits. The right dog can turn it's hand to anything. Know the odd farmer where we go who have had to get rid of them cause they prefer the rabbits than working the sheep. No good when they have spent 2 hrs gathering.

 

Watched one work the hill sheep a few weeks ago, it kept up a blistering pace for over an hour, a pace fast enough to catch rabbits as well. I'm slowly beginning to think a straight collie would do the job on our pemission, they were bred for the ground, rarely get knocked up as well.

You can see the thinking behind the crosses that the old timers put into there dogs. Bit less speed, but still enough.

[dom randall 0]

  Brimmer said:

  whippeter69 said:

Whilst ferreting today with my mate he bought his collie(awesome marker) and we talked about training a pure collie to hurd rabbits into the longnet at night, would this be an easy task do you think, whats your views?

A pure collie is a very underated dog for rabbits. The right dog can turn it's hand to anything. Know the odd farmer where we go who have had to get rid of them cause they prefer the rabbits than working the sheep. No good when they have spent 2 hrs gathering.

 

Watched one work the hill sheep a few weeks ago, it kept up a blistering pace for over an hour, a pace fast enough to catch rabbits as well. I'm slowly beginning to think a straight collie would do the job on our pemission, they were bred for the ground, rarely get knocked up as well.

You can see the thinking behind the crosses that the old timers put into there dogs. Bit less speed, but still enough.

i used to go lamping and ferreting wiyh and old farmer who used to use a pure collie it was one of the best hunting dogs iv ever seen in all the years i went out with that dog i cant ever remember it carrying any knocks or bumps it was a first class dog even after a full days work on the farm

[whin 463]

got dogs here with maybe less than a half coli maybe nearer the qaurter who hunt in a circle, father of her hunted the same, wouldnt be to hard to get them to herd a net or worked a feild , the trick is to train it to do that well , what happens if a roes in feild etc i wouldnt expect it to juast say well im on rabbits tonite so youse are safe , you can send them over a feils theyl rake it out and come back with qaurry or emty handed , ye you could train a dog to work a net ,read harold wymans book a classic , briimer as for pure collies my old mate had a bitch called maggie one the feild trails twice was d slieghts cassy crossed a border colli it caught rabbits he worked the same land as you , but was no speedster brimmer ,but durable ,but was limited on other game so strictly only rabbs but a good little dog in her day ,brimmer ive got a few dogs six past unconventional rabb dogs but for your ground well you would like them and think well colies are fine but not everything, not a toe injurie ,on all qaurry mate at six past , and clever and sensible on all sorts of land , its not the coli saluki etc its the stamp of dog and how they are bred mate honestly, saw colies that i wouldnt have for nothing yours look a stamp, nice type , see several dogs bud before you get something

[Brimmer 220]

I know they are slower than a cross, but some of the working hill types are not much slower than a heavy cross. Plus they have stamina like some fellers won't believe.

Speeds not everything, just part of it. They lack in certain areas, but they will still be there season after season, without the same injury's a lot of dog's will pick up.

Yes Whin, they would be limited, but the limits would work for me and the rabbits i think.

[Neal 1,875]

I've only owned working dogs for about seventeen years, far less than some, and for nine of those years I've hunted with one or more pure kelpies. During that time my kelpies have accounted for more game than the lurchers I'd previously owned. By no means am I saying that pure sheepdogs are better rabbiting dogs than lurchers; it's simply that I find they do better on the ground I use them on. Good luck if you decide to give a herding dog a go.

[Guest night time my time]

the only way to long net for me mate,this old bitch cant catch em anymore so its the best exersise she gets,shes 3/4 collie grey x stright collie

i see micky watching so i must add thats border collie,lol

Edited January 18, 2009 by night time my time

[whin 463]

all im saying brimmer see a few dogs first then make your mind up as it aint no comp when your out doing it mate ive always had collie types beardies and some border types , but got a six year old dog now hard worked and getting old but a more sensible dog you wouldnt ask for ,maybe weel meet up your welcome up here or ill come down there ,yours looks better land for rabbits mate, mines for all sorts of qaurry and have a bit fun , cheers , ye a fast colli would do but some get lazy early in life and only catch easy game which is good when they are plenty about .and well some try like fech like the old bitch i have just your luck mate,

[Guest night time my time]

that ol gel in the pic is nocking on 12 mate and dont know the meaning of the word lazy,still put a spriner to shame roughing out cover all day,just lost the top end she used to have,getting painfull to see her getting so old,some people will never know the meaning of an alround dog,

[whin 463]

got one old colli type still mad for it after eight seasons but got run over and pinned so sore for her ,but still willing to hunt like fech ,used her mainly for roe and hares and the odd rabbit and fox, good dog in her prime but saw lots of coli types just not bred [bANNED TEXT] mate, why do you think lots of guys got diffrent crosses beacause for a while the market of dogs were pretty poor and only a good handful kept it going trying diffrent types , now its even keeled ,but saturated with bull crosses and saluks and there alot not bred [bANNED TEXT] ,up in scotland weve had coli types for year and i mean years , mostly for roe hares rabbs and the odd fox , and some used them for netting , but alot were wastage couldnt perform and well thats why people turned to saluks and there crosses for bigger land , only saw a percentage of colli types who could do it realy well , rest were no better than any other lurcher type , ive had saluks crosses for eighteen years and back then you hardly saw a saluk cross in scotland , infact half of them ddidnt rate them until they saw them run the big land , always will have colli types but not in any order just good to good mate

[whin 463]

got one old colli type still mad for it after eight seasons but got run over and pinned so sore for her ,but still willing to hunt like fech ,used her mainly for roe and hares and the odd rabbit and fox, good dog in her prime but saw lots of coli types just not bred [bANNED TEXT] mate, why do you think lots of guys got diffrent crosses beacause for a while the market of dogs were pretty poor and only a good handful kept it going trying diffrent types , now its even keeled ,but saturated with bull crosses and saluks and there alot not bred [bANNED TEXT] ,up in scotland weve had coli types for year and i mean years , mostly for roe hares rabbs and the odd fox , and some used them for netting , but alot were wastage couldnt perform and well thats why people turned to saluks and there crosses for bigger land , only saw a percentage of colli types who could do it realy well , rest were no better than any other lurcher type , ive had saluks crosses for eighteen years and back then you hardly saw a saluk cross in scotland , infact half of them ddidnt rate them until they saw them run the big land , always will have colli types but not in any order just good to good mate

[stormrider8 59]

Dont think hurding's the right word mate, rabbits could never be hurded and driven the way you wanted them to go like sheep, there natural intstinct is to escape.

[JordKil 0]

I wouldnt say they could herd them unless it was an enclosed space. But I run my collie/springer on rabbits and hes deadly quick on them. He even outruns the lurcher that lives near by (but that dog is shit stupid and soo unfit) the only problem iv had is that they cant pick the rabbits off the ground that easily (well mine cant) he nips them and bites at them until they cant run anymore then he goes in for the kill. Or he'll just pick off a bolter when ferreting.

 

Atb

Jordan

[doga 50]

  stormrider8 said:

Dont think hurding's the right word mate, rabbits could never be hurded and driven the way you wanted them to go like sheep, there natural intstinct is to escape.

i think your right mate,a dog should quarter a field to nock up rabbits that alone drives them to your net,you wouldnt see a dog go out at night to bring them back to you,dogs dont need to run on to fare just need to realise the net has the job coverd.

[heart of wales 19]

I would have thought a lightweight border collie would exel behind a long net as most of thier comands used for sheep work are directional such as away to me or get out by right or left most of ours will run out the length of the field without any sheep in it,which would scare the rabbits shitless,then lay down and stay,if the dogs getting to close to the net.Would like to work sheep with a dog that has been hunted regular on rabbits though ,they much prefer rabbit lot more fun and less grumpy.

 

Good thread

Edited January 19, 2009 by heart of wales