Hunting with terriers

Mallard123

hi
i was just wondering which of the following breeds of terrier would suit best for woodcock shooting as i plan on getting one to experiment with.
Patterdale terrier
Jack Russell
Lakeland
Fox terrier
Border

thanks

landkeeper

non really unless you want to spend time waiting for it to come out when it goes to ground ,even if you don't train it to it's instincts will take over at some point and down it'll go
sod law will come into play

Spunk84

Mallard123 wrote: »

hi
i was just wondering which of the following breeds of terrier would suit best for woodcock shooting as i plan on getting one to experiment with.
Patterdale terrier
Jack Russell
Lakeland
Fox terrier
Border

thanks

There all fox dogs mate, Airedale is the only one seen actual work fur and feather , as LK says the first rabbit or den it sees, it's gone

Mallard123

i'm doubting what u know or anything but why then do beaters use terriers on big shoots along with spaniels?

fallowbuck

Spunk84 wrote: »

There all fox dogs mate, Airedale is the only one seen actual work fur and feather , as LK says the first rabbit or den it sees, it's gone

The irish terrier to has been used in past times for fur and feather and also retrieving post and documents from trench to trench in ww2 as good as any labrador... but like the airedale and most kennel club reg breed of terrier alot of the good trades a terrier once had have been lost more or less. Due to companionship or breeding for profit . Im sure there are some out there but aim for a gundog your far better of. What little percentage of terriers that are about that do hunt they would be ground dogs no use for what you want.

Spunk84

Mallard123 wrote: »

i'm doubting what u know or anything but why then do beaters use terriers on big shoots along with spaniels?

never knew they use terriers on driven shoots?

Mallard123

ya they do. not as much as spaniels or anything but ya theyare used. anyway i mainly just want it for beating cover as i have a retriever. please mention any other breeds you may know that could be of use.
thanks

landkeeper

the reason that spaniels and such like have been bred for years to flush game and terriers have been bred to work earths is simply that they are bred for different things horses for courses and all that, i have seen almost every sort of gundog working over the last thirty years or so and
you will have to go along way to beat ess and cockers for woodcock shooting in my opinion, however!!! i did once work on a place where the best beating dock was a miniature poodle and she was dynamite brilliant nose and rock steady

fallowbuck

I ve been on a number of shoots and yes seen plenty of terrier also sheepdogs and every kind a mongrel beaten cover . What i believed was mallard wanted a dog for woodcock was just trying to direct him in the right direction. Personally i would stay away from terriers if it was for woodcock imo. I own 12 terriers between wheaten, jack r and the rest patterdale and I no if i let them of in cover they would be looking for fox sent not woodcock even the pups would be far keener on fox sent than woodcock then by by to ground they go. What i was mentioning earlier was just how years ago they used to use terrier for all type of work not just ground work like i said previously the irish terrier and also the kerryblue used for herding sheep and so on. Not that i have ever seen this with my own two eyes but going on the number of books ive read. Im no expert on terriers but an admirer and have been around working terriers all my life not lapdog and would love to see terrier doing all sorts of work including beating for woodcock but i think they would be hard to find not impossible but hard to find so what i was politly trying to say you might be wasting your time.

Mallard123

but do terriers not flush foxs etc(when not in holes) by picking up there scent and then going into the ditch,furs or cover?surely their styles aren't that different.its the same sort of idea as what a spaniel would do:find a scent of game and get all excited and go in or be sent in by the handler

blackstairsboy

Terriers have been bred for hundreds of years to hunt foxes rabbits etc. Gundogs have been bred for hundreds of years to hunt gamebirds etc.
Its just the way it is there is some exceptions to the rule but in general different breeds do their respective jobs. In my opinion you are trying to put a square peg in a round hole by buying a terrier to specifically hunt woodcock.

fallowbuck

A terrier will hunt the sent of fox no prob. What we are trying to say a terrier will probably miss 50% of woodcocks cause they were not breed for that. They would not find them as interesting as a foxes sent its fact so by missing 50% of the bird they would not make a good woodcock dog. They may rise one if the sent is strong or accidently bump into one. But if your adiment on getting a terrier for bird just get an airedale or irish terrier they have been used in the past for bird but a think by a small number of people so to find the line's would be nearly imposible. But best of luck I do think its interesting what you are trying to do but its going to be hard to turn the terrier into a worth while woodcock dog I just tink your better dedicating your time to a cocker or some other gun breed all the best.

Mallard123

thanks guys

MacraPat

I think the guys above are right mallards, if you're serious about a woodcock dog go for a spaniel. If you're looking for a mischievous companion which may increase your woodcock bag than if you were to go it alone then the terrier might be your boyo. I've a wee Irish terrier bitch here at home, she's got a great nose but none of the sense to use it. I wouldn't let her off the lease in case she'd disappear after a fox, hare, deer or anything else that'd move! I think if the Irish were bred for a few generations to be bird dogs they'd excell but unfortunately that's not going to happen. Here's a link for a video of the old style Teastas Mór and Teastas Beag, It'd take something similar to this to again to start up the interest in getting our Native Terrier breeds working as intended.

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=19874

Mallard123

thing is lads we already have 2 springers and as i say its only for an experiment. even if it didn't work out too well for woodcock i'd find some use for it maybe with foxes or ratting

Spunk84

what about a bedlington terrier?????? Also on another point you have to realize, what will the woodcock look like when you get it back:D id say there wont be anything left of it when a terrier gets it! but check out the bedlington terrier

Mallard123

Mallard123 wrote: »

i'm doubting what u know or anything but why then do beaters use terriers on big shoots along with spaniels?

sorry meant to say "i'm not doubting" earlier.didn't mean to appear arrogant or anything i have dogs to retrieve anyway and i'm sure either they or i will get there before a terrier. besides i don't think it would try to take a bird off one of my dogs when its only a pup. i think i have to laugh mysellf though if i brought a bedlington out with me

junospider

I have shot many woodcock over leggy russell bitch.Not just woodcock but pheasants,foxes and rabbits too.Anything that was in the cover would leave it quickly.It made for very exciting hunting.

Birdnuts

I have a Cairn cross that certainly puts up more then his fair share of pheasants - especcially in thick scrub/woodland:)

junospider

I am looking for a rough coated parson russell type female puppy.Must be from top working lines,maybe fallowbuck could point me in the right direction!

fallowbuck

P/m you junospider