humperdingle Posted October 30, 2012 Report Share Posted October 30, 2012 Getting our first dog soon... Our wee Border Terrier pup will be collected early December So i'm currently trying to learn as much as possible about the breed, but none of the books I have seem to tell me much about going rough shooting with them. I understand they are rather hard-mouthed, so no good for retrieving, but i'd be most grateful of any hints or tips on do's and donts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Actionpigeons Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) I worked one or two in my youth. They make very good digging dogs but take a long time to grow up. Had one that didn’t work until it was 18 months old but once it started it never looked back. Cant really see why you are buying a border terrier for shooting, horses for courses and all that. Thats maybe why none of the books say anything about using them for rough shooting with them. also they are a bad colour for shooting over. Good luck Edited October 31, 2012 by Actionpigeons Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 My Border terrier 'Bounder' has had several hundred days pigeon shooting with me and is a very good companion in the hide and an excellent retriever. I cannot take him game shooting though as he attacks other dogs. He has never been trainable, never comes to heel when I want him to, he chases deer and hares, he had a fight with a dog fox in my garden, he went to ground for 8 days in the last bad winter we had, he has no road sense and he smells. Having said that he is possibly the best dog I have ever had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsdad Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 Borders are brilliant! Mine is epileptic which I am hoping will be controlled with the drugs he has just started but other than that he is bomb proof. He is not aggressive to other dogs unless they start first, then he will do his best to finish it no matter how big they are. He will try to kill anything small and furry though so be aware of that... Mine come beating and decoying and fishing and he loves all of it. He will retreive but not brilliantly but he does put some of the spaniels on the shoot to shame where he will go when they won't and is great at finding pricked birds. Have fun with the little guy when he arrives! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 Getting our first dog soon... Our wee Border Terrier pup will be collected early December So i'm currently trying to learn as much as possible about the breed, but none of the books I have seem to tell me much about going rough shooting with them. I understand they are rather hard-mouthed, so no good for retrieving, but i'd be most grateful of any hints or tips on do's and donts. there is a very good reason they aren't mentioned in books its because they generally aren't used. yes you can get some to beat but they will often make a shed load of noise when they get on something and most of the time it won't be something you can shoot. Then you have to be very careful stopping them going to ground especially if you have any badger sets, generally as a pet they are fine as a rough shooting dog not really ideal. If you stalk deer they can be trained on runners and can be quite useful but otherwise for your sanity I'd leave it at home on a shoot day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) Quite wilful when younger,but as keen as they come,and as long as you don't forget they're terriers you wont be disappointed. Took mine beating from an early age,and had to keep her well under control until she learned to stop/return to the whistle,but apart from that she simply learned from working with other dogs.She will seek out and flush/ retrieve all game(including geese from the water)but not pigeons as she doesn't like the small feathers,and although they can be hard mouthed,as long as quarry doesn't struggle she will return live quarry also. They are fantastic workers and will stop for nothing,and mine has killed uncountable quantities of rats.She is loved by all those on our rough-shoot and in the syndicate,and even though I shoot with owners of all manner of lab's and spaniels,I'll be getting another Border.Fantastic little dogs,and I love mine to bits. Just as an after-thought,if you keep ferrets,or you have small furry pets,keep them apart! Edited October 31, 2012 by Scully Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted October 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 Sorry chaps... Must have had a brain ****... Dunno why I said "Rough shooting" - Meant pigeon shooting!! (Never been rough shooting in my life ) The dog will be mostly a pet. I won't be expecting much of him whilst pigeon shooting, but need to know they can be trained to the gun and not 'do one'. Thanks for the comments so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted October 31, 2012 Report Share Posted October 31, 2012 The dog will be mostly a pet. Mine was bought as a pet for my daughter when she was little,and I just took the dog with me when I went shooting so I didn't have to take her out when I got back.I never expected her to become the invaluable dog she is.She still sleeps on my daughters bed most of the time,but as soon as she hears the keys in the gun cabinet locks I can hear her land on the floor as she jumps off the bed,and I can guarantee she'll be sitting at the top of the stairs watching me as I open the front door.As soon as she sees me take her whistle off the coat rack she's down the stairs like a shot.As anyone with a dog will know,she's more than a pet. You're gonna have great fun....eventually! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul in North Lincs. Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Good little bushing / earth dog........but those that use them for the activities you mention and in the minority. They are terriers, and they arent really noted for sitting still in a hide and retrieving. There plenty of better suited breeds for family life and odd shoots IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted November 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Good little bushing / earth dog........but those that use them for the activities you mention and in the minority. They are terriers, and they arent really noted for sitting still in a hide and retrieving. There plenty of better suited breeds for family life and odd shoots IMO I wouldn't expect a border to retrieve tbh. What I envisage, is: Setting up hide and decoys... When quiet times arrive, take the dog for a wander, come back to hide and repeat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul in North Lincs. Posted November 1, 2012 Report Share Posted November 1, 2012 Im sure you could get a dalmation to sit a hide with you....but whatever takes your fancy lol ;-) if thats the breed of dog you have your mind set on then thats perfectly fine....im just one of those people that believes in having the right tool for the right job. True. They are loyal tough little dogs, with bags of grit and balls...and originally bred to get close and personal with anything furred, particularly things with teeth that bite back...hence the short stubby face.......best of luck with it ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontbeck Posted November 2, 2012 Report Share Posted November 2, 2012 I had Borders for over 25 years and they are a game little dog bred for going to ground to fox but make great pets as well. However, I wouldn`t` take one shooting as the`re not suited. If you just want a companion to share your hide the`ill do as well as any other but it would make more sense to take a dog that would retrieve the birds you can`t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ireland's Finest! Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Great little dog for company, mine is as placid as they come tho, doesn't bate an eyelid at anything that crosses him.. he just lies around and loves getting out for walks not that he does much of it he just strolls around behind me. Lovely little dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Im sure you could get a dalmation to sit a hide with you....but whatever takes your fancy lol ;-) if thats the breed of dog you have your mind set on then thats perfectly fine....im just one of those people that believes in having the right tool for the right job. True. They are loyal tough little dogs, with bags of grit and balls...and originally bred to get close and personal with anything furred, particularly things with teeth that bite back...hence the short stubby face.......best of luck with it ;-) The choice of breed wasn't up to me It will be first and foremost my daughter's dog... A pet... But just gauging opinions on taking the wee mutt out shooting with me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsdad Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 See how you get on with it, don't rush it and I will be very surprised if it doesn't love shooting, won't be as good as a spaniel but still great company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocker boy Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 they are a fantastic terrier for a pet. The real deal Working lines are very rare. Another once excellent working dog destroyed by the show ring ponies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontbeck Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Still plenty of working lines, if you know where to look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocker boy Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 l personnaly know almost every proffesional hunt terrier man in the country. REAL working borders are VERY rare Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontbeck Posted November 4, 2012 Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 Not so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humperdingle Posted November 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2012 OK chaps, be nice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mls77 Posted November 5, 2012 Report Share Posted November 5, 2012 As much as most people are saying you get better dogs for rough shooting I take mine every week he'll work cover no spaniel or lab will look at, will retrieve pricked or dead birds sometimes admittedly the odd one gets slightly chewed on the way back but he's a terrier, I've taken him pigeon shooting hundreds of times and he'll pick up. However after saying all that he's still prone to what I call terrier deafness and at times its infuriating gets the scent of a deer fox or badger and he's gone. Also you've got to trust the people your shooting with because the colouring makes them look foxy. Also a little bit prone to disappearing down terrier sized holes which can be a problem for me the pluses out weigh the minuses I wouldn't change him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazbev Posted November 8, 2012 Report Share Posted November 8, 2012 I have a border,great dog lots of character,I take him to work with me in the van sometimes and hes great company and a good family dog, good for brushing and will go into thick cover but only if he can smell something!Great with kids,brilliant alarm dog (he can hear someone walk down our drive but doesn't bark his head off he will come and find me and whimper if he cant find me he will bark his head off). They need a lot of exercise every day,even on low protein food they go all day, hill walkers often buy them,they are very tough dogs and wont make a fuss even when they are sick or injured. They will work close enough to brush for walked up shooting but if they smell something they are off,if they catch it they will kill it, and chew it,they will chase and go to ground even if you have trained it not to,when they see red mist there will be blood even if its theirs.At night if I walk him I have to keep a close eye on him if he smells or sees charlie he will be off after it. They are very hard mouthed but will retrieve but I wouldn't share a hide with one because they are always busy and wont stay still too long,you would have to walk him for an hour every other hour to keep him happy.I have tried a couple of times and it breaks my heart but he has to stay at home. Borders can be trained and mine is at an acceptable level but it takes a lot of time and you cant give them an inch because they will take a mile, it takes patience and encouragement,if you are hard he will never trust you. I wouldn't recommend a border for a first dog,they are cute but absolute killing machines..... don't be fooled,its a terrier and scared of nothing and not intimidated by the biggest fiercest dogs If you go out with a gun I would get a gundog,I'm getting a springer or a lab in a couple of years.Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsdad Posted November 8, 2012 Report Share Posted November 8, 2012 They are brilliant though despite their perceived faults. They are scared of nothing - there are 2 very aggressive Alsatians in my village and my border hates them. He will even growl at their house. He can't get it in his head that each one is 4 times his size and there are two of them - he just wants to take them on lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.