marklestrange Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 (edited) I bunny bust now and am working my way up to deer with courses and center-fire rifle club target shooting.I have 3 children aged 4-7I have an outside shed that could be fitted out for ferrets with some heating etc and a small garden. The primary purpose would be as family pets but ........ Ferrets: I've either known pet ferrets that seem great as pets or ferreting ferrets that I'd want thick gloves for.Can they be 'dual' use? Dogs:If god forbid, I wounded a deer, a dog would be good but like the ferrets I've either known working dogs kept outside under quite strict discipline or pet dogs that would be useless at anything.Will the kids ruin it for practical purposes?.... small fly in ointment..... kid allergies mean I need a poodle or poodle cross (cocadoodle?)Can they track at all da'ya think?(I have worked with a bloody good poodle gun dog before which had 20 x the brains of any retriever I have ever met.) Edited October 3, 2013 by marklestrange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 Er yes and yes , though the latter will take more work . Ferrets are quite capable of being pets and workers , the more handling they have the less likely they are to bite . What I cant understand is why one or the other ? , they both do different jobs so if you need ferrets getting a dog is no use and likewise a ferret is not going to track deer . So if you feel you need both then get both a couple of ferrets is not going to break the bank after all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted October 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 (edited) I don't think the wife would be up for a dog AND ferrets, well not in the same year ;-) I now have a vision of a deer stalking ferret LOL It's good to know that you can have 'tame' pet working ferrets.It would be for a bit of a hobby for the rabbits as I don't think I could match a nights lamping for getting rabbits efficiently, so I don't 'need' them as such.I thought it might be good for the kids to go ferreting with me as shooting isn't something I can take the three of them with me. I'm not that confident about training a dog to track only having had 'pet' ones before but it would be an interesting challenge, and isn't 'required' for deer, just if I could pull it off it would be damned useful. Edited October 3, 2013 by marklestrange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essex Keeper Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 After watching the lads on the farm last week with ferrets I hope you like digging holes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted October 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 m2tyj ....A friend said wait till the kids are old enough to dig before getting ferrets....... mmmmmmm staying up all night trying to recover a full fat ferret having a kip down a hole doesn't sound much like fun I have to admit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 I'd get a very small dog that can do both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 Get ferrets, handle them well when young and they won't bite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted October 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 Would I then be digging out a dog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Mongrel- Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 You can have a pet dog that works. I do. She's a retriever, but hadn't retrieved anything but tennis balls until 4. She now retrieves pigeon, rabbit and 'fowl. I'll admit that I wouldn't put her on a game shoot, but that's my (lack of) doing rather than her failing. She's a fowling dog that's kept ticking over on pigeon and rabbit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flynny Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 (edited) Edited, don't want come across as cruel if the op is serious, Atb Flynny Edited October 3, 2013 by flynny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 I'd get a very small dog that can do both. m2tyj ....A friend said wait till the kids are old enough to dig before getting ferrets. ...... mmmmmmm staying up all night trying to recover a full fat ferret having a kip down a hole doesn't sound much like fun I have to Please tell me it's a wind up ? If not I apologise Atb. Flynny My reply is clearly deadly serious ........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubby Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 fitted out for ferrets with some heating why??? ferrets have fur coats, it's not the cold that kills them, its heat in the summer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted October 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 (edited) No wind up Flynny, the wife has said the kids can have a pet..........So I'm trying to see if can get a pet with benefits! (or did you mean the bit about digging out dogs) ;-) Edited October 3, 2013 by marklestrange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flynny Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 No wind up Flynny, the wife has said the kids can have a pet.......... So I'm trying to see if can get a pet with benefits! Why do you want it to sign on as we'll ha ha ha, Nice one 10 out of 10 Atb Flynny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malkiserow Posted October 3, 2013 Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 (edited) No wind up Flynny, the wife has said the kids can have a pet.......... So I'm trying to see if can get a pet with benefits! Do you live in Wales by any chance? Ewe never know when you want a friendly pet to come home to. Edited October 3, 2013 by malkiserow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted October 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 why??? ferrets have fur coats, it's not the cold that kills them, its heat in the summer I didn't know that friend of a friend has lots of ferrets and he has an infra red bulb in his shed so I thought they needed/liked that. Well, learnt something, ta, that makes it easier still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted October 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 Why do you want it to sign on as we'll ha ha ha, Nice one 10 out of 10 Atb Flynny ******, I just spat red wine on my keyboard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted October 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2013 Do you live in Wales by any chance? Ewe never know when you want a friendly pet to come home to. ouch lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted October 4, 2013 Report Share Posted October 4, 2013 I don't understand the distinction with working ferrets and pet ones? I'd never have a pet ferret anyway and find it hard to understand why u would? Each to there own thou But wot good is a working ferret that bites u, absolutely no good, if u have to dig a stick ur hand down a dark hole u want to be reasonably confiident ur ferret won't bite u, u will still get nipped occasionally mind. I was inherited 6 really wild *******, had been turned loose and someone caught them in a greenhouse and i took them on and rehomed some, they truely were b *****d's, and u had to wear guantlets, no good for anything, i eventually caught them 1 at a time and let them bite my clenched fist on the knucle and forced my knucle into there mouth a bit, just a bit of pressure, ferrets don't like it, they almost stopped biting overnight and become not bad workers the ones i kept. Different if getting young ones but prob a bad time off year for finding kits now. Same with a dog not a big difference between a well trained pet and a working dog, even a tracking dog can be a family pet no problems. As for the allergy problems stick dogs in a kennel and run, dogs are quite happy,get there own space and peace and quiet from ur kids, gives them a better coat anyway being outside Depending on the level u want to track deer to, but most natural thing in the world for a dog to follow a scent trail almost all dogs would follow a fresh blood trail. While i think it is a great thing to have a tracking dog if ur shooting deer, u sound like u don't shoot an awful lot, if ur careful and only take easy heart lung shots at sensible ranges in sensible places u can manage fine without a dog, many have done it for years. I have no pressure for cull's so have turned down safe deer if i have any doubts about recovery ie near to some real thick woods, neighbours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marklestrange Posted October 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2013 (edited) Cheers Scotslad, good info.The kids want pets - and they liked ferrets they saw at some shelter they got taken too.Well that was the starting point for a low level long term 'pester'.Never having trained a dog for work, my feeling was pretty much any dog could follow a scent. Dogs I had when young were well behaved and would come to heal and not require a lead, but that was the only skill I really needed them to master, I think trainning a true gun dog would be much harder but I don't need to go that far so it sounds very doable. If it isn't it's not critical for deer as you have pointed out.I may have landlord issues and/or neighbor issues with a dog so that is another potential issue.I like your take on ferrets, a good pet and a good working ferret would be the same. I'm getting closer to a decision and it's looking like a pair of ferrets. Edited October 5, 2013 by marklestrange Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted October 4, 2013 Report Share Posted October 4, 2013 Would never have a pet ferret anyway so have no idea wot u look for in a pet, but a good working ferret will not bite, althou u will get nipped every now and again. A biting ferret is useless and no good setting nets with gloves on or feeling for rabbits with gloves on. The ferrets have to want to come to u otherwise can end up with ferrets that hide just in the mouth off the hole and b ***er about all day Even a dog it's not really that hard to train a dog to an average working standard, there are some truely shocking dogs on beating lines up and down shoots all over the country. If u can get it to recall, walk to heel and stop on whistle ur pretty much there to a basic level, without the basics u will never get it to do anything more, get the basics right and u cn take it further. There is a massive ammount off help and advice out there now for training a gun dog or scenting/tracking dog really not that hard when ur shown the easy way Most dogs wll follow a scent to some degree, but some are far better at it than others and some take the associated obedience training ansd sitting quietly for long periods easier If u have them both outside no real reason u couldn't have both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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