dob Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Is it pheasablly possible for a fox and a dog to mate. I am guessing the answer is no but why,I have often wondered if anyone has ever raised a fox cub and trained it to retrieve pheasants.that would turn a few heads. Perhaps I am losing the plot but heyho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 it wouldnt last the first drive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dob Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 It would be hectic if nothing else! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fenboy Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Is it pheasablly possible for a fox and a dog to mate. I am guessing the answer is no but why,I have often wondered if anyone has ever raised a fox cub and trained it to retrieve pheasants.that would turn a few heads. Perhaps I am losing the plot but heyho. Yes you are Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I know of a chap that was in to his fox hunting and a member of a small foot pack. One day they bolted a vixen from its den, the dogs did what they do and on inspecting the carcass found she was in milk. The team then dug out the den and found a single fox cub, now a orphan. He picked it up, wrapped it in his coat and took it home with him. He bottle fed it for a while until it could manage solids (mainly rabbit). It ran in the garden with his other dogs until it was big enough to survive on its own. He released it on a local golf course, who were overrun with rabbits and with the help of a local the fox survived. As far as I'm aware the fox lived very happy. So it is possible for dogs and foxes to live and play together, but will they mate? I wouldn't have a clue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Extract from Wik When the differences in number and arrangement of chromosomes is too great, hybridization becomes less and less likely. The wolf, dingo, dog, coyote, and golden jackal diverged relatively recently, around three to four million years ago, and all have 78 chromosomes arranged in 39 pairs.[6] This allows them to hybridize freely (barring size or behavioral constraints) and produce fertile offspring. The side-striped jackal and black-backed jackal both have 74 chromosomes.[7] Other members of the Canidae family, which diverged seven to ten million years ago, are less closely related to and cannot hybridize with the wolf-like canids;[6] the red fox has 34 metacentric chromosomes and from 0 to 8 small B chromosomes,[8] the raccoon dog has 42 chromosomes, the fennec fox has 64 chromosomes. The African wild dog, however, still has the same number, 78 chromosomes, as do the wolf-like canids but it has yet to hybridize with any of them.[9] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Is it pheasablly possible for a fox and a dog to mate. I am guessing the answer is no but why,I have often wondered if anyone has ever raised a fox cub and trained it to retrieve pheasants.that would turn a few heads. Perhaps I am losing the plot but heyho. You have too much time on your hands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dob Posted April 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I know, just waiting for poults to arrive in July then I have plenty on my mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Other problem with foxes is they stink worse than ferrets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 I know of a chap that was in to his fox hunting and a member of a small foot pack. One day they bolted a vixen from its den, the dogs did what they do and on inspecting the carcass found she was in milk. The team then dug out the den and found a single fox cub, now a orphan. He picked it up, wrapped it in his coat and took it home with him. He bottle fed it for a while until it could manage solids (mainly rabbit). It ran in the garden with his other dogs until it was big enough to survive on its own. He released it on a local golf course, who were overrun with rabbits and with the help of a local the fox survived. As far as I'm aware the fox lived very happy. So it is possible for dogs and foxes to live and play together, but will they mate? I wouldn't have a clue If you're thinking of GJ it was two cubs, and his boarder terrier was having a phantom pregnancy and took the Cubs on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoot and be safe Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 That's the one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keg Posted April 30, 2015 Report Share Posted April 30, 2015 Sounds like mixing Sturgeon and Cameron! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigbob Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 My uncle was a head keeper on a remote scottish estate and his under keeper got a cub and reared it and kept her on a chain to a wire running the lenght of the garden , when she was in season the dog foxes would come down off the hill to get to her and he just shot them out the window . But a fellow keeper called in one day and his terriers killed her . Seen a few more keeper get a cub and rear them but they never settle down and ended up being given to wildlife parks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 My uncle was a head keeper on a remote scottish estate and his under keeper got a cub and reared it and kept her on a chain to a wire running the lenght of the garden , when she was in season the dog foxes would come down off the hill to get to her and he just shot them out the window . But a fellow keeper called in one day and his terriers killed her . Seen a few more keeper get a cub and rear them but they never settle down and ended up being given to wildlife parks Yeah the two that GJ had were no more than a week old, but despite being reared by the terrier and handled by his kids on an almost daily basis they became more and more wild Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 There was an interesting experiment in Russia about domesticating the silver fox which is a colour variant of the red fox. I found an article on Wiki about it which you might find interesting. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_silver_fox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mick.j Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Bloke i knew many years ago reared a fox from a cub. Followed him everywhere. One day while out on a walk it just 'took off'. Never seen again. Wild animal - its in the genes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Bloke i knew many years ago reared a fox from a cub. Followed him everywhere. One day while out on a walk it just 'took off'. Never seen again. Wild animal - its in the genes. Much like some crackers dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dougy Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 There was a chap years ago who had a pet Fox that he used for retrieving, there is film footage of it somewere. Also there is a Farm around the midlands area selling Pet Fox's for £200 each. Not sure if its "GooFarm" I will let you do a search for it chaps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubris Posted May 1, 2015 Report Share Posted May 1, 2015 Have seen this on TV. (Taming foxes, not breeding with dogs) Horizon S48E08 (2010): The Secret Life of the Dog - BBC The BBC visited the Russian farm in the above episode. I can't find the whole thing but google brings up a good clip of it at: https://vk.com/video14543928_162125467 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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