edge007 Posted June 1 Report Share Posted June 1 Hi all. I've just got a new Lakeland puppy from working parents. I intend to work her on the Rats as I'm a pest controller and she will be a valuable tool in my locker. Shes nearly 9 weeks old and showing great potential. Has anyone got any tips on when and how to start her on the Rats? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shambam1962 Posted June 2 Report Share Posted June 2 Hi edge007, I had a terrier pack for years and would hunt rats on local farms on weekends. You must make sure your dog or dogs are vaccinated against leptospirosis , as your dog is going to be bitten at some point during it’s outings. Don’t think about entering a young pup at a rat as the bite of a rat can be detrimental to the dog training until the dog is mature enough. I’ve seen terriers which are more than capable in size and eager to catch rats, but on catching a rat , only for the rat to turn around and bite the young dog and let’s go. All of my ratting was carried out with experienced dogs catching rats and the young dog watching and then taking part in the hunt on it’s own accord. Because the young dog was excited and saw how the older dogs would catch the rats, he would then try his luck and have a go. Dont listen to people saying my dog was catching rats at such and such age . Your dog is a pup until a year old and some terriers mature quicker than others. Don’t forget if your dog is going to be used for ratting, some of the places you will be catching rats are not the cleanest. I hunted a cow shed on a farm, which was used to over Winter cattle, and after hunting it with the terriers couldn’t get the smell of cow s—-t out of the dogs and kennel boxes no matter how many times I bathed and jet washed the kennels. If you do hunt rats with the terrier, you will have to check the dog after every outing as some bites can become infected. Two of my favourite pastimes was ratting with terriers and pigeon shooting. I was lucky in my job as a hydraulic fitter, I would meet many farmers and start talking them about their machines and at the end of the conversation would ask if they had problems with rats and foxes. I would be asked to call down on the weekend with the terriers and still to this day hunt and shoot these farms. Sadly I no longer have terriers as the last one died a few years ago, but I regularly shoot over the farms with the spaniels and rifles. Good luck with your pup and take things nice and slow and enter the dog when it’s mature enough to handle being bitten, as it surely will get bitten. I found some old photos taken back in 2008. Couldn’t get the Smell out of the dogs for weeks Best terrier I ever had Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shambam1962 Posted June 2 Report Share Posted June 2 Forgot to mention, I would flush the rats out with the home made smoker and the terriers would do the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loriusgarrulus Posted June 2 Report Share Posted June 2 Put a solution of bicarbonate of soda in with the dog shampoo. Its an excellent deoderiser. You can buy it in bulk if you shop around as the little pots for baking with are not enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shambam1962 Posted June 2 Report Share Posted June 2 That’s great to know . Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted June 2 Report Share Posted June 2 Gawd they look a rum bunch not to be messed with.....love 'em and a very good write up on advise. One of my favorite watches on youtube is ratting with terriers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shambam1962 Posted June 2 Report Share Posted June 2 The terriers I had was very well behaved for terriers and was safe around poultry and livestock and other dogs. They never squabbled amongst themselves or fought over the rats one of the other dogs had caught. I had a soft spot for the little bitch in the last photo as she was a brilliant little dog and before I had spaniels, she would retrieve ducks I had shot and landed in the middle of the pond or water, and had a softer mouth than some gundogs I’ve seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dessyb Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 the pup will let you know when it is ready. dont rush be patient Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted June 3 Report Share Posted June 3 16 hours ago, Shambam1962 said: The terriers I had was very well behaved for terriers and was safe around poultry and livestock and other dogs. They never squabbled amongst themselves or fought over the rats one of the other dogs had caught. I had a soft spot for the little bitch in the last photo as she was a brilliant little dog and before I had spaniels, she would retrieve ducks I had shot and landed in the middle of the pond or water, and had a softer mouth than some gundogs I’ve seen. The old farmer down in Wales who did our keepering for us had a very similar looking terrier Whisky and it would retrieve anyhting to hand. We didn't have any water so never saw it swim. It worked out that it could take a big cock pheaant by the wind root and carry it easier although often the wing would cover it's eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edge007 Posted June 4 Author Report Share Posted June 4 On 02/06/2022 at 10:20, Shambam1962 said: Hi edge007, I had a terrier pack for years and would hunt rats on local farms on weekends. You must make sure your dog or dogs are vaccinated against leptospirosis , as your dog is going to be bitten at some point during it’s outings. Don’t think about entering a young pup at a rat as the bite of a rat can be detrimental to the dog training until the dog is mature enough. I’ve seen terriers which are more than capable in size and eager to catch rats, but on catching a rat , only for the rat to turn around and bite the young dog and let’s go. All of my ratting was carried out with experienced dogs catching rats and the young dog watching and then taking part in the hunt on it’s own accord. Because the young dog was excited and saw how the older dogs would catch the rats, he would then try his luck and have a go. Dont listen to people saying my dog was catching rats at such and such age . Your dog is a pup until a year old and some terriers mature quicker than others. Don’t forget if your dog is going to be used for ratting, some of the places you will be catching rats are not the cleanest. I hunted a cow shed on a farm, which was used to over Winter cattle, and after hunting it with the terriers couldn’t get the smell of cow s—-t out of the dogs and kennel boxes no matter how many times I bathed and jet washed the kennels. If you do hunt rats with the terrier, you will have to check the dog after every outing as some bites can become infected. Two of my favourite pastimes was ratting with terriers and pigeon shooting. I was lucky in my job as a hydraulic fitter, I would meet many farmers and start talking them about their machines and at the end of the conversation would ask if they had problems with rats and foxes. I would be asked to call down on the weekend with the terriers and still to this day hunt and shoot these farms. Sadly I no longer have terriers as the last one died a few years ago, but I regularly shoot over the farms with the spaniels and rifles. Good luck with your pup and take things nice and slow and enter the dog when it’s mature enough to handle being bitten, as it surely will get bitten. I found some old photos taken back in 2008. Couldn’t get the Smell out of the dogs for weeks Best terrier I ever had Thanks so much for that information. That's what I was looking for. I got her from a good friend of mine, who has a Rat pack, and I've been out with the pups mum who is an amazing clever ratter, so I have high Hope's for this one. Hes kept another bitch back also, so when the time is right we will take them both out and let them watch the mum and other dogs work and do what they do best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cardigun Posted June 4 Report Share Posted June 4 I had Lakeland terriers a few years back, they were all black in those days. Lakelands seemed to be the most aggressive terriers I have ever had. Didn't need much starting ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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