Hi,

I have been having a bit of an tiff with my hubby about 'working terriers' and wondered if I could have some of your input please.
What do you think is the best breed as a working rat terrier?? and would a good worker still be a good family pet??
Also would he be able to have the run of some stables and fields etc and be trusted or would he just dig his way out to chase everything and anything??

Hope you can help to sort this out.
Debbie

Patterdales are keen workers & the breeders seem to be very keen on them having good temperaments & family dogs. I presume they would kill rats as they have been known to kill foxes. There is one that lives nearby & he's a smart little dog & very out goung

Where to start! The term working terrier covers a multitude of sins. Plummer, Lucas, Patterdale, Jack Russell, Fell and Border are the ones that spring to mind with me although I am sure there are others. The KC reg breeds also have working strains. Like any breed so much depends on parentage and upbringing so bearing this in mind I would suggest you find a working terrier show to start with and go to that. I think the best place to begin would be The Countrymans Weekly, as they have a list of events in the back. Having said that my KC reg Border was a fantastic ratter, if a little slow to start with. Hope this helps although I have a feeling I have raised more questions than I have answered!

I'm totally biased but believe that the bedlington is a very good ratter, they are normally good with children and very affectionate companions, they also aren't as 'sharp' as many other terriers (but that depends on how they are brought up as with any dog ;) )  I don't think any dog who was an efficient and keen hunter would be able to be trusted not to go off looking for 'game' if left to roam fields alone ;)  Many show bedlingtons are also good workers and work regularly :D

If you are looking for a dog who will be a good ratter please be aware that not all dogs in the breed you choose will want to hunt (or even all pups in the same litter), they are all individuals and some will be keener than others ;)

All of my Borders hunt & kill rats with aplomb, & are also very much family pets & show dogs too. However most terriers will kill rats if entered correctly.

Be careful though Jewel 'cos after February 05 it will be illegal to hunt & kill mice with dogs & its quite difficult for the dogs to tell mice & baby rats apart.

Oh & clause 8 of the bill states that the police must seize all animals & vehicles owned by the person breaking the law.

Geoff

Maybe all rats and mice should have microchips and before the dog gets them we can scan them Geoff :-D

Then we will be able yes you can or no you can't hunt that one!!!!! :-D :-D :-D

But I do agree with Geoff, Borders are to my mind the ideal stable dog, they love being around the horses and if there is plenty going on wouldn't think about disappearing, as they are very much people dogs.

Out of curiosity, would cats still be allowed to kill mice?

No problem with cats so long as they don't take the dogs along for the chase!!! lol

lol ladydazzle  :-D

That's a shame. Luca will be disappointed!!

Oh yes, it's fine for mice to be tortured for ages by a cat, but wicked and sinful for a dog to kill it straight away.

Oh dear my freind will be in trouble with her Elkhounds.  they spend most of their days around her horses and their stabless and field and are very good mousers.  They get the odd rat too, but I suspect the Cats are more efficient.

I think most dogs of a hunting bred will gbe good Ratters, though I suppose the small breeds can get into some places a dog the size of an #Elkhound might find difficult.

Mind you yesterday my freind opened the zip a crack at the bottom of the 'lite and easy crate' at a show to get her own bitch out, and while she turned her head to pick up a lead my 14 month bitch had spotted me some feet away and had sqirmed out the tiny gap so fast that she hadn't even seen her do it, and another exhibitor seeing her loose caught her and was asking whose she was as she gave the 'me do something wrong never' look.  My freind when she finally got her bitch out just assumed I had already taken mine :D  Poor thing got fielded that quick she never reached me until caught.

It is amazing how fast and agile she is.  If the others ahve crowded around the sofga and she can't get into the limelight without offendign ehr elders she ahs been known to just leap into your lap over the back of the sofa!

The small Jack Russell(not Parson) without a doubt is a very fine ratter & extremely people enorientated.
I do ratting clearences with mine & one bitch ratted a whole pig farm for 8 hrs & still had energy to spare! She was with 2 of my males & a Patterdale but she caught far more than they did. JRT's have a good knack of killing rats, they either bite them hard & move onto the next or shake & throw then kill, personally i like the ones that bite first rather than play about torturing them.
They were all very smelly for a while though from pig pooh, regardless of what shampoo i used on them:(

Hi all,

Thankyou for the replies.
I know this is going to sound really stupid , but how on earth do they catch rats?? surely rats are really quick. Or  is it more a case of the dogs digging them out etc.
I do love the look of the Lucas, Norfolk,Norwich and Jack russell terriers, especially the scruffy wire haired types. If anyone knows of any available from a good 'working' strain please let me know. Doesn't have to be a pedigree, a cross bred would be just fine. Dog or bitch. Preferably reared indoors though.

Thanks again
Debbie

LOL You don't really teach them one of my Cavaliers is a ace mouser No one taught him he instinctively does it(not very often though thank goodness)

Most terriers are fast, once they've spotted it they're gone. My Patterdale usually chases them into a circle, then cuts them off, or digs them out.

My mums mate used to have a Jack Russell who was always good at ratting. So, I ghess its dependant on the indevidual dog, and if they're from working lines.

Hi Debbie,

Even short-legged terriers, like my Cairns, can move like the wind when they are onto prey.   My breed can literally "turn on a dime" - go from full speed in one direction to full speed in another direction at a 90 degree angle - no need to smooth into a turn.  My littlest has left owners of border collies and other large dogs with their mouths hanging open with the comment like "she's soooo fast!"    And that's just when she's playing with other dogs, not after game.

My advice would be to pick any terrier you fancy from someone who works them now.  If you want a puppy ask the breeder to choose one for you as they are the best to determine which ones have the highest drive. 

In answer to your question, if your terrier is left to roam free they may go off after quarry.  However, they do know there way home and not many of them would prefer living rough to a soft bed near a warm radiator.  :-)

Stacey