Jack Russells for hunting

[buck460XVR]

Leaning towards getting myself a hunting dog somewhere down the line(after our old pooch is gone). I'm looking for something that covers a relatively broad spectrum of hunting, since I will only have the one dog.

You are the average modern hunter. Hunting various game using various methods. You want a dog that hunts fur and feather, can warm and cold trail and retrieve, plus be a family pet. These are the reasons "Versatile Hunting" breeds have become so popular today, especially the continental breeds. Basically any mutt worth it's salt will run a squirrel up a tree and occasionally chase a rabbit. If that's all you want, any "free to a good home" dog will work. But if you want something that will be worth the time, money and effort you will spend on it over the period of it's life, get something that is proven to be capable of and good at, the things you want.


This is a list of breeds determined by NAVHDA to have those characteristics.....

http://www.navhda.org/registry/versatile-hunting-dog-breeds

 

[Patocazador]

English pointer?????? Not hardly. They are bird dogs pure and simple.

Irish setters only hunt a warm spot to sleep.

That list needs to be updated.

 

[buck460XVR]

English pointer?????? Not hardly. They are bird dogs pure and simple.

Irish setters only hunt a warm spot to sleep.

Both of the above could be said for any dog breed. Unfortunately the popularity of the Irish setter half a decade ago in America led to indiscriminate breeding and breeding for looks(show) instead of hunting qualities. Same with the English Pointer in America. It has basically be delegated as a quail dog in warm southern climates and bred to that desire. Both have breeders in Europe that have dogs that actually hunt and can do more than point birds. Neither would be my first choice, but they are the first choice of many as are JRTs.

Any dog bred with a high degree of desire to hunt will be a handful for those inexperienced or unwilling to put in the time. With time and effort, almost any dog can be trained to hunt. As a kid growing up all we ever had were mutts. Still they learned to tree squirrels, push rabbits outta brushpiles and find downed grouse that fell in thick cover. Problem was there was never much left of them if the dogs got there first after the shot.:banghead: They also did not hunt with much style or selectivity and many a hunt was cut short when they came across fresh deer scent. Many times their indiscriminate breeding brought undesirable baggage with them. This can also be said for purebreds tho and has led to the demise of many a once popular hunting breed. Springer Spaniels, GSPs along with Irish Setters are prime examples.

Besides the desire and ability to hunt, one also needs to know what the other common characteristics of the breed. Some dogs are good with kids and family, some are dedicated to only on master. Some get along well with other dogs, so not so much. Some are more bull headed and harder to train and some need constant stimulation and exercise to live happily with them.

Here a good unbiased synopsis of the JRT breed..........http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/jack-russell-terrier

 

[Patocazador]

I had several Brittanies and all but one were good retrievers besides being good bird dogs that worked close.

All the pointers I had wanted to see if they could outrun a horse or a Jeep more than trying to find a covey.

I have a Boykin spaniel now and she does it all, from retrieving to blood trailing to treeing coons. I had a male stray JRT for 2 weeks while I searched for his owner. He attacked my female Boykin one day and was at the pound that night. It's unusual for a male to attack a female so I got rid of him the same day. She has seniority.

 

[cooch]

Please note....
There are a LOT of generalisations being thrown around here. Given the number of Jacks that are never hunted compared to the number that are, selection from on-hunting lines can be problematic.
GET A CONFIDENT PUP FROM PARENTS THAT YOU SEE WORKING. There is as much variation WITHIN the breed as there is between the various breeds of hunting terriers. I cannot emphasise this enough . CHECK OUT THE PARENTS.

I strongly disagree with the argument that "any dog can be trained to hunt". You cannot train for the kind of drive that keeps a dog going all day, when it is wet, cold and full of thorns. You cannot train a timid dog to eat forceful I the face of sharp game that does not want to bolt. That is why we get high-drive dogs and deal with the consequences.

I hunted for half my life with stock dogs. They were intelligent, great fun and good company, but they did not have that instinctive drive to follow their nose into tight places and roust out small critters. My first terrier was a revelation.

All dogs are a package of compromises. Accept that and get the best compromise for your purpose.

 

[Predator55]

A good all around dog other than a lab is a pointing griffon. These dogs do it all and do it well.

 

[Coop45]

Don't wait until your pooch passes. Get another dog now so he can learn what your pooch has already taught you.