Can I use A border terrier as a bird dog?

B

Birddog21

New member
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have a 4 month old Border Terrier. Can this dog be used to hunt birds? I want to train the dog to point and flush birds while huting. I am new to hunting birds, but have trained dogs in belguim ring sport with some sucsess. Is this dog capable of making me a better hunter. Or is the dog just bred to hunt and catch its prey?
Thank you Birddog21
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well, This is a good ?. I would think to some extent you can teach any dog to find some birds for you. I doubt you will get him to point and flush. That is two totally different concepts. But you may end up with a dog that has a hesitation on the flush which is sort of what you describe. You will just have to give it a try.
 
Last edited:
well i have to say this.. you can NOT train a dog to point. that is something the dog blood line would do. GSP point as well as English Settlers and any pointing dogs. as far as GSP, they point as it comes to them. pointing labs, im not sure but i think they point without training.


my GSP would LOCK and I am the flusher. i come up and get my shotgun ready and i scare the bird up aka flusher and my gsp will take off and i shoot the bird. then the GSP will be on top of that bird. If I miss, i will say STAY.. and he will stop running.
 
Last edited:
Can't speak to pointing specifically, but my old German Shepherd would retrieve ducks and doves. He wouldn't herd cows though, and that shepherd part of their name is there for a reason. You just won't know until you try.
 
one thing about a border terrier, you arent gonna see where it is if you do get this dog to do the impossible point.. hes a small dog, let alone pheasants are about his size.. hed be dragging that bird back to you instead of carrying like most gun dogs are designed to be.

your dog isnt designed to be a hunting dog. maybe for rabbits or rats.. or maybe dove.. but not for game birds like pheasants or quails.



another thing, i wouldnt post your phone number on this site or anywhere.. its how theft identity starts.


Edit: after googling can Border Terrier be hunting dogs. a website shows its mainly used border for rat hunting or small predators.

Border Terriers are natural diggers as they were developed for chasing and hunting animals that burrow underground. Today, that translates to hunting animals such as rabbit, groundhog, raccoon or possums. They were originally developed by the Robson family in the middle of the 19th century to hunt fox, rabbit, and other small animals around the border between England and Scotland, which is how they earned their name.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I thought I saw it here, but maybe it was another forum, that a fella got his small lap type dog (def not bird dog) to find and flush birds like pheasant and quail. It wasn't bred for birds, but he used its prey instinct to his advantage. Perhaps it's possible with enough training? I doubt it'll point since it's not a 'pointer' by nature, but could flush up something. but then again, I could walk a field and flush up something. I'm guessing, if you took your dog to a park, and it shows some prey drive by chasing the birds there, you could probably train it to find birds in the field. Might take a bit more work, may not be the prettiest or most efficient, but could still scare up some game and improve your odds at minimum.
 
becuause

Bought dog before I ever thought about hunting with one. My friend introduced me to hunting birds recently, have exprience trainning dogs And thought it might be enoyable. Not trying to reinvent the wheel but I can't have 10 dogs. I have what I have.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Alright fellas be polite to our new friend please, I talked with this new gentleman last night on the phone. What a nice guy. I hunted with a terrier type dog this fall, Decided to go with a new friend from this site in fact. That little dog had more heart then most dogs, it amazed me. If you saw that dog work the cattails relentlessly the way he did, and in deep snow, all day and continuously put up birds, you would flip. Give this guy a break and help him out instead of giving him a hard time. He is new and again a very nice guy simply looking for help. I spent about 20 min. on the phone with him giving him some Ideas. I think if he gives it a try he will have fun with his new little dog. Birddog21, please come on back and get some pointers from some really good guys on here. FCS, nice chatting with you.:thumbsup:
 
Last edited:
There is a guy on the forum who hunts with a terrier of some sort I think. I will try to track down who it is.
 
I dont mean of any way to shoot him down with this idea. however, I just think its going to have dissapointing results of trying to make this tiny dog into a gun dog.


My wife's family has a Rat Terrier and a Black Lab, I could list advantages and dis-advantages of both dogs. one can't do what the other could do as they're designed to do.
 
TOlzon hunts with a terrier with good luck. You might want to get a hold of him. If it is the only dog you got what the heck.
 
I was in no way bashing the new guy but rather just having a good laugh with a buddy and fellow dog lover. My first dog that will always hold a place in my heart was an American Cocker Spaniel who actually had more heart than any dog I have ever owned to date, she had so much heart that when the neighbor poisoned her with anti freeze and we knew her time was short but still went hunting she wouldn't take no for an answer and died later that day doing what she loved.
 
Sorry guys, I was away for the weekend.

I hunt with a Jack Russell Terrier, and he does a great job for what he is, but you have to learn to hunt within his limitations. You can't expect him to be 30 yards in front of you quartering back and forth all day long. I just won't happen. I generally end up just directing him toward birdy-looking areas, then follow him when he gets on scent.

We've gotten our share of roosters, to be sure.

Border terriers, like JRT's, are killing machines. They just love to catch and kill other animals. A lot depends on how far removed your particular dog is from working stock, but there could still definitely be some hunt in him.

That being said, being that you've trained ring dogs before, the "training" aspect may not be what you expect. You have to expose the dog to birds, and let him figure it out. You can't teach him to WANT to hunt. You have to awaken that prey drive and hope that it's strong enough for him to want to push through grass that's 8 times his height in search of birds that aren't his natural prey and with more often than not flush without him even seeing them.

So, to summarize: yes, you can hunt with a terrier. You may not be able to hunt with your terrier. It depends on his personality and breeding.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top