Introducing the dog......

[Bramble-Poultry]

our two Shiba go mad for rodents. The slightest movement and they are on it. They are bred for flushing game so are drawn to the birds too, so they are permenantly on leads anywhere near them as it would end in disaster.

Our Shiba girl already has dispatched a large rat without even a mark on her (and the rat gave a good account of itself too)so i would hate to think what she would do to a defenceless chicken.

every now and then, when the chooks are in bed, i let the pair of them wander around the coops sniffing and mooching just to disturb any nasties that might be lurking under the sheds. If they find anything, then i bring in the polecats and they flush them out!

[tlck9]

polecats, dogs and chucks, sounds fantastic!!

I am trying to think of ways to get the chucks moved back home from the allotment, but that would mean only keeping the 4 and not getting the 3 ex batts I've been thinking of getting

[Eco-Chic]

Tick, Could you not keep some at home and some at the lottie as you have two coops?

[Eco-Chic]

If they find anything, then i bring in the polecats and they flush them out!

There's a woman who walks her polecat in a harness on the streets around here.

Are they related to ferrets?

[Bramble-Poultry]

polecats are the wild ancestor. Ferrets are a domesticated polecat.

With ferrets, the ones called "polecat ferret" are the ones with the bandit mask, a bit like a racoon. We have a gill (female) polecat ferret (Fern) and a 1st generation ferret x wild polecat female (Phoebe).

She is the hunter. Never go near her at feeding time (i.e evening) otherwise you will need to count your fingers afterwards, but at other times of the day she is fine. Our 9 year old lad sits with her on his shoulder.

The other ferret, is a good hunter in as much as she sniffs them out, but she is not as ruthless as the wild polecat cross. And as much as i hate rats, i feel any animal being dispatched needs to go quickly and efficiently and Phoebe certainly is that

[Birdie Wife]

having always been a lab lover I have recently moved over to the dark side and have a working cocker pup. These spangels do love the feathered creatures don't they?? ???
My labs don't bat an eyelid at my chooks but pup is OBSESSED!

Hi moola - I got a working cocker a few months ago and she is very similar I think - they were bred originally for flushing game birds though so it does take a bit of training to get them out of the habit. Still working on my pup... she is getting better though...

[Nicos]

There's a woman who walks her polecat in a harness on the streets around here.

We saw a guy walking round holding a pet fox in his arms the other day- people were stopping and stroking it. It wasn't at all worried. I suppose he'd had it since a pup so it was used to being handled.
I reckon there'd be a law in the UK against doing that???

Good luck with the dog training

[moola]

ooo Birdie Wife - we will have to swap notes. I know its going to be a difficult job especially as I don't want to put him off birds as such, as we are intending to work him next Autumn.
The chooks may well have to stay in their runs - it's not so bad - 11m x3m for 7 and 4m squared for 4. I just would like them to have access to the grass (they're on woodchip) as it's so good for them.
....Mind you, once they've been out I am presented with another problem......the spaniel poop clearer. He scoffs the lot and then is violently ill! aaaghhhhh. I would say that 'I should have stuck to labradors' but I laugh myself silly with this nutcase of a pooch he is truly hilarious

[tlck9]

well, today I let him off lead round the outside of the coop, each time telling him to be quiet if he got too close or too noisy.

Anyway he took some interest in Henna today and she to him....so much so he stuck his nose through the run and promptly got it pecked, me thinks he wont be doing that again in a hurry

I've jst got to cure this awful wining noise

[Bramble-Poultry]

whenever people see my dog at first glance it looks like a fox (so they say). if so, its the only one in the UK with a 5 generation Pedigree paper trail and registered with the kennel club!!!

anyways, you make your mind up, heres a picture of "bear"

[tlck9]

whenever people see my dog at first glance it looks like a fox (so they say). if so, its the only one in the UK with a 5 generation Pedigree paper trail and registered with the kennel club!!!

anyways, you make your mind up, heres a picture of "bear"

He's (she?) a nice looking dog

Here is my little monster:


And this is what he thought to his new towel blanket

[Bramble-Poultry]

I love your dog! when i was growing up we had a welsh springer and he was just great. Did what he was told and did it with a lick too!

My woofy-mutt is called Yogi-Bear. Bear is a boy. a ponce really, but a boy none the less. He is inquisitive, curious and in to everything - otherwise known as a mischevious so and so. We also have a female shiba, Maisie, buit she is the result of a rescue due to bad treatment and in the wrong situation can be the devil incarnate. Very affectionate normally to her "pack" but petrified of other people due to the abuse she suffered.

the good thing about the shiba is that they dont like the sound of their own voice so they hardly bark at all. if they do bark, you had better go look as its for a reason. they can clear a 6' fence without any trouble at all and training them is about as easy as cat herding.

They are a pack animal and as such respond to pack before training. so you must adopt the pack attitude. you can let them loose off a lead as two miles later they will wonder where you got to? never let them get their nose to the ground as once they have a scent they loose all contact with reality and go into a world of their own whilst tracing the scent. Makes them great dogs for flushing game, but a bad choice for a casual pet home.

[Hilary B]

I can see why those who have only seen foxes on TV would see a resemblance.