Traing a terrier gun dog

[Hillscreek]

I know some of you don't like the sport of hunting with or without dogs. However I think this shows very well the nature of terriers and their attitude towards training. So different from the average retriever, pointer or setter. To me it seems the writer has a real understanding of a terrier's nature and how to relate to the independent minded breed of which we cairn owners have one of the feistiest I'm sure.

https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/gundogs/gundog-breeds/terriers-born-anarchists-85061

[bradl]

That's a terrific article  

A small sampling …

Quote

There can’t be many terrier owners who have not at some time seen the little varmint steam past the objective intended by the handler to immerse itself in some kind of trouble that you hadn’t realised was available. There are aspects of terrierness that are hardwired into them and cannot be trained out. Those of us used to more co-operative breeds may go through a period of denial, but we are the ones who have to adapt. Once we have cast aside all the usual expectations, we can — up to a point — train our terriers. Petulant as a Z-list celebrity when thwarted, they sparkle when we cut them some slack. In stopping us from taking ourselves too seriously, the terrier is matchless.

[Pepper Bug's Mom]

If my husband goes to the cupboard to get the small bb gun out, Pepper goes wild!!! Barking, screeching, ready to get that squirrel!!!!  She is a true hunter!

[Dogcoat lady]

Totally agree with the portion from the UK article.  We have Chesapeake Bay retrievers.  They compliment the terrier spirit perfectly.  Our Cairns have learned to swim and retrieve along with recall that has been stellar. Both breeds are quirky to work with, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.  Each day is different.  And humor is a prerequisite.

[CamilleatGaelforce]

That is an *excellent* article, I found it very interesting indeed.  The author even reaches the same conclusions I did years ago, that there are basically two kinds of dogs, those bred to work under the direction of a human, and those bred to work independent of human direction.  And then they go on to classify terriers the same way I heard or read of the old terrier men of Britain classifying them, hard or soft.  The author uses longer, more descriptive terminology to explain those two terms, of course, but if you've ever seen a Cairn or a Scottie dispatch a prey animal, then you know the difference.  Not that a Smooth Fox can't give a rat an effective death shake, but if you need to kill a badger, you'd better have a Highland terrier at your side!  Thanks to Dogcoat lady for bumping this topic up, it was a great read!

[sanford]

I agree with Brad and others...This was an excellent, well-written article and certainly an accurate description of the cairn terrier breed and behavior. I guess it was just an excerpt of a longer piece - it seemed to end so abruptly. Too bad.