Hunting With Dogs - For Or Against?

[Janimal]

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Pro Hunting...but not part of a club.... :thumbsup:
Dont like needless killing either, but in total agreement with fox control.

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I don't think any sportsperson would agree with needless killing but control of vermin which include rats/rabbits/foxes done in the right way has to be done.

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Exactly... :thumbsup: Im all in favour of keeping rabbits /rat numbers too kept down and hounds/whippets/ ferrets are perfect for the job... in my opinion anyway

and thought Jinnyfizz post above was spot on... :thumbsup:

 

[controversial]

spot on  :thumbsup: coursing is totally different to hunting as the word hunt means to capture or kill the prey,coursing is to do about the chase and all the better if the hare escapes to run another day.its the chase that counts. fox hunt say 20 dogs ,20 horses ,20 riders thats odds of 6o to 1 sounds very fair to me ,2 whippets 1 hare and all the advantage  to the hare .no comparrison.coursing yes
So if two whippets were to course & Kill a fox in the daytime or on the lamp with the advantage clearly going to the fox as it would bite back unlike the Hare would that be OK ?

Or were a single handed whippet to do the above in the name of vermin control with the advantage clearly in the fox's favour would that also be ok ?

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if the two examples were slipped dogs ,it ould be premeditated which is against the law if they ere already working it would be chance .the whippet wasnt bred for foxes,and who would put their whippets at risk of serious injury to course foxes .and having seen foxes fight ,i would think you would need a big whippet :- " but thats a different topic. anyway got to go now carrier bag chasing or are we using a foxes tail today o

 

[milliken]

well here in n ireland it legal to kill foxes with whippet or what ever other dog you feel you want to use a decent whippet will be no match of a fox and have see many a whippet do it as well as a big lurcher as for height ever heard the saying it not the size of the dog its all in the heart but your whippet will never get to see that

robert

 

[nigelmcfc]

Foxes are pests , ask any farmer in sheep country or any that keep chickens. They are indiscriminate killers, not just killing what they need to eat. I used to control foxes with terriers and lurchers before the ban, and have seen the result of a fox loose in a hen house , not a pretty sight or a newly born lamb decapitated by a fox. Whether killed by the hounds , by terrier or by whippets or other running dogs it is all about pest control. The lefty scum of this government don`t see it that way, they think the fox hunts are just toffs out enjoying themselves. The hunts are invited onto land by the landowners to keep the fox population under control , the same way lads with running dogs and terriers are invited to control other pests .

Try telling some of the footpacks in the fells that they are just toffs , you`d get very short change off them :- "

People who don`t understand the countryside and how it works , i.e most urban dwellers and the sentimentalists who live in the world of beatrix potter should leave the rural communities and the fieldsportsmen to get on with their lives and not interfere. The problem with this country is that we`re in a I don`t like it lets ban it mentality which has prospered under 10 years of labour .What labour are attempting to do in countryside is tantamount to ethnic cleansing , we all have long memories and will remember what they have attempted to do for many years .

I personally disagree with many activities carried out by the urban population of this country , but I don`t campaign for them to be banned

 

[milliken]

very well wrote there nigle if only they would let us get on with it there would never of be a ban over there in the first places

robert

 

[milliken]

very well wrote there nigle if only they would let us get on with it there would never of be a ban over there in the first places

robert

 

[Linbin]

Rhodesian Ridgebacks were bred to hunt and kill lions but don't see them doing much of that these days!

If we took an example of every working dog only doing what it was originally bred to do there would be precious few pet dogs. Don't see huskies pulling sleds in this country, everyone who owns a border collie doesn't work sheep with them.

I thought this was a forum and a debate. There is no need to insult people who have a different view to your own. This will be the last time I participate in a debate like this.

 

[milliken]

yes and look hi the breed have changed and not for the better

robert

 

[fewterer]

Rhodesian Ridgebacks were bred to hunt and kill lions but don't see them doing much of that these days!
If we took an example of every working dog only doing what it was originally bred to do there would be precious few pet dogs. Don't see huskies pulling sleds in this country, everyone who owns a border collie doesn't work sheep with them.

All of these breeds have significant health problems, including lameness caused by hip and elbow dysplasia.

 

[Linbin]

Rhodesian Ridgebacks were bred to hunt and kill lions but don't see them doing much of that these days!
If we took an example of every working dog only doing what it was originally bred to do there would be precious few pet dogs. Don't see huskies pulling sleds in this country, everyone who owns a border collie doesn't work sheep with them.

All of these breeds have significant health problems, including lameness caused by hip and elbow dysplasia.

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Yes, I realise this. That isn't the point I was making. Robert was saying that whippets should only be used for working but if you looked at every breed of dogs origins they were all bred for a purpose but are no longer used for that. I can think of loads of examples, even little yorkies were bred to kill rats but now they're just lap dogs. Whippets make very nice companion dogs as well as working dogs.

 

[fewterer]

Yes, I realise this. That isn't the point I was making. Robert was saying that whippets should only be used for working but if you looked at every breed of dogs origins they were all bred for a purpose but are no longer used for that. I can think of loads of examples, even little yorkies were bred to kill rats but now they're just lap dogs. Whippets make very nice companion dogs as well as working dogs.

Of course, but the future of the breed should not be removed from activities which test physical and mental robustness. Many yorkies have terrible dentition (not great for ratting or general well-being), and most would benefit from a lot more mental and physical stimulation than their owners ever allow them.

 

[milliken]

sorry what im trying to say is give whippets the chance to work and this should be there main function i have nt got any thing agent showing racing as long as the owner breed for what they where orainaly breed for it the clowns that dont want there dog to case rabbits and just breed cuz the dog is a looker

robert

 

[Linbin]

sorry what im trying to say is give whippets the chance to work and this should be there main function i have nt got any thing agent showing racing as long as the owner breed for what they where orainaly breed for it the clowns that dont want there dog to case rabbits and just breed cuz the dog is a looker
robert

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Ours have 2 good walks a day, one in the woods and fields and one on the beach and if they did happen to catch a rabbit and kill it that would be fair enough, that is their nature and I certainly wouldn't try and stop them. I'm just not in favour of organised hunting where the animals don't stand a chance.

 

[milliken]

now you have really lost me are you trying to say you are in favor of hunting as long as it not organised

robert

 

[Linbin]

now you have really lost me are you trying to say you are in favor of hunting as long as it not organised
robert

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Kind of, if a cat gets a bird or a dog a rabbit that is just the way things are in nature but when 40 men on horses hunt down a fox that isn't pest control it is some kind of 'event' and it just seems kind of horrible.

 

[milliken]

ok now we are getting some where in away i can see where you are coming from i belive you would let your dog control rabbits on a one to one but not in favor of fox hunting but would you be in favor of one man with a lurcher or whippet controling a fox that was causing a problem

robert

 

[Linbin]

ok now we are getting some where in away i can see where you are coming from i belive you would let your dog control rabbits on a one to one but not in favor of fox hunting but would you be in favor of one man with a lurcher or whippet controling a fox that was causing a problem
robert

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I think that is a bit harsh. At least with rabbits, when a dog dispatches them a couple of shakes and they are gone whereas a fox will put up a fight and would suffer considerably in a dog attack. The more humane answer if it is causing such a problem would be to shoot it wouldn't it. Surely, the amount of foxes that cause problems to livestock must be small. Most of them live off roadkill, wood pigeons and rabbits themselves, in such a case do they need to be exterminated?

 

[Bellefire]

ok now we are getting some where in away i can see where you are coming from i belive you would let your dog control rabbits on a one to one but not in favor of fox hunting but would you be in favor of one man with a lurcher or whippet controling a fox that was causing a problem
robert

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I think that is a bit harsh. At least with rabbits, when a dog dispatches them a couple of shakes and they are gone whereas a fox will put up a fight and would suffer considerably in a dog attack. The more humane answer if it is causing such a problem would be to shoot it wouldn't it. Surely, the amount of foxes that cause problems to livestock must be small. Most of them live off roadkill, wood pigeons and rabbits themselves, in such a case do they need to be exterminated?

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i respect the fact that everyone has a right to their own opinion on this, but with regard to foxes in the present day, then yes, i believe there is a need. Since the hunting ban came into place, the urban fox has increased in numbers. They have become a frequent sight on our estate, and are making a nuisance of themselves. Whether it's noise, pulling out bins, killing pet rabbits and other small animals, and even one coming into my dad's garden (4 lurchers kennelled in there) and raiding his feed bins! When the ban was in place, there was none of that. They are breeding at a rapid pace and becoming a more common sight. My livery yard has also had problems with them attacking calves and the kids chickens and rabbits where they are too. The problem with shooting foxes is that there is the chance of 'winging' the fox, in which case it will suffer more.

 

[peppermint lady]

:thumbsup: pro hunting for me :thumbsup: (im not with a club)

 

[jinnyfizz]

I hope you don't take offence at me asking this, Lin, but have you ever witnessed a foxhound killing a fox? For real, that is, not on a media video.

Foxhounds are very large animals and the fox is dispatched swiftly with one bite to the back of the neck by the lead hound. In the same way as a whippet will kill a rabbit.

Rabbits scream as they are caught and will also struggle until they are dead.

The other hounds are never far behind, and if the huntsman is not right with them, the pack will eat the fox then and there. But that fox is already dead.

The other thing you have said which I find bemusing is that you think the mounted followers are "hunting down" the fox.

The foxhounds hunt the fox, with the Huntsman in charge of the pack to direct them with his voice and with the hunting horn. All the hounds are trained to respond to different tones and sounds of the hunting horn so that control can be kept from a distance. There are also two or three "whips", who ride shotgun, so to speak, to the pack in order to keep them on the correct line and to avoid them running onto land where they are not allowed to go.

The followers, whether mounted or on foot, are led by the Field Master whose job it is to ensure that the followers do not cross the line of the hounds or foul the job in hand. The main reason that people go fox hunting is to have a chance to ride their horses over farmland which is otherwise private and out of bounds to horse riders. Both the horses and their owners enjoy this and, quite frankly, it has nothing to do with killing a fox!!!

Of course there will be some people who hunt and wish to watch hounds work and see the skill of the huntsman in directing his pack to an effective conclusion but IMHO they are the minority.

There are always two sides to every situation in life and if you think a fox doesn't stand a chance then you need to watch a real hunt (although now it's banned you can't :- " )! I have hunted on and off for the last 30 years and I have not seen a fox killed yet. But I have seen alot of foxes sitting on top of hedges watching the hounds go past and jumping up into hay barns where they can't be found!!! And they sit there and laugh!!! Believe me, a strong healthy fox is more than a match for a pack of hounds :thumbsup: