Hunting-mad terrier!

[catnipkitty]

Does anyone else have one? We have a gorgeous cheeky 5 year old Cairn terrier, she's lovely in every way...apart from she's obsessed with hunting and when she gets wind of something small and furry she disappears at a hundred miles an hour and is oblivious to all requests that she return!! She's got really bad this year since our local park has been flooded and there seem to be rats and mice under every bush and every overgrown area, we can't let her off the lead anymore :( Don't know what to do, can we train her out of this??

[Butterflylovers]

My 5 months Boston terrier is generally very good with recall but when he sees a fox which is rare, he shoots off faster than a speeding bullet. Luckily he is quite well built and not as fast. Gave me a scare the first time he saw a fox, well a couple, it was before dawn in the local park. He disappeared in to the darkness for a minute or two.

[hellymelly]

I think this is the definition of a terrier really. All mine have been deaf to me once they are after a squirrel/fox/rabbit. Thank the Lord they have never caught one!

[catnipkitty]

My dog caught a wild rabbit once. Luckily it was big and she dropped it and it ran off. Horrible. She goes ballistic if a fox dares to enter the garden...and yet she totally submissive to our cat!!

[bellasuewow]

Agree with the above sounds like normal terrier behavior although some have stronger prey drive than others. I have a terrier from working stock with almost zero prey drive so is a pet pooch instead.

[Aquelven]

Oh yes!
One of my Cairns killed five of next doors chickens & he was supposed to be a well behaved show dog who'd come best of breed at several shows

[Owllady]

My last collie had terrier in her and at ten years old she ran alongside a hare I was screaming and yelling and thank the Lord she didn't have it!
She could smell a rat at a hundred paces

[MissBeehiving]

I have a BT whom I work. When he's working, he's very obedient. When he's not, he can be selectively deaf

[BMW6]

My terrier boy has to stay on his lead always for this reason - always on the hunt and completely deaf once hunting.

[VivaLeBeaver]

I used to have a greyhound who was a nightmare. Tis time of year it was hares. Every walk she'd disappear, little dot a few fields away disappearing into the distance. She'd be gone 20-30 mins and I'd just have to wait till she came back so knackered she could barely walk.

Never managed to train her out of it. I think with such dogs you've no chance.