Lamping rabbits
When the pup has taken to ferreting I tend to start them on the lamp. This is when with the aid of a high powered spot light you go into the field and use the spotlight to find the feeding rabbits out in the field. You keep the rabbit lit up in the lamp at all times, as soon as you know the dog has seen the rabbit you let the dog go. Keeping the rabbit lit up at all times. The rabbit will more often than not make a run for it's warren so the dog will give chase. A good lamping dog will only run as fast as it needs to keep in touch with the rabbit and it will time it's strike. If the dog sets off after the rabbit at full speed when the rabbit turns to avoid the dog the dog will over run and it will have to make up a considerable distance to get back on terms with the rabbit.
When the pup has taken to ferreting I tend to start them on the lamp. This is when with the aid of a high powered spot light you go into the field and use the spotlight to find the feeding rabbits out in the field. You keep the rabbit lit up in the lamp at all times, as soon as you know the dog has seen the rabbit you let the dog go. Keeping the rabbit lit up at all times. The rabbit will more often than not make a run for it's warren so the dog will give chase. A good lamping dog will only run as fast as it needs to keep in touch with the rabbit and it will time it's strike. If the dog sets off after the rabbit at full speed when the rabbit turns to avoid the dog the dog will over run and it will have to make up a considerable distance to get back on terms with the rabbit.
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I like to give a new dog only a couple of runs a night, and easy runs at that. I also like to finish on a high, Vixen my current bitch caught on her very first run on the lamp so I gave her a big fuss and went straight home. (actually I went to the pub for a pint to celebrate!!!). It's always a great feeling when your dog catches it's first rabbit in the lamp especially when it also retrieves the rabbit live to hand just as you have trained them to do. You can train them to retrieve a dummy but a rabbit is all new to them. Sometimes a dog will shake the rabbit before it retrieves
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them. This I will not tolerate and it's often a trait associated with entering dogs that are too young. A rabbit that is dead is much easier to retrieve than a rabbit that is alive. A young dog that is weak will therefore soon realize it's easier to kill the rabbit and retrieve it back. The problem with this is the damage the dog causes to the rabbit carcass making it impossible to sell for human consumption. It's all well and good if you just catch a few rabbits and the ones you catch are used by yourself to feed the ferrets and dogs.
However, I am out catching rabbits 3 - 4 days a week for farmers and gamekeepers and the quantity I am catching requires me to sell them to the public. They just will not buy damaged rabbits.
