Thread: jack russels any good as deer indicator dogs?>

jack russels any good for indicatiing deer?

Also, are they any good as a rabbit/possum/duck dog?
I've been considering one as a pet/hunting companion

Mate had a very small foxy that was very handy on pigs , had a very keen nose and would wind find pigs very well. Very keen nose on fur so was hardwork keeping him honest in the beginning .
Very agile in bush and on and around bikes ,horses ,boats , not very good in the wet tussock or long tussock Got very wet & cold was quite a bit slower than regular sized dogs .

They are bloody hard to keep still if you want one for indicating deer. I’ve seen a few crossed ones that have been ok (blue merle x, and Kelpie x). It also gives them a bit of leg to see above shit. The poor little foxies have a hard time in the tussock, having to sort of bound through it.
But they are intelligent little critters and I’m guessing you could almost train one for anything. They are great little rooters too. When my bitch comes on heat, I reckon I have every foxie in Wellington down at our front gate. And they find it difficult to take “no” as an answer.

ANTSMAN, I have a 6 month old foxsel - foxy jack cross.

Like others have said, height above ground is a major issue, they get wet running in short grass.

Most of them have insane energy levels and drive, making it hard to keep them under control. Fred is generally fine, but put him in an area where there are too many interesting smells and distractions, and he is a handful.

They have awesome characters, and are extremely intelligent, but you need to have a lot of time to keep a firm hand on them and spend an absolute minimum of 1, preferably 2 hours a day exercising him, otherwise they become frustrated and destructive.

For a deer dog specifically, I think there are other options I would look at first. Something bit taller/bigger, and also a dog that in Dougie's words "wants to work for you, not for himself"...

One of the best beating dogs I have seen is a Jack Russel...would ferret out birds the Labs hadnt found!!

ive got a foxy I use for possum pigs and goats. he loves chasing fellow deer so he would never be anygood on a deer hunt. I don't like him chasing rabbits so ive managed to get him off them completely which is handy when hunting. but his breeding is for rabbit hunting. any foxy or jack Russell are perfect for rabbits and possums. bit risky on pigs and goats ive had a couple of vet trips

Mine is foxy poodle (quite tall) Good indicator but murder on coons though. Helps out the pig dogs a bit too