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{{Short description|Terrier dog for hunting}}
A '''working terrier''' is a terrier that goes to ground in a natural earth against formidable quarry. Terriers that rat or bush rabbits or work wild game in brush piles or barns are not working terriers, but "sporting terriers" -- a term that encompasses a wide variety of work not done underground. A terrier is considered a ] only when it disappears underground and out of sight, and when it is dug to by someone with a shovel, or when the quarry is allowed to bolt free or to a net. A terrier is not a ] if it is working only artificial earths, such as those used at American earthdog trials.
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{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}
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] ]
A '''working terrier''' is a type of ] dog ] and trained to ] ] including a ], ], ] and other small ]. This may require the working terrier pursuing the vermin into an underground ]. These ] breeds are neither bred primarily for a ] nor as a ], rather they are valued for their ability to hunt, ] and ]. Working terriers provide utility on ]s, for ] and organized hunting activities. A leads a pack of terriers when they are working.


According to the '']'', the name "''terrier''"<ref></ref> dates back to 1410<ref>], etymology: ''"First y will begyn at Racches and þeire nature..after at Greyhoundes..alauntes..Spayngyels..Mastyfs that men callen Curres..and after at smale Curres and that fallen to be '''terreres'''''. Edward, Duke of York. ''The Master of game''. c.1410. , etc.; ed. Hahn</ref> in the writings of ] (1373 – 1415).<ref></ref> The word terrier in ] derives from the ] ], which means "''earth''". The term terrier meaning "''earth dog''" or "''dog of the earth''"<ref>Glover, John. (2014). '''' '''Pg. 139'''. Suffolk, England. Skycat Publications. {{ISBN|9780993022302}}</ref> was used in the ] with the connection to the dog’s role of ]ing into the ground in pursuit of quarry, which eventually became the name of this group of hunting dogs.
⚫ == Requirements of a Working Terrier ==
The most important requirement of a working terrier is an owner that will work it. The second most important quality of a working terrier is small chest size. Though the chest size of the working terrier that can be used in any given sitation may rise or fall depending on the size of the den pipe, smaller dogs generally do as well or better than larger dogs. The reason for this is rather simple: a small dog can get to the quarry without having to dig, and arrives at the quarry without fatigue.


With the growth in popularity of ] in ] in the 18th and 19th centuries, terriers were extensively bred to follow the ], as well as the ], into their ]. This is referred to as "terrier work" or "going to ground".<ref>{{cite book |last=Marvin |first=John T. |title=The New Complete Scottish Terrier |edition=2nd |year=1982 |publisher=Howell Book House |location=New York |isbn=0-87605-306-1 |chapter=Background and Heritage of the Terrier Family |page= |chapter-url-access=registration |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/newcompletescott00marv/page/12 }}</ref> The purpose of the terrier is to locate the burrow of the prey animal, and then either intimidate it into leaving its burrow or hold the prey still so it can be killed or captured.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/hunting/inquiry/evidence/terrier.htm |title=National Working Terrier Federation, Pest Control With Terriers |access-date=31 March 2008 |date=28 March 2000 |work=DEFRA.gov.uk |author=Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales |publisher=Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs |quote=The terrier's primary role is not to fight with its quarry. The role is to locate the quarry below ground and to bark at it continuously, either causing it to leave the earth, or alternatively to indicate where in the earth the quarry is located, in order that it can be dug to and dispatched. }}</ref>
If a dog is too large, he will not be able to get past turns in the tunnel, and will have to be dug to every few feet. If a dog has to dig to the quarry when the tunnel tightens down (as it invariably will), the dog will have to push dirt behind it to progress, which can result in the dog being “bottled” by dirt from behind. In such a situation the dog will have a very difficult time getting out on its own if it cannot turn around.


Working terriers can be no wider than the animals they hunt (chest circumference or "span" less than 35cm) in order to fit into the burrows and still have room to maneuver.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.terrierman.com/barryjones.htm |title=Spanning the Jack Russell Terrier |access-date=30 March 2008 |last=Jones |first=Barry |work=The Terrierman}}</ref>
⚫ With two animals underground (dog and quarry), it is essential that a flow of air be maintained to avoid asphyxiation. The tigher a dog is in the pipe, the more that air flow will be constricted. In addition, a small dog is able to maneuver better in order to avoid being bitten. As a consequence, small dogs often receive less damage underground than larger dogs, which are more likely to find themselves jammed in a den pipe, face to face with the quarry, and unable to move forward or backward. Nothing good can come from such a situation.


Terrier work has been condemned by British animal welfare organizations such as the ], the ], and the ] because it can lead to underground fighting between animals and cause serious injuries.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Terrier Work {{!}} |url=https://www.league.org.uk/what-we-do/hunting/terrier-work/ |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=www.league.org.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref> The British National Working Terrier Federation denies that underground fighting is an issue, arguing that the terrier's role is to locate, bark, and flush out the hunted animals, not to attack them.<ref name=TerrierFederationevidence>National Working Terrier Federation. , Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs, UK, 10 May 2000.</ref> Hunting below ground with terriers is largely illegal in Britain under the ], unless conducted by strict conditions intended to protect ]. Hunting with working terriers for ]s is legal in the United Kingdom. Terrier work is legal in ], ], ], the ] and much of ].
⚫ ]


⚫ == Requirements of a working terrier ==
⚫ Other important requirements of a working terrier are an essential gameness, a good nose, and an ability to problem solve in order to avoid coming to harm underground.
The primary characteristic of a working terrier is its active employment by an owner or handler, rather than its ] alone determining its status. The most critical physical attribute for a working terrier is a small chest size which facilitates navigation through narrow underground tunnels. The optimal chest size varies depending on the dimensions of the tunnel system; generally, smaller dogs are more effective as they can reach their quarry without the need for extensive digging and without significant fatigue.


Larger dogs often face difficulties in maneuvering through tight bends in tunnels, requiring frequent intervention from handlers to continue, such as digging the dog out. Furthermore, If a dog digs to a point where the tunnel narrows significantly, it may need to move the excavated dirt behind itself to advance. This can lead to a condition where the dog is trapped by the accumulated soil, making it extremely challenging to escape the tunnel without assistance, particularly if it is unable to turn around.
⚫ == Terrier work as vermin control ==
⚫ A wide variety of game is worked below ground with terriers, including ], ] (also known as woodchucks), ], ], ] (also known as coypu), European ], American badger, and ] (also known as raccoon dog).


⚫ With two animals underground, a flow of air must be maintained to avoid ]tion. The more space a dog takes up in a burrow, the more the airflow will be constricted. In addition, a small dog has better maneuverability and can more easily avoid being bitten. Because of this, small dogs often receive less injury underground than larger dogs, which are more likely to find themselves jammed in a den pipe, face-to-face with the prey, and unable to move forward or backward.
Terrier work is not a very efficient way of hunting vermin, but if it is done properly it is humane{{fact}} and quite selective. Because of these characteristics, terrier work is an ideal way to control nuisance wildlife in farm country.


⚫ ]
⚫ The inefficiency of terrier work means that, unlike poisons and traps, there is no danger that a species can be wiped out over a large area, and little chance that an adult will be terminated with unseen young still in the den. In addition, collateral damage, in the form of killing non-target species, is zero.


⚫ Other important requirements of a working terrier are essential ], a good nose, and the ability to problem-solve to avoid coming to harm underground.
⚫ That said, a team of terriers, when coupled with an enthusiastic digger, can control red fox, raccoon or groundhog on small farms where their presence might be a problem for chickens, geese, wild bird populations, and crop production. Because terrier work is selective, animals can be dispatched humanely without any chance of wounding,{{fact}} or else they can be moved and relocated to nearby farms, forests or waste areas where they will do no harm.


⚫ == Terrier work as vermin control ==
In both the U.S. and the U.K. all forms of wildlife traditionally hunted by terriers are at historically record population densities.{{fact}} In the U.K. this is because a ban on poisons and traps, initiated about 50 years ago, has resulted in an explosion of fox and badger populations.{{fact}} In the U.S., an increase in red fox, gray fox, groundhog, raccoon, possum and nutria can be traced to increased forest fragmentation in the Eastern U.S. (fragmented forests bordering farm land are ideal for dense populations of meso-pretators), the importation of two non-native species (red fox and nutria), and the spread of opossum, raccoon and red fox populations into western and northern states as food sources have increased.
⚫ A wide variety of game is hunted below ground with terriers, including red foxes, ] (also known as woodchucks), ], ], ] (also known as coypu), and ] and ].


According to a 1994 survey by the ], 9% of foxes killed by UK ]s were killed following the use of terriers.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.huntinginquiry.gov.uk/evidence/basc.htm#p7 |title=BASC evidence to Burns Inquiry |date=2000 |work=DEFRA.gov.uk |publisher=Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs}}</ref>
⚫ == Early history ==
The history of working terriers is not long, nor is it particularly complex.


Terrier work is not a very efficient way of hunting ], though in 2006, some 258 members of the ] argued that it is a comparatively humane way to reduce fox numbers and is quite selective.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.huntfacts.com/veterinary_opinion_on_hunting_.htm |title= Veterinary Opinion on Hunting |work= HuntFacts.com |access-date= 6 January 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061231203612/http://www.huntfacts.com/veterinary_opinion_on_hunting_.htm |archive-date= 31 December 2006 |url-status= dead }}</ref> Because of these characteristics, terrier work is considered an ideal way to control certain nuisance wildlife in farm countries.
⚫ Terrier work, as we know it today, began wih the rise of the ] Movement in the late 18th Century in England. With enclosure, people were moved off the land and into cities and towns, and sheep and other livestock were moved into newley walled, hedged and fenced fields. Vast expanses of enclosed open spaces proved perfect for mounted fox hunting – a sport that had arrived in the UK from France in the late 17th Century.


⚫ The inefficiency of terrier work means that, unlike ] and ], there is no danger that a species can be wiped out over a large area and little chance that an adult will be terminated with an unseen young still in the den.
The first mounted fox hunts were described by ], who also described the first working terriers in the UK.


⚫ Though inefficient, a team of terriers, when coupled with an enthusiastic digger, can control red foxes, raccoons, and groundhogs on small farms where their presence might be a problem for ], ], wild bird populations, and crop production. Because terrier work is selective, animals can be dispatched, or else they can be moved and relocated to nearby farms, forests, or waste areas where they will do no harm.
The first true breed of working terrier that bears a resemblance to what we see in the field today is the ].


⚫ == Early history ==
The Jack Russell Terrier is named afer the Reverand John Russell, whose long life (1795-1883) encompasses the entire early history of mounted fox hunts in the UK. Russell is credited with breeding the first white foxing terriers, and so the working white-bodied working foxing terrier used in the field today is named after him -- the ].
{{More citations needed|section|date=May 2023}}
⚫ Terrier work as it is known today began with the rise of the ] in the late 18th century in ]. With enclosure, people were moved off the land and into cities and towns, and ] and other ] were moved into newly walled, hedged, and fenced fields. Vast expanses of enclosed open spaces proved perfect for mounted fox hunting, a sport that had arrived in the UK from ] in the late 17th century.


The first mounted fox hunts were described by ], who also described the first working terriers in the UK. The first true breed of working terrier that bears a resemblance to what we see in the field today is the ]. The Jack Russell Terrier is named after the ], whose long life (1795–1883) encompasses the entire early history of mounted fox hunts in the UK, and who is credited with breeding the first fox-working white-bodied terrier used in the field today.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jack Russell Terrier JRTCA: History of the Jack Russell Terrier |url=https://therealjackrussell.com/breed/history.php |access-date=2023-05-29 |website=therealjackrussell.com}}</ref>
⚫ With the rise of the ] Movement in the late 18th Century and early 19th Century came the control of sires and the rapid improvement in livestock herds. As breeds were improved, livestock shows were held to display these improvements. From these livestock shows grew the first dog shows.


⚫ With the rise of the Enclosure Movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries came the control of sires and the rapid improvement in livestock herds. As breeds were improved, ] were held to display these improvements. From these livestock shows grew the first ].
⚫ The first dog show appeared in the UK in 1859, the same year that ]’s the "]" was first published. Both Darwin’s book and the first dog shows drew much of their inspiration from the rapid “speciation” of new livestock breeds that had first begun with ]’s efforts to control sire selection. If livestock breeds could be rapidly “improved” through controlled breeding, clearly the same thing could be done with dogs.


⚫ The first dog show appeared in the UK in 1859, the same year that ]'s '']'' was first published. Both Darwin's book and the first dog show drew much of their inspiration from the rapid "]" of new livestock breeds that had first begun with ]'s efforts to control sire selection. If livestock breeds could be rapidly "improved" through controlled breeding, clearly the same thing could be done with dogs.
⚫ Between 1800 and 1865, the number of dog breeds in the UK climbed from 15 to over 50, and it exploded even further with the creation of the Kennel Club in 1873.


⚫ Between 1800 and 1865, the number of dog breeds in the UK climbed from 15 to over 50, and it significantly increased further with the creation of the ] in 1873.
With the rise of Kennel Club dogs shows, every manner of rough working dog was soon being put up as an "ancient breed." In fact, most of these breeds were very new or even one-off dogs, and most histories were invented or dramatically elaborated on by get-rich-quick breed promoters.


== Rootstock == == Rootstock ==
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2022}}
In the world of working terriers, there are but two roots – colored dogs from the north (Scotland and Wales), and white dogs from the south (England). From these two roots spring a variety of Kennel Club dogs and every type of working terrier commonly found in the field today. In the world of working terriers, there are but two roots: colored dogs from the north (]) and white dogs from the south (England and ]). From these two roots spring a variety of Kennel Club dogs and every type of working terrier commonly found in the field today.<ref></ref>


The "Fell Terrier" is the original non-pedigree colored working dog of the north. From this diverse gene pool has sprung the Kennel Club ], the ] and the ]. Today, only the Border Terrier is occassioanlly found in the field. This is not to say the working Fell Terrier has disappeared -- it still exists by that name among working terrier enthusiasts. The "]" is the original non-]-colored working dog of the north. From this diverse gene pool have sprung the Kennel Club ], the ], and the ]. Today, only the Border Terrier is occasionally found in the field. This is not to say the working Fell Terrier has disappeared—it still exists by that name among working terrier enthusiasts.


Today's working Fell Terrier may be brown, black, red, or black-and-tan, and may be smooth, wire or broken coated. The dog may be called a Fell terrier or a "working Lakeland" or a "]." A German variety of the Fell Terrier is called the "]," but the standard for this dog is on the large size, and as a consequence it is most useful in large pipes, artificial earths, or when it has been bred down to a 12-13 inch size. Today's working Fell Terrier may be brown, black, red, or black and tan, and may be smooth, wire, or broken-coated. The dog may be called a Fell Terrier, a "working Lakeland", or a "]". A ] variety of the Fell Terrier is called the "]", but the standard for this dog is on the large size, and, as a consequence, it is most useful in large pipes, artificial earth, or when it has been bred down to a 12–13in size.


From the southern part of England have come the white fox-working dogs whose origins are the same as those of the Jack Russell Terrier. Kennel Club breeds derived from these mainly-white coated dogs include the Smooth ], the Wire Fox Terrier, the ] and (most recently), the ]. None of these Kennel Club breeds are commonly found working in the field today. From the southern part of England have come the white fox-working dogs, whose origins are the same as those of the ]. Kennel Club breeds derived from these mainly white-coated dogs include the Smooth ], the Wire Fox Terrier, the ], and most recently,{{when|date=October 2022}} the ] and ]. None of these Kennel Club breeds are commonly found working in the field today.


The absence of white-bodied working dogs in the Kennel Club does not mean that white fox-working dogs have disappeared. The working ] is still very much alive and is as common as ever, presenting itself in an astounding variety of coats ]” first created by Brian Plummer in the 1970s and breeding true since the mid 1980s. The absence of white-bodied working dogs in the Kennel Club does not mean that white-fox-working dogs have disappeared. The working ] is still as common as ever, presenting itself in a variety of coats (smooth, broken, and wire-coated or rough), sizes (10 inches to 15 inches tall, with most working dogs sized 10 to 13 inches tall), and coat colors (from pure white to 49% colored with tan and black markings). There is even a new type of working Jack Russell, the "]", first created by ] in the 1970s.


⚫ == Tools and technique ==
What of all of the other Kennel Club breeds of terriers? Most of these terrier were never true working terriers. Some were small farm dogs used to catch rats and keep foxes from invading the farm yard. Some saw work as turnspit dogs or were used by farmers to bust rabbits from hedges and thickets. Most, however, were created as pets and remain as pets to this day.
⚫ The tools used for terrier work have essentially remained unchanged for more than 400 years: a small-chested and game-working terrier, a good round point ], a ], a ] to clear away ] and brambles, fox nets, water for the dog and digger, a snare to remove the quarry, or a gun or blunt instrument to dispatch it.


⚫ The only "modern" piece of equipment found in a terrier man's kit that would look foreign to a terrier man from the late 18th century is an electronic radio collar used to help locate the dog underground and speed the dig. Locator collars have greatly increased the safety of dogs when underground.
The rather pedestrian history of most of the terriers breeds created between 1850 and 1910, is that these dogs were created for the show ring by for-profit breeders and show ring enthusiasts. Most of these terrier breeds never saw underground terrier work of any kind. Occassionally an early breeder of one terrier type or another is reported to have worked his or her dog, but the story is generally vague and almost always episodic. Let it be said simply: the fact that a handful of prototype dogs of a given breed allegedly did a small bit of work more than 100 years ago does not qualify the breed to be considered a "working dog." Terrier work is not something that disappeared with schooners, candles and buggy whips; it is a continuing pastime, and the dogs working in the field today are the same type of working terrier that have always existed.


==Controversy in the UK==
⚫ == Tools and technique ==
⚫ The tools used for terrier work have essentially remained unchanged for more than 400 years – a small-chested game ], a good roundpoint shovel, a digging bar, a brushhook to clear away hedge and bramble, water for the dog and digger, and a snare to remove the quarry or a gun or blunt instrument to dispatch it.


Terrier work has come under criticism from ] groups in the UK, particularly in connection with ], where terriers may be used to flush out a fox who has gone underground. This may lead to terriers attacking the foxes rather than flushing them out, thus prolonging the death of the fox. The League Against Cruel Sports states that distressing and prolonged deaths occur during the digging out or flushing out of foxes, and serious injuries can be sustained by dogs.<ref name="League" /> The league notes that terriers and terrier men often accompany hunts which claim to be legally ], but are in actual fact hunting foxes.<ref name="League" />
⚫ The only “modern” piece of equipment found in a terrierman’s kit that might look foreign to a terrierman from the late 18th Century is an electronic radio collar used to help locate the dog underground and speed the dig. Locator collars have greatly increased the safety of dogs when underground, and no sensible digger will put a dog to ground without one today.


Organizations such as the League Against Cruel Sports have produced a range of reports on the working terrier.<ref name="League">{{cite web |url= https://www.league.org.uk/what-we-do/hunting/terrier-work/ |title=Terrier work |publisher=League Against Cruel Sports}}</ref> In 1994, ], the ] for ], proposed a ], the Protection of Dogs Bill, seeking to ban the activity,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199394/cmhansrd/1994-02-04/Debate-6.html |title=Official Report, Commons |date=4 February 1994 |publisher=House of Commons }}</ref> but it was not banned in the UK until the passage of the ]. The Act outlaws terrier work unless it complies with a number of ] designed for ]s.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/vo030630/debtext/30630-17.htm#30630-17_spnew10 |title=Official Report, Commons |date=2003 |publisher=House of Commons }}</ref>
==Legislation==
Hunting is governed by a range of laws in different countries.


===Great Britain=== ==See also==
* ]
The use of working terriers to hunt foxes below ground is largely illegal under the ], although there is a narrow exemption, described by the relevant Minister as existing "for ]s".
* ]


==To read more== ==Further reading==
* Glover, John. (2014). ''''. Suffolk, England. Skycat Publications. {{ISBN|9780993022302}}
*]
*]
*]
*]


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}}
⚫ * Burns, Patrick. ''American Working Terriers'', 2005. ISBN 1-4116-6082-X

⚫ * Chapman, Eddie. "The Working Jack Russell Terrier," 1994. No ISBN
== General references ==
⚫ * Burns, Patrick. ''American Working Terriers'', 2005. {{ISBN|1-4116-6082-X}}
⚫ * Chapman, Eddie. "The Working Jack Russell Terrier," 1994.
* Fischer, John. "Vulpicide in South Nottinghamshire in 1865"
* MacDonald, David. "Running With the Fox." 1987. {{ISBN|978-0-04-440084-4}}
*
* , ''Sheffield Today'', 8 August 2005


==External links== ==External links==
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Latest revision as of 00:36, 27 December 2024

Terrier dog for hunting
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A working Jack Russell Terrier exits a den pipe.

A working terrier is a type of terrier dog bred and trained to hunt vermin including a badger, fox, rat and other small mammals. This may require the working terrier pursuing the vermin into an underground warren. These working dog breeds are neither bred primarily for a dog show nor as a companion dog, rather they are valued for their ability to hunt, endurance and gameness. Working terriers provide utility on farms, for pest control and organized hunting activities. A terrierman leads a pack of terriers when they are working.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the name "terrier" dates back to 1410 in the writings of Edward of Norwich, 2nd duke of York (1373 – 1415). The word terrier in Old French derives from the Latin "terra", which means "earth". The term terrier meaning "earth dog" or "dog of the earth" was used in the Middle Ages with the connection to the dog’s role of burrowing into the ground in pursuit of quarry, which eventually became the name of this group of hunting dogs.

With the growth in popularity of fox hunting in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries, terriers were extensively bred to follow the red fox, as well as the Eurasian badger, into their burrows. This is referred to as "terrier work" or "going to ground". The purpose of the terrier is to locate the burrow of the prey animal, and then either intimidate it into leaving its burrow or hold the prey still so it can be killed or captured.

Working terriers can be no wider than the animals they hunt (chest circumference or "span" less than 35cm) in order to fit into the burrows and still have room to maneuver.

Terrier work has been condemned by British animal welfare organizations such as the League Against Cruel Sports, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals because it can lead to underground fighting between animals and cause serious injuries. The British National Working Terrier Federation denies that underground fighting is an issue, arguing that the terrier's role is to locate, bark, and flush out the hunted animals, not to attack them. Hunting below ground with terriers is largely illegal in Britain under the Hunting Act 2004, unless conducted by strict conditions intended to protect game birds. Hunting with working terriers for rats is legal in the United Kingdom. Terrier work is legal in Australia, Canada, South Africa, the United States and much of continental Europe.

Requirements of a working terrier

The primary characteristic of a working terrier is its active employment by an owner or handler, rather than its breed alone determining its status. The most critical physical attribute for a working terrier is a small chest size which facilitates navigation through narrow underground tunnels. The optimal chest size varies depending on the dimensions of the tunnel system; generally, smaller dogs are more effective as they can reach their quarry without the need for extensive digging and without significant fatigue.

Larger dogs often face difficulties in maneuvering through tight bends in tunnels, requiring frequent intervention from handlers to continue, such as digging the dog out. Furthermore, If a dog digs to a point where the tunnel narrows significantly, it may need to move the excavated dirt behind itself to advance. This can lead to a condition where the dog is trapped by the accumulated soil, making it extremely challenging to escape the tunnel without assistance, particularly if it is unable to turn around.

With two animals underground, a flow of air must be maintained to avoid asphyxiation. The more space a dog takes up in a burrow, the more the airflow will be constricted. In addition, a small dog has better maneuverability and can more easily avoid being bitten. Because of this, small dogs often receive less injury underground than larger dogs, which are more likely to find themselves jammed in a den pipe, face-to-face with the prey, and unable to move forward or backward.

Working terriers and tools for terrier work.

Other important requirements of a working terrier are essential gameness, a good nose, and the ability to problem-solve to avoid coming to harm underground.

Terrier work as vermin control

A wide variety of game is hunted below ground with terriers, including red foxes, groundhogs (also known as woodchucks), raccoons, opossums, nutria (also known as coypu), and European and American badgers.

According to a 1994 survey by the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, 9% of foxes killed by UK gamekeepers were killed following the use of terriers.

Terrier work is not a very efficient way of hunting vermin, though in 2006, some 258 members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons argued that it is a comparatively humane way to reduce fox numbers and is quite selective. Because of these characteristics, terrier work is considered an ideal way to control certain nuisance wildlife in farm countries.

The inefficiency of terrier work means that, unlike poisons and traps, there is no danger that a species can be wiped out over a large area and little chance that an adult will be terminated with an unseen young still in the den.

Though inefficient, a team of terriers, when coupled with an enthusiastic digger, can control red foxes, raccoons, and groundhogs on small farms where their presence might be a problem for chickens, geese, wild bird populations, and crop production. Because terrier work is selective, animals can be dispatched, or else they can be moved and relocated to nearby farms, forests, or waste areas where they will do no harm.

Early history

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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Terrier work as it is known today began with the rise of the Enclosure Movement in the late 18th century in England. With enclosure, people were moved off the land and into cities and towns, and sheep and other livestock were moved into newly walled, hedged, and fenced fields. Vast expanses of enclosed open spaces proved perfect for mounted fox hunting, a sport that had arrived in the UK from France in the late 17th century.

The first mounted fox hunts were described by Sir Walter Scott, who also described the first working terriers in the UK. The first true breed of working terrier that bears a resemblance to what we see in the field today is the Jack Russell Terrier. The Jack Russell Terrier is named after the Reverend John Russell, whose long life (1795–1883) encompasses the entire early history of mounted fox hunts in the UK, and who is credited with breeding the first fox-working white-bodied terrier used in the field today.

With the rise of the Enclosure Movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries came the control of sires and the rapid improvement in livestock herds. As breeds were improved, livestock shows were held to display these improvements. From these livestock shows grew the first dog shows.

The first dog show appeared in the UK in 1859, the same year that Charles Darwin's Origin of Species was first published. Both Darwin's book and the first dog show drew much of their inspiration from the rapid "speciation" of new livestock breeds that had first begun with Robert Bakewell's efforts to control sire selection. If livestock breeds could be rapidly "improved" through controlled breeding, clearly the same thing could be done with dogs.

Between 1800 and 1865, the number of dog breeds in the UK climbed from 15 to over 50, and it significantly increased further with the creation of the Kennel Club in 1873.

Rootstock

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In the world of working terriers, there are but two roots: colored dogs from the north (Scotland) and white dogs from the south (England and Wales). From these two roots spring a variety of Kennel Club dogs and every type of working terrier commonly found in the field today.

The "Fell Terrier" is the original non-pedigree-colored working dog of the north. From this diverse gene pool have sprung the Kennel Club Welsh Terrier, the Lakeland Terrier, and the Border Terrier. Today, only the Border Terrier is occasionally found in the field. This is not to say the working Fell Terrier has disappeared—it still exists by that name among working terrier enthusiasts.

Today's working Fell Terrier may be brown, black, red, or black and tan, and may be smooth, wire, or broken-coated. The dog may be called a Fell Terrier, a "working Lakeland", or a "Patterdale Terrier". A German variety of the Fell Terrier is called the "Jagdterrier", but the standard for this dog is on the large size, and, as a consequence, it is most useful in large pipes, artificial earth, or when it has been bred down to a 12–13in size.

From the southern part of England have come the white fox-working dogs, whose origins are the same as those of the Jack Russell Terrier. Kennel Club breeds derived from these mainly white-coated dogs include the Smooth Fox Terrier, the Wire Fox Terrier, the Sealyham Terrier, and most recently, the Parson Russell Terrier and Russell Terrier. None of these Kennel Club breeds are commonly found working in the field today.

The absence of white-bodied working dogs in the Kennel Club does not mean that white-fox-working dogs have disappeared. The working Jack Russell Terrier is still as common as ever, presenting itself in a variety of coats (smooth, broken, and wire-coated or rough), sizes (10 inches to 15 inches tall, with most working dogs sized 10 to 13 inches tall), and coat colors (from pure white to 49% colored with tan and black markings). There is even a new type of working Jack Russell, the "Plummer Terrier", first created by Brian Plummer in the 1970s.

Tools and technique

The tools used for terrier work have essentially remained unchanged for more than 400 years: a small-chested and game-working terrier, a good round point shovel, a digging bar, a brush hook to clear away hedges and brambles, fox nets, water for the dog and digger, a snare to remove the quarry, or a gun or blunt instrument to dispatch it.

The only "modern" piece of equipment found in a terrier man's kit that would look foreign to a terrier man from the late 18th century is an electronic radio collar used to help locate the dog underground and speed the dig. Locator collars have greatly increased the safety of dogs when underground.

Controversy in the UK

Terrier work has come under criticism from animal welfare groups in the UK, particularly in connection with fox hunting, where terriers may be used to flush out a fox who has gone underground. This may lead to terriers attacking the foxes rather than flushing them out, thus prolonging the death of the fox. The League Against Cruel Sports states that distressing and prolonged deaths occur during the digging out or flushing out of foxes, and serious injuries can be sustained by dogs. The league notes that terriers and terrier men often accompany hunts which claim to be legally trail hunting, but are in actual fact hunting foxes.

Organizations such as the League Against Cruel Sports have produced a range of reports on the working terrier. In 1994, Alan Williams, the Labour MP for Swansea West, proposed a private members bill, the Protection of Dogs Bill, seeking to ban the activity, but it was not banned in the UK until the passage of the Hunting Act 2004. The Act outlaws terrier work unless it complies with a number of strict conditions designed for gamekeepers.

See also

Further reading

References

  1. Oxford English Dictionary: Terrier definition
  2. Oxford English Dictionary, etymology: "First y will begyn at Racches and þeire nature..after at Greyhoundes..alauntes..Spayngyels..Mastyfs that men callen Curres..and after at smale Curres and that fallen to be terreres. Edward, Duke of York. The Master of game. c.1410. MS. Digby 182, etc.; ed. Hahn
  3. Britannica Encyclopedia: Edward of Norwich, 2nd duke of York
  4. Glover, John. (2014). Ratting With Terriers Pg. 139. Suffolk, England. Skycat Publications. ISBN 9780993022302
  5. Marvin, John T. (1982). "Background and Heritage of the Terrier Family". The New Complete Scottish Terrier (2nd ed.). New York: Howell Book House. p. 12. ISBN 0-87605-306-1.
  6. Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales (28 March 2000). "National Working Terrier Federation, Pest Control With Terriers". DEFRA.gov.uk. Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Retrieved 31 March 2008. The terrier's primary role is not to fight with its quarry. The role is to locate the quarry below ground and to bark at it continuously, either causing it to leave the earth, or alternatively to indicate where in the earth the quarry is located, in order that it can be dug to and dispatched.
  7. Jones, Barry. "Spanning the Jack Russell Terrier". The Terrierman. Retrieved 30 March 2008.
  8. "Terrier Work |". www.league.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  9. National Working Terrier Federation. "Written evidence, second stage", Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs, UK, 10 May 2000.
  10. "BASC evidence to Burns Inquiry". DEFRA.gov.uk. Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. 2000.
  11. "Veterinary Opinion on Hunting". HuntFacts.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2007.
  12. "Jack Russell Terrier JRTCA: History of the Jack Russell Terrier". therealjackrussell.com. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
  13. The history of terriers: small wonders
  14. ^ "Terrier work". League Against Cruel Sports.
  15. "Official Report, Commons". House of Commons . 4 February 1994.
  16. "Official Report, Commons". House of Commons . 2003.

General references

External links

Terriers
Working breeds
Long-legged
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Types: Bull-type terriers (and Pit bulls), Feists, Fell Terriers, Fox Terriers, Pinschers, Schnauzers, Working terrier
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