This page includes excepts from a letter that I received from Brian Nuttall. He is one of the originators of the Patterdale Terrier. I thought it would be interesting to hear about the dog directly from him.
Dear Rick,
Thank you for your letter, I am glad you choose a patterdale terrier and hope you have lots of happy years with them.
I have had the breed for 48 years and my grandfather who I got my original stock from had them for 50 years before me.
To get your puppy going on game when your puppy is about 12-16 weeks bring him home a fresh killed fox, groundhog, or raccoon. Tease the puppy with it. He will soon get interested in chasing or shaking game. Let him eat it if he want to. Do this two or three times till he is old enough to work. About 11 or 12 months on live game.
Don't be in to big a hurry to get your pup on big game like foxes or raccoon. Try them on a barn rat when he is six or seven months. See if you can catch one in a cage trap for him and let him bark at it for a few minutes before you let it go in a large open space so he can catch it easy.
Good hunting
Yours Sincerely Brain Nuttall
