Chris - good observations.  It does often come down to the individual
dog's personality and good training techniques - I don't think attending
a good obediance class can be overemphasized.  I particularly like your
observations about kits that stay with mom and dad having better manners -
I think that is true as well., (Many responsible dog breeders now advocate
keeping puppies until at least 8 weeks vs.  the 6 many use because they
feel that last two weeks allows the puppy to learn more "dog communication"
and results in fewer dog aggressive dogs).
 
However there are still some breeds, the occasional individual aside, that
I think are not the greatest idea for ferret homes - these are primarily
northern or arctic breeds like Siberian Huskies who have very high prey
drives coupled with independent natures.  At least these are the breeds I
have seen the most problems with.
 
I am interested in your hunting with ferrets experience - I got on some
lurcher sites and emailed those people awhile specifically wondering how
hunting with terrier's like JRT's and ferrets works out?  But I didn't
really get any specific answers as they were of course - people with
lurchers!:)
 
Please email me privately as I would love to hear more!
Mary
 
"For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts;
even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other;
yea they have all one breath;
so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast:
for all is vanity. "
Ecclesiastes 3:19
[Posted in FML issue 3215]