I've never owned or worked a lurcher before so I would consider my self very much a novice when it comes to choosing a dog, I have been looking at the adds and noticed that they use all sorts of breeds to develop these animals but I am not sure which is the best to go for, I noticed they use a 'BULL' I assume this is bull terrier or something of that nature, what is its purpose in a lurcher, what is the best mix to go for, can any body help please. Charles.
border lad
hello B CHARL, there is many xs what do you want to hunt, and what part of the country you are in??
and find out what is the most common x used, there, for that particular, animal, you are going to hunt, my favourite, x is a 3/4 grey/ 1/4 collie, they make a very good allround dog, But some people
would not touch them, some people, would only have a Saluki x, more for black tip rabbit dogs, and can be very temperamental, but a good one is very hard to beat for that job, your terrier x wheaton, bedlington, and Bull, the last one not my cup of tea,question, what you want to hunt, what size, and can he mix with other dogs, answer those questions, to your self, and make up your mind with your local dog men, for rabbits, a good colliexwhippet x greyhound very hard to beat for filling the pot, and make excellent pets, that can mix, with other dogs without problems, alot of questions to answer, for yourself, but good luck, find a pup and bond with it and you can have avery good friend for the next 12 years or so,
BigCharl
Thanks for that border lad, I will be hunting rabbit maybe fox in time and I live in Cheshire pretty flat where I am cow country so I will probably travelling a bit further possibly Yorkshire mores for weekend excursions (camping out) so would need a dog to deal with this any suggestions. Charles.
border lad
yes in my opinion, without a doubt collie whippetx greyhound, you will not be disappointed, yes I know SANDBACH, CONGOLETON, around that area coursed around there in the early seventies they were some advertised, on the other hunting forum
another forum. BEST OF LUCK
BigCharl
I'm only about 10 miles from there, anyway thanks for the help mate, if any one has any other views it would it would be appreciated.
confused
Hi ,i reckon that if you give a dog a good chance most of them will do a turn, loads of punters seem to think that a dog is like a gun ,you take it out ,use it and put it away when your finished, i've found that if they are with you all the time they are learning, watching your every move, even when you dont try to teach them they are aware of your moves, your moods, they soon learn to read your next move, i've had mostly wee dogs, whippetx beddy , 3/4 whippet x beddy, and the like ,they all done a job for me but i was never a 30/40 a night man, i just hunt to eat, so i was just looking for a "handy" dog, i think the collie x is a bit easier to train, the beddy is a wee bit strong willed and would love to hunt on if given the chance, but i still loved the bit grit they have, the big plus for me is the size ,i kept my last 2 dogs in the house,and i wanted to get my share of the fire , if you want to read a bit more about them ,i've loads of articles from the shooting news, P.M. me your address and i'll post you some copy of good reading material.
fish
some sound advice .
BigCharl
I know what you mean confused it wont be me first dog just me first hunting dog, but still thanks for the good advice, I will be having it in the house so its doubling as a family pet, are these breeds general good with children.
fish
all the breeds with some sighthound (saluki,greyhound,deerhound etc) are realy good with kids and generally the most loyal and loving dogs ive found! ive generally had alsation x collies for pets and theyre hard work compared to the lurcher types. but as with all dogs they need to be treated with respect , teach the kids to be respectfull and not rough with the dog,9 times out of 10 when a dog bites a kid its the kids fault,and as tempting as it may be you cant get the kids put down its allways the dog!
also when training make the process quick and be hard on the dog,all mine walk to heal ,i cant under stand these tossers who get dragged allong the road by their dogs!
i trained my greyhound with the use of an 'innotech' electric training collar,he was a year old had no name and no training whatsoever,within 4 weeks he was trained ,totally!
BigCharl
Ha ha! I know what you mean Fish, absolutly write, I will be buying a book of on whippets or grey hounds to see the best way of trianing as I have only had one dog in the past do you have any suggestions mate.
furdy
Plummers book....'merle, the start of a dynasty' has lots of good advice about training a runner.....
I know he comes in for some stick but get it from the library and have a read before making your mind up about him.
BigCharl
Will do furdy, sounds interesting, thanks.
tyke
Plummer did a paperback called something like
"practicle dog training" ive got a copy somewhere,its not lurcher specific but theres some good info in there and its cheap.
Top tip,electric collars £150-200,catapult and acorns £15,only at the arse and not hard though.
BigCharl
cheers tyke will check out ebay.
tyke
BC
ive had a look for the Plummer paperback but cant find it at the moment,
think my lads got it to be honest,if i find it you can have it for free if youre interested?
fossil
ho i've kept collie crosses for 20 years, and the best i've ever had was a first cross collie greyhound, very gentle and not at all aggresive, i was catching 3/400 rabbits with him singlehanded a year,but he is now 11 years old, too slow for rabbits now, but good on other things if you get my drift! my father and i have also owned 3/4 greyhound 1/4 collies as well and found them very good for long ears, i now own a 5/8ths greyhound 3/8ths colloie, he is a bit big for rabbits buts picks up ok, but fills the freezer with other things !!
Ths is just my view,i'just like collie crosses and they suit me,but not other people
i've seen all sorts of dogs working, some good and and some i wouldn't feed, but in the end it is up yo you,
all the best
BigCharl
Thanks tyke that would be appreciated very much indeed, and thanks to all the others for some truly good advice it has helped me a lot I think I will be getting the greyxcollie if I can find one for the right money, any idea what an acceptable price would be for a bitch.
tyke
BC
First thing is,i dont want to offend any fisrt x collie/grey enthusiasts,ive bred some and still have one myself.
I strongly recommend you dont buy a first x collie/grey,a 1/4 collie in the mix is more than enough.
A 3/4 running blood 1/4 collie has much more running ability than the first x and shouldn't lack brains at all.
If you could find a litter of collie x grey / whippet x grey it would be a much better prospect if rabbits are your main quarry imo.
As i said i dont want to upset anyone this is just my own opinion based on personal experiance.
border lad
yes good sound advice allround,try in the welsh valleys, they like the colliex,
furdy
Anything dog related is emotional and opinion driven.
I dont think a small dog, ie whippet based, offers any advantage over the greyhound based dogs in the majority of situations.
A bold statement maybe. They are undoubtedly lightening fast in short sharp bursts but I think they lack the stamina and hardiness of a bigger dog. A bigger dog will be more versatile and score heavily if you consider the different types of terrain they run on. They will also cope better with anything that comes along.
3/4 collie grey will suit your needs perfectly as an all round dog.
Of the two dogs I have here, the collie based pup is easier to get along with, enters more quickly and would be the better all round dog. The beddy cross is hard work but more specific in what he does.
bush
hey big charl in my opinian get yourself to a few shows and get chattin to folk with dogs that catch your eye and i don't just mean the way they look but the way they are with there owner and whats goin on around them and how they are with other dogs and people. to me its a good way of findin out about alsorts of crosses. granted you can get told some bullsh*t but there are plenty of people more than happy to chat about there runnin mates. hope you find the dog for you
, if you want to read a bit more about them ,i've loads of articles from the shooting news, P.M. me your address and i'll post you some copy of good reading material.