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Bodger
Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 13524
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 06 1:58 pm Post subject: In search of the Unobtainable. Creating the perfect Lurcher. |
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For the unenlightened, a lurcher is a running dog that is designed to catch various quarry. Or of course it can be a back street accident.
A lurcher can be created by crossing two different pure bred sight hounds. For example a Saluki crossed with a Greyhound, or say a Whippet cross Saluki for greatly increased stamina. If people want a large lurcher then they will quite often cross a Deerhound or a Wolfhound onto a Greyhound, There are quite a few combinations to choose from.
The other way to create a lurcher is to cross any of the sight hounds or gaze hounds as they are sometimes called with a different breed of dog completely.
More often than not the starting point will be a greyhound or whippet and then the idea should be to blend the qualities of the other breed with the afore mentioned speed.
So for example you would use a Collie for brains and guile, a Beddlington for a reduction in size and an increase in gameness, any of the Bull breeds for gameness. The combinations using this method are truly endless and I've seen some truly wierd crosses in my time. I've seen Standard Poodle,Alsation, Doberman and even Wolf lurchers.
I think that I've explained the basic idea behind lurcher design, but now to throw a spanner in the works. In a nut shell the theory doesn't always work. Its not like mixing paint. The dog that I have now should have turned out like a large whippet. She is a3/4 whippet 1/4 greyhound. She should have been between 30 and 40lbs but instead she's the size of a large Greyhound in excess of 60lb.
To further complicate lurcher breeding even further , a lot of lurchers are created by lurcher to lurcher matings . In this instance the genes of umpteen breeds go into the melting pot and the variations that result can be massive. The dogs can be very good but it really is pot luck as to what you get.
In theory, the type of lurcher thats in demand today should have changed since the passing of the Hunting Bill. Whether you agree with it or not, you are now no longer legally allowed to hunt deer, fox or hare with your lurcher. The only worth while quarry still on the list is the rabbit. If peope take a practical approach to the hunting climate inexistance today, we should see a general decline in size of the lurchers that we see today and in the future.
I do quite a lot of rabbiting with a lamp and lurcher. My ideal dog is becoming harder and harder to find . I've always used non pedigree racing whippets with great success. In earlier days they were easier to find but not now. The pedigree whippet is useless for the job. Can't run by comparison and hasn't got the stamina or gameness for a long nights work.
Have any dog peope out there got any views as to what their best lurcher would be? Perhaps you've got one now?
Because of the hunting I do now, I would be looking for the brains of the collie, the speed of the whippet and the stamina of the saluki. I'd have to be very lucky to get a dog that would combine the three in just the right combination. |
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hedgewitch
Joined: 26 Nov 2005 Posts: 5834 Location: Daft wench GHQ
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@Calli
Joined: 03 Jul 2005 Posts: 1682 Location: Galway
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Northern_Lad
Joined: 13 Dec 2004 Posts: 14210 Location: Somewhere
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Bodger
Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 13524
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hedgewitch
Joined: 26 Nov 2005 Posts: 5834 Location: Daft wench GHQ
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Posted: Fri Sep 08, 06 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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Northern_Lad wrote: |
hedgewitch wrote: |
...Having a full saluki too, I have definate views on that distinctive saluki free spirit! ... |
Next door to me have one; it's a complete nut-job. Daft ears, the legs are too long, and she's highly vocal, but she's a nice enough creature.
Oh, and I'd say the collies are stupid creatures, but highly loyal, trainable and obedient. |
The daft ears are something I don't like. Mine girl has only light feathering. I hate to see a good hound made to look like a 1970's pop star The breed has been taken over by dog show freaks who, IMHO, are in danger of ruining it. Apparently the afghan hound used to be a perfectly respectable, working sight hound until it became a showring favourite. Now, in the USA, it has been altered to meet "standards" and often can't even run in the usual sight hound manner.
I'd love to go to the middle east or north africa and see what the salukis are like there... although apparently, american breeders are showing them how to selectovely breed for the showring rather than for working attributes now, in a bid to "standardise" the breed |
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dpack
Joined: 02 Jul 2005 Posts: 46249 Location: yes
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@Calli
Joined: 03 Jul 2005 Posts: 1682 Location: Galway
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hedgewitch
Joined: 26 Nov 2005 Posts: 5834 Location: Daft wench GHQ
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hedgewitch
Joined: 26 Nov 2005 Posts: 5834 Location: Daft wench GHQ
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Bodger
Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 13524
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Bodger
Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 13524
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Northern_Lad
Joined: 13 Dec 2004 Posts: 14210 Location: Somewhere
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hedgewitch
Joined: 26 Nov 2005 Posts: 5834 Location: Daft wench GHQ
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Bodger
Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 13524
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