PJCaswell
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Everything posted by PJCaswell
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A lot of nonsense is talked on here about Dave Platt and his dogs. He is a genuinely interesting character, and he’s really honest about what he is trying to do - which is to produce what he somewhat eccentrically refers to as an ‘English’ deerhound. His dogs pretty much look the same and have similar temperaments. Essentially smaller more robust deerhound type dogs. Have spoken to a fair few people who own a dog with a ‘Platt’ in it and they all say the same thing - they are incredibly slow to develop but when they do they are big biddable dogs that are really happy to work but aren’t
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I know beddie x grey that got his last fox on his owners drive way a month after his 15th birthday. Fox was trying to get into a bin bag, owner opened the door, dog ran out and boom – one dead stupid fox. Owner didn’t think that his old dog would actually get it but fox apparently didn’t move. It didn’t fear humans or understand dogs. To be fair I think the old dog had had a lot of fox action in its youth, so it knew what to do, but it was an old arthritic hound.
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It’s the owner - always the feckin’owner. Pit bulls can be great dogs. Alsatians can be great dogs. Rottweilers can be great dogs. But if the owner is a muppet or lazy or doesn’t know the quirks of demanding breeds then the dog will probably be nasty. Give me a well socialised Rottweilers over a dead eyed Labrador any day.
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There are two kinds of recall. The first is simply getting a dog to come to you – this is easish. The second is getting a dog to come to you when it is in full hunt mode – this is hard and takes work but a lot of lurcher owners are really good at it, so everyone who gets a dog with great recall is easy. You have to start with the first type of recall, but the second type is just about building on the first type in different situations. Starting at 9 months is harder than 4 months, but is doable. Its easier for a dog to come to you if it thinks you are great. So try to have fun with it
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I agree - different types of lurchers have broadly different temperaments that suit owners of different temperaments. Friendly well trained dogs need humans who understand the breed and how to handle them. Best example is the Rottweiler. A properly socialised and looked after Rottweiler is a brilliant family pet. However if someone gets one without really understanding what makes them tick, they are dangerous. Kick a young Rottweiler and you'll get a dog that is always preparing for a kick. Hug a young Rottweiler and you will het a dog that is always waiting for a hug. The skill involved is no
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Dry Food.... To Soak Or Not To Soak
PJCaswell replied to CARADOCMICK's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs
Dry dog food has been cooked and pasteurised. Adding boiling water to it might reduce some of the vitamin content as some vitamins change their chemical composition when heated but nothing major. Unlike boiling vegetables nothing will be leached. If you are worried just add hot water. However, the key thing to remember is any dog food is not designed for greyhounds. So any lurcher with a lot of greyhound in it needs a slightly different diet with a higher fat and calcium content. Using dry as a base is fine but adding extra fat and calcium is important. This is more than just getting an ex -
Tug training is vital for any big x terrier cross; but you have to be careful and brave. I would start them early gently but adult dogs seem to love it, especially if it is a real contest. Dogs know it is a game but I agree absolutely agree you have to be in control. You have to initiate and you have to stop. This does not mean you have to ‘win’. The idea that a dog wants to be top of the pack by successfully tugging a rope out of your hand is nonsense. Dogs want to play and tug training is a regressive play behaviour that imitates natural puppy behaviour. For this reason it shouldn’t also
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Couldn't agree more. If its a young xBull or xBedlington it will catch. And might be spectacular and kill 1000s rabbits (or whatever you are after) but you will damage it. The point is not that young dogs won't catch, the point is that in the catching they're likely to get damaged because they are not properly developed. This is not about being soft on the dog or wrapping it in cotton wool it is about protecting your pet/investment. I think bull crosses should be held back the most because they are so brave and strong they show injuries the least.
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https://en.engormix.com/pets/articles/feeding-racing-greyhound-t33659.htm Greyhounds need diets with carbohydrate, fat and protein to perform well. Greyhounds need carbs There is some evidence that greyhounds perform better with diets with slightly higher fat content than others dogs, but don’t respond well to high protein diets. In my experience this is true. There is also lots of evidence that a raw or partially raw died increases the risk of gastrointestinal illness. In a normal dog this is okay but greyhound trainers don’t want a dog performing at 90% because it has the runs. B
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Think twice. All the lurchers with great temperament have an owner with time and they know what are doing, or know someone who knows what they are doing. Be honest, if you don’t have the time get a pug On type: all of them are great but… If you have a small house get a whippet cross. If you have a bigger house get a grey cross. If you have OCD get a saluki cross. If you want a dog smarter than you get a collie cross. If you want a dog that is friendly but could theoretically kill an elk get a bull cross You will never go wrong with a beddy cross Finally, if it’s living in
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What would such a beast hunt? Bull crosses are really lovely dogs but having one on mainland Britain is in my humble opinion like someone owning a Ferrari on the Isle of Wight. Throw Sharp-pei x Thai ridge x Corso to the mix and you will create a dog that doesn’t really have a purpose.
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Dogs are not Wolves. Dogs have evolved to eat what we eat. The clearest example of this is Wolves cannot digest starches from grains, whereas 99% of dogs have the genetic mutation that enables them to do so. This means dogs CAN eat anything we can eat with a few exceptions such as raisins Dog food is a new invention that pretends that dogs have had a separate evolution to humans. However longdogs are not normal dogs. If you want a fast strong robust dog, and it has a lot of greyhound in it take a bit more notice about what you feed it. This is not being fussy but recognising we ask of t
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Lovely dogs mate
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Racing greyhounds are designed to race and coursing greyhounds to course. If you work a greyhound it is at far far higher risk than a lurcher doing the same thing. This is not just because of its truly amazing speed; but because its speed is created by a muscle and bone structure that isn’t designed to stop fast or a brain that is focused on how to kill. But is it better that a retired greyhound lives a few months or years having fun or lives a lifetime without stretching its legs? I know which I would prefer.
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1/2Grey 1/4 Deerhound 1/4Beddy Any?
PJCaswell replied to THE DEMON's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs
Never seen anything with beddy in it myself but heard poor reports,I have seen a good few with deerhound and all were cowardly half hearted culls.might do for a few rabbits but for foxes etc not a hope over here in Ireland anyway. Mate, you need to meet a dog with a 1/4 or 1/2 proper working Bedlington terrier. Not sure how many there are in Ireland - I've never seen one Working Bedlington's still do much of the hard graft, in the very limited circumstances where they can. Pound-for-pound the are the hardest bravest most honest dog you will ever encounter. -
But where to find them? Most owners who tell me they have a beddie crosses have dogs with a hint of beddie in them. These look like scruffy very slightly overweight whippets. They do a fine job, though I am often told the bite the wrong thing – children, poodles, postmen etc. However, to get the full on Bedlington experience there should be a ¼ to ½ ‘working’ Bedlington in them and a lot of greyhound.
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My beddy x greyhound caught a pheasant on a country lane this time last year near a shoot. I recon the gamekeeper had a similar dog and the birds didn’t think it was a threat. The dog just ran up to the bird and pretty much snaffled it. Young farmed pheasants are ridiculously stupid creatures. Dog now stalks any bird which isn’t ideal.
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Beddie Cross Wins Scottish Derby
PJCaswell replied to nothernlite's topic in Lurchers & Running Dogs
Beautiful dogs - proper dogs -
I agree, milk is a brilliant food. Its been used by humans almost as long as we have had running dogs siting by our side. However, if you own a 8 week old running dog and are a hippy, vegan, or just anti-milk; or if the puppy has a milk intolerance, make sure you give it enough calcium in another form - bone, supplements etc. If you don't you will increase the risk of fractures and other bone issues over the dog’s lifetime. It's just an increased risk rather than a 100% certainty so you might get away with it. It is probably more important to focus on calcium if you have a puppy with a lot
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Milk feed weaned pups is not to replace the mother’s milk. It’s just another food that has calcium in it. I have been told that greyhound trainers also use kelp powder. All dogs need calcium when they are young to build up a bone structure. But real care needs to be taken with running dogs to make sure they get enough calcium because their bones need to be able to withstand incredible forces day after day. If a Pug has a slightly weakened bones that's not a problem - in a running dog its a nightmare.
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Sorry mate its wasn't a dig at all - Raw chicken thighs, beef, pork, boiled veg and raw pig fat along with full fat milk - is about as good as it gets. And I agree with you about what they eat in a given day is not that important but diet over a period is. I was just highlighting the need for calcium to rabbitman1234567 and his 8 week old pup. I think that the best way of making sure this is absorbed in a pup is through milk but I am sure the right kind of bone works well.
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Don’t forget about calcium. Running dogs really do need calcium for their first few years. Some of the problems with running dogs that don’t reach their potential is, I think, to do with slightly underdeveloped bones as a result of calcium deficiency in early life. Running dogs bones are under very different stress than all other dogs including other ‘working’ dogs simply because of the speed they run at. There is not a lot of calcium in raw meat and vegetables. Not sure how much calcium is in puppy food. To get calcium into them give them goat’s milk – goat’s milk is better because som
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That's a great looking dog.
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A traditional lurcher simply a working dog in camouflage. If it looks like it is a killing machine at a distance then it is not in my opinion a traditional lurcher. In my opinion a lot of today’s lurchers look they could kill a herd of wildebeests for fun. They seem to shout out kill kill kill.... I can kill ‘em all. Which of course to be fair to them they can.
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I would maybe try to up the fat content of her diet without increasing the volume of food. If she does not settle after a big feed that might be because she has a too full a stomach and was cramping. I know she is not a greyhound but they are often fed on higher fat diets than you would think. but... if she is fast, 2 years old and someone who knows running dogs has had a second look then you almost certainly have nothing to worry about.
