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skycat

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Everything posted by skycat

  1. Some cracking dogs there and met some real nice folk too: where's a pic of the winning Bull cross: most of those dogs were in mint condition and a credit to their owners: superb examples of the type. Not to mention a couple of scruffy lurchers I'd have stuck under my arm and taken home LOL. Particularly liked a little Beddy Greyhound with a dash of Pointer in him: looked keen as mustard.
  2. If you're asking about her not working with the terriers when they're in cover its not something an adult dog will necessarily cotton on to right away: 6 weeks is no time at all. If your bitch had a shit upbringing, or only an upbringing in one type of hunting then as an adult it will take her maybe a few months to a year to learn how to do things a different way. I'd keep taking her with the others, but try keeping her on the lead so that when the terriers are in cover she's not off looking elsewhere or standing looking out across a field. If she's on the lead and you are stood next to the
  3. That's really interesting: now I've hardly been bitten this year despite higher than normal numbers of the f*ckers: but the only thing I'd doing differently is taking Vitamin E oil capsules: does Vit E have the same effect or is it something else that I'm not aware of? And don't anyone say old age!
  4. Jeff Burrell is absolutely sincere in what he says that's the scary thing!
  5. Makes me go all goose bumpy every time I watch that clip: you just know what the outcome will be. BUT it doesn't fit my description of the word 'coursing' as such. I mean actually working and turning the hare (obviously that's less likely to happen with a sand gazelle) as they do on the fens. I've only seen a few pure Salukis run on the fens, and only one of those really did it for me, really working the hare, whilst the others just ran after them, if you see what I mean. I've seen too many 'ploddy' one geared Saluki lurchers and its like watching paint dry. OK so they'll catch a hare e
  6. One of the things I've noticed about Saluki crosses and pure Salukis of course is that they know when to conserve their energy and when to turn it on. You only have to look at a GOOD Saluki type running on the fens to see how it goes into cruise mode when the hare is in the open, letting the hare run a while and use some of its energy, before zooming in and testing the hare to see if its ready to be picked up. Collies and the like just run all out all the time, and they need to if theyr'e to stay with a good hare. I reckon the build of the Saluki with its very long legs and somewhat shor
  7. Really gutted last night as I'd been trying for ages to make Rocketting Rabbit and only managing Bobbing Bobcat then my OH came on and did Rock Rabbit just like that after about 3 goes! Aaah! So I had to stick at it until I got there: at last I did it: eureka!!! Bloody hell it is addictive though isn't it! Has anyone managed the Cheetah yet?
  8. A friend of mine just wrote to ALL the farmers listed in the local Yellow Pages: and not just once but EVERY year for about 5 years! As he said, people die, sons take over a farm, policies change: just because someone says 'no' on one occasion doesn't mean to say give up. He offered his services as a beater on shoots and now has about 18 farms he can go hare flushing on: and that is a damn sight harder to get as permission than ferreting, believe me, especially in an area where gangs of violent and illegal coursers were the blight of the countryside and one of the reasons it got banned in t
  9. It is useful to have some kind of insurance, such as belong to the Countryside Alliance or BASC etc. I agree that cold calling is a risky way to go as most farmers (and people in general actually) don't like it when a complete stranger comes to their door and asks for something. A lettter is much better, then follow that up with a phone call a few days later. If your'e a young lad then obviously your task is 100% more difficult as most farmers are very suspicious anyway, and doubly so of youngsters wanting to get on their land. If you are in a shooting area can you offer to go be
  10. I think no bedding is acceptable if you have Collies and Shepherds which have very thick coats as you do: I just wanted to say to anyone new to lurchers that thin coated and thin skinned sight hound types really do need bedding of one sort or another as they can develop sores and bald patches on hocks, hips and elbows if they lie on bare boards all the time. Also smooth coated dogs will suffer from the damp and cold if they have nothing to snuggle into. Many years ago I worked for a short time at an Irish Wolfhound kennels (to notch show stuff ) and every single dog over the age of 6 mon
  11. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: I've got a couple of dogs that would never even merit a second glance in the show ring yet I consider them to be 'absolutely fabulous' LOL. I mean it: I just love the look of them and not just when they're working either: however they just don't conform to the 'show' dog stereotype of modern lurchers. That said, their conformation is damn near perfect as far as function goes; they just don't have that prancy 'look at me' aura about them, though let's face it, a lot of dogs look superb when they've spotted something far off and they are standing a
  12. @ Mike. Its just as well that the bloke stands out in a crowd as nowadays I seem to be too busy to go and talk to him if I spot him at a show. The only thing that worries me about fanatics of any sort is that they truly believe their own hype and expect other to as well: Our departed PM for one ( I can't belive that no one has ever commented about his initials being the same as one very contagious ursine disease!)
  13. I met Jeff Burrell at a couple of shows where he attempted to explain to me the breeding of his lurchers; the history of which goes back over 400 years........or is it 200? However lack of time meant that I didn't get to learn ALL about his dogs as he would have wished: I had to get home to see to the livestock, but I did gather that, in Jeff's own words: (more or less) that a .. "tumbler is different from a lurcher in that it tumbles as it strikes its prey, rolling over and over. There can be tumblers and lurchers in the same litter as the difference is in the build of the dog: o
  14. Don't mess about with it yourself unless you know what your'e doing: vet ASAP! Sorry Foxdropper: didn't read your post properly thought you were on about pushing it back in! Presumably the vaseline is just to stop it drying out.
  15. If you are still determined to try and keep the dog DO phone Jim!!! At the end of the day he may agree with those of us who think it is better to find the dog another home but I think if you hear it from a professional trainer/behaviourist you might feel better about it.
  16. I have a feeling that putting a dog in a "black out, can't hear a thing situation" is likely to drive it completely round the bend poor dog! I know you are doing your best but IMO sometimes you just have to make the tough decision and do what's right for the dog and find it another home. It's a bit like trying to mend a broken down relationship: you keep on trying to patch things up but you know deep down that its not going to work. I hope you manage to find a HAPPY solution for BOTH of you.
  17. Only in Ireland Lucky hounds: and you........ AND especially the little lad: what a start in life he's having. Room for a few more?
  18. SHot said: switch the lamp off the moment the dogs lost or caught its game. Personally I don't do this for the first few times out on the lamp with a young dog when they catch: they can fumble or drop the rabbit just after they catch it and if you keep the beam on then they can pick it up again before its gone too far. If you've turned the beam off then the chances are that the rabbit will escape, especially if its near a hedge.
  19. I usually notice little pups doing it: a sort of eat anything they can find when they first start exploring. Not had older pups do it. But........I do find that post season bitches want to eat and eat and eat: presumably to lay down those all important fat supplies they would need if they were wild pregnant females preparing to nest and lay up with their young without eating for a couple of weeks after the birth. However, eating mud does suggest a mineral defficiency: try getting her some nice smelly green unwashed tripe (if possible!) That might sort her out as there's loads of vits
  20. Excellent: you have a partner for life there thanks to all your work with the pup: like Chalkie says: an unbeatable combination.
  21. The following sad tale illustrates just how much a fashion or fad can help to destroy a working dog........... I was talking to a friend the other day and he told me that his brother (who he thinks is off his trolley incidently) had just bought in (after much research and thought) 3 Nuttal type terriers: 3 bitches: dam and 2 daughters by different sires. He had no intention of working them but simply wanted to show and breed them as his 'research' had shown that they were a much sought after 'breed' and were selling for a lot of money!! Needless to say he now has 3 unworked working br
  22. skycat

    Gone fishing

    Well done Moll: I keep threatening to accompany my OH out fishing but I've usually got dogs or something to do LOL: its the sitting still that would be hard to bear LOL. Great photos as well.
  23. A wise owner makes sure they feed their dog well before runnig it hard: like at least 12 hours before, and they also make sure it has a shit and a piss before they start running.
  24. How about someone puts up a gallery of photos of animals, quarry or not (both pre and post ban) that exists in this country: that way newcomers to the countryside can refer to the photos if they are unsure of what a certain animal looks like. A gallery of track marks (paw and hoof prints) might be a good idea too.
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