Good feet......priceless

[wuyang 513]

After working dogs for a fair few years i am starting to appreciate what an asset good feet can be to a working dog. I don't think it is a factor that too many people consider when buying a dog, but my word in the future its something i going to think about.

My first running dog was a whippet, he did suffer from the occasional foot/ankle injury, mainly after a good nights lamping on firm ground, but it didn't happen too often. My border collies used to limp occasionally but again weren't too bad. Now, my 7 year old border collie greyhound throughout her life has managed to constantly injure her feet....mainly her back ones, now i'm starting to wonder if its not just bad luck, but bad feet. I think now that her feet have suffered in the past it doesn't seem to take much to set her off limping again. I suppose the terrain the dog runs will have a huge affect on the dogs ankles/feet, but her main work comes from just generally mouching around in a normal woodland and the odd grassed field.

 

Now my previous lurcher was border/beardie greyhound half cross, he hardly ever suffered with his feet working on the same land.

 

So injured feet/ limping must be quite a regular injury to the working lurcher..how often do you catch your dogs limping from injured feet.....have you found any crosses to have weaker feet than others...does anybody take this into account when breeding?

 

I have heard that some of you guys work kelpie/heelers and lurchers of this breeding...are there feet as good as they look?

 

ATB

[whin 463]

no feet no running poor whippety feet thin skin not a good atribute to a working lurcher you want thick,but you have to breed for feet etc and bred of bitches dogs with feet ,not just by a cross and hey presto

[skycat 6,173]

Interesting you should say that about your Collie cross's feet: the hind feet. I've got a small lurcher whose sire was Collie Grey and she seems to have problems with her hind feet too: her dam came from a long line of lurcher to lurcher and they don't have too many problems: could it be the whole hindleg assembly that is causing problems? the way the foot hits the ground when running?

 

My preferred foot is one with say, about a quarter Saluki in it, and some Deerhound too: can't beat good Saluki and Deerhound feet IMO, though of course Collies are supposed to be the best for good feet: my old Beardie crosses never had problems at all, in any way, no matter what ground they ran on. I guess it depends on what Collie is used, though I most prefer lurcher to lurcher breeding where the feet (as well as the whole dog) have been tested to the full in the field over many generations.

[Stabs 3]

I run my dogs on some really extreme ground, varying from as hard as bell metal, to absolute gloop and they've had no bother at all...and these extremes have been within days of each other, not over a seasons change. Beardie blood seems to give you decent feet

 

 

The ground I run now is a nightmare, but so far so good

[longdog13 36]

I run my dogs on some really extreme ground, varying from as hard as bell metal, to absolute gloop and they've had no bother at all...and these extremes have been within days of each other, not over a seasons change. Beardie blood seems to give you decent feet

 

 

The ground I run now is a nightmare, but so far so good

BLOODY HELL STABBS, has that dog got any goat in its lineage?

[Stabs 3]

I run my dogs on some really extreme ground, varying from as hard as bell metal, to absolute gloop and they've had no bother at all...and these extremes have been within days of each other, not over a seasons change. Beardie blood seems to give you decent feet

 

 

The ground I run now is a nightmare, but so far so good

BLOODY HELL STABBS, has that dog got any goat in its lineage?

1/2 goat 1/2 army blanket

[longdog13 36]

I run my dogs on some really extreme ground, varying from as hard as bell metal, to absolute gloop and they've had no bother at all...and these extremes have been within days of each other, not over a seasons change. Beardie blood seems to give you decent feet

 

 

The ground I run now is a nightmare, but so far so good

BLOODY HELL STABBS, has that dog got any goat in its lineage?

1/2 goat 1/2 army blanket

Keep it under wraps, thats a cracker :secret:

[wild rover 548]

Hello mate, had ACD crosses for 17 years never had bad feet, previously had mixwd crosses with long toes, always getting knocked up, had a fiorst cross deerhound/grey, very poor feet.

 

Have a look at photos, please no comments about the dogs bollox, these photos have been on before and had all the comments ha ha.

 

[Taffybull 48]

cracking pair of tykes there wildrover, love the look on the red one. any more pics of him/her?

[whin 463]

good feeet on the kelpie types and the SCOTTISH WORKING BEARDIE TYPE THEY WERE FOR RUNNING OVER SHITTY SHALE AND IN ALL WEATHERS ON A LOW DIET VERY GOOD DOGS BETTER THAN ANY whippets greyhound etc in the feet department ,thye were bred for some serous inclement weather and workee good in it all the best CANT BEATA good scottish beardie

[poacher3161 1,766]

Well my thoughts on bad feet imho can be [bANNED TEXT] large type lurchers are bred over small whippety types wich i think can produce a dog with body weight that its feet are not in proportion to. Its only my theory.My old saluki hybred bitch has got poor feet and its suprised me her being ten shes not crippeld but shes been a good dog but i would have never dreamed of breeding of her.The other cross with not so good feet i have come across are the beddy hybreds then the bedlingtons feet are not desighned for running on .atvb dell

[poacher3161 1,766]

Hello mate, had ACD crosses for 17 years never had bad feet, previously had mixwd crosses with long toes, always getting knocked up, had a fiorst cross deerhound/grey, very poor feet.

 

Have a look at photos, please no comments about the dogs bollox, these photos have been on before and had all the comments ha ha.

 

My old mate D,Slieght told me about these crosses and that their feet are unbelievably tough.atb dell

[dodger 2,765]

You are right good feet are priceless.

 

Smart looking dogs wildrover i really like the acd.

 

I saw a beardedcolliexgrey x salukigrey in scotland a few year ago which had terrific feet and the dog was supposed to been a real gudden and had plenty work.

 

I like sc beleive very good dogs that have been worked very hard on diff ground survived all the knocks n tumbles etc play a big part in produsing good feet, best worker to best worker tried n tested all the way.

Not talking about just working ability here but do people think say for excample you put a 2 year old dog to a bitch and keep a pup, then 5 years later after the dogs been tested to the hilt on all kinds of ground etc you put him to the same bitch and keep a pup, do you think the second pup will have better feet be a better worker and more tough n durable than the previous or just the same, my oppinion is better be interested to your views.

Edited February 8, 2010 by dodger

[Don 5]

Hi Stabs, hows your dog bred mate, does he/she have much beardie in them?

[adamb20 22]

my beddy whippet x collie grey has mint feet. she only 19 and half month but she never been lame yet and i have her out every day running all types of ground including old quarrys. my mate has a saluki grey collie of some sort and every time he takes it out it gets injured. one day we were running in the quarry and both dogs were chasing rabbits all over. when the dogs came back all four of my mates dogs feet were bleeding and there wasnt a mark on my dogs. she isnt the fastest of dogs but fast enough but is very clever, too clever sometimes as she knows how to open every door in the house and goes in our bedroom and lies on the bed when we at work, and she just come into heat so you can imagine the mess on our white bedding and cream carpet lol. she also knows how to open the fridge and food cupbourds.