whats best?

[beddylurcher 70]

No guessing which pup I'd be going for.

 

Having owned both bedlington and Beardie bred stuff I feel qualified to offer my opinion.

 

Bedlington cross lurchers can be fantastic little dog. Plenty of drive and determination combined with a great nose and often a robust frame. If you can harness that nose and control the drive you will have yourself a fair dog. If on the other hand you find the mix of Terrier and Sighthound short of brain with no sense of self preservation as I have you will have a bundle of trouble on your hands. One bitch I had only ran three times in one season due to repeated injury.

 

I guess they never really suited me. A personality clash if you like.

 

With the Beardie you get all that is required of a working, pop filling grafter. The stamina is equal to any Saluki cross.

 

A good Collie lurcher will have just as much stamina as a Saluki type on a nights lamping of days bushing. Day time big rabbits are a different matter. Catching long ears on large flat open land requires something all together different. It's a war of attrition that a Saluki is purposely bred for. No hedgerows or stone walls out in the desert are there. Thats not to say that a Beardie cross won't catch them because I know damn well they will, but not in the manner of a match dog.

 

The Beardie cross will train easily and cotton on to what you want from it very quickly. I'd question if the nose on a three quarter bred would be as good as a half cross, but it should still be more than adequate.

 

Beardie bred lurchers are tough durable dogs that able to adapted to most situations. Some of the ground my friends run on is truly harsh and rugged yet their Beardie crosses positively flourish under such conditions. They know just when to put the hammer down and when to apply the breaks. Brains! The bedlington types I had would have smashed themselves to bits on that type of ground.

 

At the end of the day the Beardie temperament suits me down to the ground. We are in some ways one in the same and that is why I will stick with them.

thanks for that. i think i will go for the beardie cross, sounds like it would suit me. going to take my time picking a pup hope i make the right choice.

 

atb andy