When is a lurcher not a lurcher??

[stormrider8 59]

I would say when it has no greyhound or whippet in it at all.But at what stage you would class either of the two bred out is personal pref

[dytkos 17,783]

If it can catch a rabbit and has a long tail, it's a lurcher (or longdog)

Cheers, D.

[shushycatcher 219]

If it can catch a rabbit and has a long tail, it's a lurcher (or longdog)

Cheers, D.

or a ferret!

[byron 1,169]

Ive seen pure Collies and Pure Bulls that caught and hunted game,...and ive also seen 3/4 Greyhound 1/4 Somthing else NOT catch game....to me, the definition of a 'Lurcher' is "a dog that consistantly takes game"...of course you have the PROPER cross' that do that, but every now and then, you see a dog with little or NO sighthound blood in it, taking game frequently...and in certain terrain, these types are better than a running dog type....when the ground get hard with ice here, we use my mates Bull dog to hunt game at night....he takes game that is fast and bites back, a running dog would be crippled buy these condisions...

 

 

So, Si, i guess i would say, as long as the dog is catching game regular, i would call it a Lurcher mate...

 

Hmmm,Kye, interesting. I once saw a Border Collie catch a hare; was it a "Lurcher" ? NO, it was a Collie. I once owned a 1/4 Collie 3/4 Greyhound, that couldn't catch a hare in a 'phone box ! Was it a "Collie" ? No, it was a Lurcher, (albeit a useless one ! LOL !). Anyhow, it's all down to opinions, and a good discussion.

 

Cheers.

got a alsation here thats taken a couple of hares..

[feed the bear 13]

If it has any sign of feathers.............

[jackson2kaii8 5]

a mate of mine hot 2 pups there last session the sire was 7/8 greyhound 1/8 weathon the bitch was a full hound.!!!so ur sayin the blood of the weathon is gone???no...one was smooth coathed and the other was rough..ya cant make a lurcher into a full breed if you keep breeding its always goin to have the blood in it!!!

[cassshantia 16]

in recent books the definition is a long dog crossed with a herding dog so what ever % would be classed as a lurcher ,

then a sight hound crossed with another one would be a long dog

saluki x grey= long dog whatever the %

collie x grey whatever the % is lurcher

you ,me could argue all day about this but common sense plays a big part

most of us who own long dogs or lurchers dont think of this question either you have one or you dont ?

my thoughts reverse x 's are still classed as lurchers in my eyes any way

[richie198 28]

a mate of mine hot 2 pups there last session the sire was 7/8 greyhound 1/8 weathon the bitch was a full hound.!!!so ur sayin the blood of the weathon is gone???no...one was smooth coathed and the other was rough..ya cant make a lurcher into a full breed if you keep breeding its always goin to have the blood in it!!!

yes mate i think your spot on in what you said.

see genetics are not exact so when someone says they

have a 3/4 gray 1/4 colly that might not be exactly right

their could be more or less of either breed in the dog.

so what i think is that the blood does stay in the dog

even if its just a tiny bit its still their so what you

think you might be breeding out might still have a tiny bit of

whatever in it resulting in a lurcher

[Simoman 110]

a mate of mine hot 2 pups there last session the sire was 7/8 greyhound 1/8 weathon the bitch was a full hound.!!!so ur sayin the blood of the weathon is gone???no...one was smooth coathed and the other was rough..ya cant make a lurcher into a full breed if you keep breeding its always goin to have the blood in it!!!

 

Well another slant then, Lord Orford bred bulldog into the greyhound in 1776, almost 250 years ago, are they greyhounds or lurchers?

[Ideation 8,216]

a mate of mine hot 2 pups there last session the sire was 7/8 greyhound 1/8 weathon the bitch was a full hound.!!!so ur sayin the blood of the weathon is gone???no...one was smooth coathed and the other was rough..ya cant make a lurcher into a full breed if you keep breeding its always goin to have the blood in it!!!

 

Well another slant then, Lord Orford bred bulldog into the greyhound in 1776, almost 250 years ago, are they greyhounds or lurchers?

 

 

Thats an interesting slant mate. I think technically any dog that has both sight hound and another non sight hound breed, no matter the percentages IS a lurcher, whether an individual 'really classes' it as a lurcher is another matter. A long dog being sight hound x sight hound. With the example of Lord Orford, in his day he wouldn't (i don't think) have recognized the term lurcher but would have thought of himself as creating running dogs, a 'type' of greyhound with added bulldog. Over the mists of time, they became just Greyhounds again, as they bred true to type etc But i'm sure at the time Lord Orford would not have disputed that they were not pure. . . but a cross breed. Back then people seemed far less caught up on 'breeds' and their rigidity.

[riohog 5,701]

a mate of mine hot 2 pups there last session the sire was 7/8 greyhound 1/8 weathon the bitch was a full hound.!!!so ur sayin the blood of the weathon is gone???no...one was smooth coathed and the other was rough..ya cant make a lurcher into a full breed if you keep breeding its always goin to have the blood in it!!!

 

Well another slant then, Lord Orford bred bulldog into the greyhound in 1776, almost 250 years ago, are they greyhounds or lurchers?

might be wrong hear ..but but did that mix introduce the among otherthings .. the brindle colouring.. in greyhounds?

[Caravan Monster 323]

It doesn't answer the question about sighthound % in a dog, but what about the double suspension gallop as a defining characteristic of a lurcher ? The way in that a sighthound's feet completely leave the ground twice during each galloping stride, at full stretch, and when the back feet almost reach the shoulders, is thought to be unique.

 

After all, the exact breeding of a lurcher is often unknown, in which case the percentage definition is unworkable.

[Ideation 8,216]

It doesn't answer the question about sighthound % in a dog, but what about the double suspension gallop as a defining characteristic of a lurcher ? The way in that a sighthound's feet completely leave the ground twice during each galloping stride, at full stretch, and when the back feet almost reach the shoulders, is thought to be unique.

 

After all, the exact breeding of a lurcher is often unknown, in which case the percentage definition is unworkable.

 

Doesnt need a percentage definition. ANY dog which contains ANY sight hound and ANY non sight hound breed = lurcher (in technical terms).

[Wild Whippies 11]

see genetics are not exact so when someone says they

have a 3/4 gray 1/4 colly that might not be exactly right

their could be more or less of either breed in the dog.

so what i think is that the blood does stay in the dog

even if its just a tiny bit its still their so what you

think you might be breeding out might still have a tiny bit of

whatever in it resulting in a lurcher

 

Which is what I was going to say. If you line 2 pure breeds, genetically the offspring will have 50% of both parents genetic material.

When you start breeding what's equated as 1/2's, 3/4's 7/8's to one another your on dodgy ground because what's on paper and what's being expressed (as in how the dog looks) can be very different.

From a genetic point of view, a 1/2 greyhound lined to a 1/2 greyhound can produce a dog that is genetically 100% greyhound. It's a dilemma often posed in whippet racing which causes much debate.

My opinion is generally what you see is what you get and so long as the dog is meeting it's purpose then don't waste your time wondering exactly how much of what is in the dog. DNA testing is still at this time unable to ascertain exactly how much of a breed is within a dog. Just check out the mongrel tests offered in the USA, there's a bloody good reason why they ask for a photo with your application!

[Simoman 110]

a mate of mine hot 2 pups there last session the sire was 7/8 greyhound 1/8 weathon the bitch was a full hound.!!!so ur sayin the blood of the weathon is gone???no...one was smooth coathed and the other was rough..ya cant make a lurcher into a full breed if you keep breeding its always goin to have the blood in it!!!

 

Well another slant then, Lord Orford bred bulldog into the greyhound in 1776, almost 250 years ago, are they greyhounds or lurchers?

might be wrong hear ..but but did that mix introduce the among otherthings .. the brindle colouring.. in greyhounds?

Really? Interesting