I think my lurcher is a hippy

[Tumbleweed 1]

Shes just over a year old now and she always goes after rabbits and hares when she sees them.If it moves,she chases it- rabbits,birds,leaves,anything.Even a lump of mud that slightly resembles a rabbit,she'll run over to it.Shes very alert and constantly scanning for the next thing to run after but running is all she does.The problem is,she wont catch them.She gets near enough to grab them but she doesnt. She chases them about like she would another dog and has a jolly good time of it but never attmepts to get her teeth into it.

Is this normal? Is there a way of encouraging her to take the next step or do I have the only dog in the world that wont catch animals?

[ReggieCuz 18]

Let her see another dog biting and she'll get the idea, mate. Let her rag a fresh kill.

 

Now wait for the usual numpties to start saying ''What good's a dog like that, kill it''

Wait for the usual idiot comments from the peanut gallery.

[stroller 341]

Its a puppy thing most pups do it one minute they are playing the next you have dead rabbits every where

 

It will come be patient

[shootingjack 2]

give it some droppers

[staffs riffraff 1,068]

Mine totally opposite she won't let go well both my pups don't so when the greyhound catches ote they go n try n take it for themselves n it gets torn up I struggle to get it off them so need alot of work doing with them do you ever fees them rabbit as mine associate them with food as well as somet to chase

[Moll. 1,770]

Its a puppy thing most pups do it one minute they are playing the next you have dead rabbits every where

 

It will come be patient

 

 

When they are young, sometimes the thrill of the chase is the best thing since sliced bread, the one time she actually puts her mouth around it and hears it squeal, she will never be the same again

[Ideation 8,216]

Let her grab a few in the nets ferreting, and play fetch the dead rabbit. She'll soon think of nothing else but grabbing hold of one!

[luckyplum 50]

hi tumbleweed i keep a 10 year old beddy/whippet who marks well, catches a few, and bolts game to the gun. i bred her back to beddy/whippet and kept a pup who is now three years old,she catches rabbits and lets them go again !! she marks and works cover and is the nicest dog in the world, i think she does enough to earn her keep !! good luck with your pup, cheers plum !

[broonie1 5]

as shootingjack says,give it a few droppers,thats how i start mine away

[KittleRox 2,147]

Tumbleweed

[undisputed 1,664]

Just keep at it mate the penny will drop eventually

[Tumbleweed 1]

Thanks for the advice but pardon my ignorance- what are droppers?

[Tyla 3,179]

Thanks for the advice but pardon my ignorance- what are droppers?

 

Illegal

[snoopdog 1,256]

Thanks for the advice but pardon my ignorance- what are droppers?

 

Illegal

yes its illegal but i remember when i was ferreting once i caught a netted rabbit i pulled its neck and put it in a bag and did this with the next four i caught ...i then walked about a mile away from where i was orignally ferreting ..i made a few mistakes that day one was not pulling the necks of the rabbits properly and the other was the hole in the bag which i was carrying the rabbits in...anyway i had a young dog with me that day and you would never belive it one of the rabbits dropped out about ten yards of the the young dog ..

because the rabbit was on unfamilular ground it didnt know where to run so the young dog caught it with ease ..the same happened with the other four rabbits it was a bit strange because each time a rabbit fell out of the hole in the bag they where a little further away from the young dog 10- 15 20 -25 -30 yards away ..

each time the young dog caught them ..with a bit better run each time ...now its a good job that young dog was with me that day because i would have lost all the rabbits ..trouble is it happened a couple more time after that so i gave up ferreting and just went rabbing with the dog becase he could catch them all on his own ...and he had loads of confidence ....just thought i would share that with you ...maybe when i get another young dog i might take up ferreting again ....but this time iam going to get a new bag and make sure the rabbits are dead so they dont try and escape .....

[whin 463]

its not the dogs fault its yours should had started her on skinned rabbit dunmmies then fresh rabbits if your game il get her entred easy take her out with ferrets let her see whats what ,by the end of the day sheel be grabbing game and keen only way, realy as you can keep her controled .i dont do the dropper thing full stop since a boy , better with bolted rabbs and keep her on leash and then let her peg a few rabbs,had several decent dogs and not one needed the dropped rabbit all got learned with ferrets lamping and daylite hunting,if you keen there land all about me bring the dog etc and get it done the [bANNED TEXT] way .cant beat seein ayong dog learning her his trade