STARTING YOUR PUP TOO EARLY!

[gaz 284]

Is it just me,or does there seem to be a few of the people on here start their lurchers a bit too early.Its just my opinion,im not having a go but pups seem to get run a bit too early for my liking by some.As my old grandfather used to say"patience is the key to train a handy dog and patience is the key to starting a young dog,nothing to be gained starting them too early but more to be lost,let them settle in lung and brain"I myself although take my pups on jaunts mooching with my older dogs to pick things up and get some idea what its all about usually start them running at about a year old,And even then,there run on hand picked bunnies to swing the odds in there favour.It would be good to hear other peoples opinions about starting their pups, as im well aware everybody has got their own way to get them started

Edited February 17, 2007 by gaz

[heart of wales 19]

Is it just me,or does there seem to be a few of the people on here start their lurchers a bit too early.Its just my opinion,im not having a go but pups seem to get run a bit too early for my liking by some.As my old grandfather used to say"patience is the key to train a handy dog and patience is the key to starting a young dog,nothing to be gained starting them too early but more to be lossed,let them settle in lung and brain"I myself although take my pups on jaunts mooching with my older dogs to pick thing up and get some idea what its all about usually start them running at about a year old,And even then,there run on hand picked bunnies to swing the odds in there favour.It would be good to here other peoples opinions about starting their pups, as im well aware everybody has got their own way to get them started

In my humble opinion you and your grandfather are spot on

[Guest Paula]

I agree best to take your time, we rushed our first whippet years ago listening to advice from them what knew best by the time she was 2 both her bow tendons had gone and she had to retire, we know take things slowly, and had to retire 2 of our other oldies at 9 years old.

[tote 854]

You are spot on gaz,recently there has been a few posts on my lurchers 1st rabbit aged

61/2 months,7 months etc.In my opinion these pups are far too young,they should still

be recieving obedience training instead of working.

I don't think there is anything to be gained by starting a lurcher too young,it's all very well

to say I just gave it an easy slip,there are no gauranteed easy slips,the rabbit might end

up turning the inexperienced pup inside out and the pup might start giving tongue through

pure frustration,then the jobs a bad one.

No,better to wait a few months more when the pups a bit older,stronger,mentally mature

and it's training is up to scratch.

 

Good thread gaz.

[brock 11]

yeah i never run my bitches untill 11-12 months and dog 12 months at the earliest,i will give them a few dropped rabbits before this just to teach them what their mouth is for

[Kay 3,709]

I agree having owned a lurcher & as a pup was very excitable, it was a bugger of a job getting the ballance right, walking him on a leash fir a good hour & then let him have a little run, once i was a 100% he would come back to me once off the lead, i practiced with him in the garden rolling a ball & getting him to bring it to me and not drop it at my feet, he took a good 2 yrs to mature mentally, still did a wall of death round the house great lolloping thing a lovely natured dog who's life was shortened by some wanker who let off a firework

 

Monty wasnt brought to use soley as a working dog but he did catch a few bunnies & was a pleasure to live with, he was broken to cats & ferrets as well as the sheep in the fields near by,maybe getting the basics right first & the most important thing is getting them to come back once called , i have said when i am dogless i will have a rescue lurcher or greyhound so from the experiences we had loosing our dog hopefully it will stand me in good stead for when i am ready to take on another dog in a few yrs .

 

There is nothing worse than having a dog who your not in control off, i dont feel that control can be gained untill the dog has mentally matured, i also think pushing a dog to do things its no ready to do is not on,

 

My experiences with lurchers is limited but i think the basics apply to all dogs what ever they are made up from

[minion 29]

I started my current lurcher at seven months against the advice of others. However, I didn't work her hard at all. I was more intrested in making sure that when I called her she came straight back.

 

At the end of the day I think you need to have your dog under control at all times. I've been out with a few guys who told me how their dogs had been catching reguarly since they were 5 months old and how good they were (you know the type). To be fair, the dogs were pretty good at catching but would wander away accross the fields and wouldn't come back no matter how mutch they called.

[Kay 3,709]

I started my current lurcher at seven months against the advice of others. However, I didn't work her hard at all. I was more intrested in making sure that when I called her she came straight back.

 

At the end of the day I think you need to have your dog under control at all times. I've been out with a few guys who told me how their dogs had been catching reguarly since they were 5 months old and how good they were (you know the type). To be fair, the dogs were pretty good at catching but would wander away accross the fields and wouldn't come back no matter how mutch they called.

 

I couldnt agree more, i would be reluctent to unleash a dog unless i was in a totally enclosed place and after all me sitting in the garden rolling a ball to our dog is one thing, but to get them to do the same with extra stimuli is another

[Mitch 0]

When you say starting, Are we talking about giving them the odd run here and there or are you refering too, 3- 4 nights a week on the lamp

[THE POACHER 13]

each to their own lads some like to start them off early some dont i got a 6 month old pup and hes had afew runs on rabbits in the day when out mooching about hes very forward for a pup been bust with his jumping etc but some lads i know dont start them jumping till 8 months old every one has diffrent views on when to start thier pup in your own mind you know when they are ready

[minion 29]

When you say starting, Are we talking about giving them the odd run here and there or are you refering too, 3- 4 nights a week on the lamp

 

 

 

When I started mine it was the odd run. Once or twice a fortnight.

 

Didn't start seriously until she was about 14 months.

[skycat 6,173]

I have 2 youngsters at the moment: one is 7 1/2 months old and the other is nearly 10 months. The older of the two is far more puppyish, both physically and mentally and I wouldn't dream of letting her tear around out bushing with the adults. She has to have individual off lead exercise and training as she is so excitable still.

The younger one is far more mature both mentally and physically, but she will be about half the size of the first one when she is adult; also she comes from a long line of worker to worker with a very steady temperament: even so I wouldn't dream of taking her out on the lamp yet, though she's been ferreting a few times just for an hour or so, on her own, so no distractions from other dogs.

Minky, the 10 month one still has quite a bit of growing to do as well and her wrists still have quite a bit of knuckle still to grow out: I wouldn't like her to run on the lamp yet either. They have all summer to come on and I'm in no hurry.

I can't remember who said it, but he said that a dog has a battery of work potential, some have 'longer life' batteries and will end up doing far more in their lives than others, depending on ther breeding and fate. The ones that do too much too soon will end up running out of that battery before their time is up: in other words, hammer a dog young and it will be old and crocked just when it is getting really useful and experienced in the field. I know there's always exceptions to prove the rule, but it made a lot of sense to me.

[scotty3968 0]

i think later rather than sooner..i started my last dog at about ten month and i now think it was to early,i had his training sorted and he came back to me and retrieved spot on,but he was mentally still a pup and like was said earlier a wise rabbit may have given the dog a good run for his money causing the dredded yap while chasing,,fortunatley he turned out great,,

scotty

[snoopdog 1,256]

i think it all depends on the dog ...some mature earlier than othersmy dog of around 7 months.. he caught his first lamped rabbit around seven and a half months ..he retrived his fist daytime hare around 9 1/2 months which was around early october time ......and tracked his first deer around 10 1/2 months old ...they wont learn nothing just going for walks and sitting in the kennel....dont get me wrong basic training and commands come first ...and you dont run you pup into the ground just a few slips then collar him up ....2 or three times a week..take your pick of which rabbit you let him run on ...it isnt going to do it any harm whatsoever ..if you give them slip after slip your going to ruin it if he isnt catching you could end up with a yapper...a good walk at night with an exsperienced dog and a couple of slips fetchers em on leaps and bounds....if you no your dog which you should do you will no when hes ready...and no when enough is enough...the breed can make a lot of difference and so does the owner....jmo...for instance i know my dog isnt ready for a fox but hes had all the other game ....i know alot of you know this already ..and some of you do things differently thats just the way i do it and was taught to do it ..it works for me and it works for other lads i know...i hope this helps someone...i think you should never be affraid to ask ..no matter how daft you think the question is if you dont ask you wont learn...all the best...

Edited February 19, 2007 by Stabs

[thurso jack 3]

if your reffering to my post about running my dog, she has ran one rabbit and caught one rabbit, she is off two parents at the top of there game from a long line of workers.

 

She runs harder on the beach chasing the terriers than she has done chasing the rabbit, each dog matures differently and some will enter early and others not, at the end of the day im feeding it, and id like to think i knew my dog a bit better than anyone else.

 

she been out lamping with me for a few weeks now, and is trained on it, if the lamps off she back at my side and retrieves to hand.

Edited February 17, 2007 by thurso jack