Advice needed for young lurcher

[rob190364 2,594]

I'm after some constructive advice.

 

My lurcher is 17 months old next week, she's a wheaten/whippet/grey x bull/grey and has been quite slow to mature. She's getting there now but before the last couple of months she's still looked quite puppyish. She's about 21tts.

 

The start of this season has been a bit of a struggle, mainly because prey has been pretty thin on the ground. We've been out a fair bit on the lamp but there have been quite a lot of sessions where we've walked for hours and have only really had 2 or 3 runs. The land we've been working is made up of small fields so when chasing the bunnies a lot of the time she's had a 20 or 30 meter chase with the rabbit having a head start so a good percentage of the time she hasn't connected.

 

Now one of the problems I've found is that because we've spend ages walking looking for prey, and not so much time actually chasing it....I started to feel that her fitness was starting to suffer so in the last week I've restarted a bit of road work. When we do go ferreting or lamping, if she gets a reasonable run on a rabbit she'll catch up with it but usually they will out turn her and make their escape. She just doesn't seem sharp enough on the strike to connect, and although she has the speed to catch up with them she doesn't yet have the blistering pace to catch up with them as quickly as is needed on small fields, as in she's probably only running maybe 5mph faster than the rabbit. I'm sure it's all because she needs more runs and more practice at striking, but we don't see enough rabbits for me to only slip her on the ones where she'll have a good run at them and get the practice she needs.

 

Despite the fact she hasn't got a high hit rate, thankfully she hasn't yapped on the chase but in the last couple of weeks on two occassions she's been chasing a rabbit that she's come close to and it's made it to the cover and she's let out a single yap. So I don't want to keep giving her difficult runs as I fear her frustration might be growing.

 

I've got another farm that's a fair distance to go to but it's in the middle of nowhere so is more likely to have a good head of rabbits, but I don't want to go there on the lamp, give her a lot of runs that she doesn't connect with and then find myself with a yapper.

 

My plan at the moment is to spend the next week or so giving her about 90 mins running alongside the bike every other day with rest days (just short walks) the days inbetween. And then after a couple of weeks of building fitness take her to the new farm on the lamp to see if she can connect with a few and start the process of getting some much needed experience. Does this sound like the best way forward? any other advice anyone can offer?

[Guest thebigdog]

if the new farm is holding good numbers id go during the day with a ferret and no nets, let her catch bolters and build her confidence and fitness that way, then start with the lamp again after a couple of weeks

[rob190364 2,594]

this is a pic from yesterday (covered in shite from rolling if mud)....just so you can see what I mean about not being fully mature yet...

[rob190364 2,594]

if the new farm is holding good numbers id go during the day with a ferret and no nets, let her catch bolters and build her confidence and fitness that way, then start with the lamp again after a couple of weeks

yeah will give that a go, cheers pal. I'll only really get chance to go out during the day a couple of times a week though, do you think the roadwork is a good idea during the week instead of going over the land where prey is thin on the ground?

[Guest thebigdog]

if the new farm is holding good numbers id go during the day with a ferret and no nets, let her catch bolters and build her confidence and fitness that way, then start with the lamp again after a couple of weeks

yeah will give that a go, cheers pal. I'll only really get chance to go out during the day a couple of times a week though, do you think the roadwork is a good idea during the week instead of going over the land where prey is thin on the ground?

 

if her fitness is a ok level there's no need really, as you said she still has a bit of maturing to do, best not to put to much pressure on her, maybe 45 mins instead of the 90.

[J.DOG 1,355]

Yeah I think thebigdog is right get her on some bolters

 

a lad I know had a similar problem his dog could catch up to the rabbit on a run but then loses it on a turn so he went and found someone with a lure set up and got the lure set up with several turns and every time his dog missed or over run on the turn he slowed the lure down to allow it to catch back up to it , the dog finaly got the idea and now the dog is alot more alert it worked for him but it's trying to find someone with the lure set

Edited November 20, 2011 by J.DOG

[rob190364 2,594]

Yeah I think thebigdog is right get her on some bolters

 

a lad I know had a similar problem his dog could catch up to the rabbit on a run but then loses it on a turn so he went and found someone with a lure set up and got the lure set up with several turns and every time his dog missed or over run on the turn he slowed the lure down to allow it to catch back up to it , the dog finaly got the idea and now the dog is alot more alert it worked for him but it's trying to find someone with the lure set

that's an idea, hadn't thought about that. Might have to invest in a lure machine.

 

only problem with the ferreting without nets idea is that on both of my permissions the warrens are mainly in cover, so the rabbits don't usually bolt into open fields.

[J.DOG 1,355]

Yeah I think thebigdog is right get her on some bolters

 

a lad I know had a similar problem his dog could catch up to the rabbit on a run but then loses it on a turn so he went and found someone with a lure set up and got the lure set up with several turns and every time his dog missed or over run on the turn he slowed the lure down to allow it to catch back up to it , the dog finaly got the idea and now the dog is alot more alert it worked for him but it's trying to find someone with the lure set

that's an idea, hadn't thought about that. Might have to invest in a lure machine.

 

only problem with the ferreting without nets idea is that on both of my permissions the warrens are mainly in cover, so the rabbits don't usually bolt into open fields.

A lure machine may be worth looking into

 

you could walk along the hedge row beating the bush or even get someone with a terrier that could go into the bush and flush the rabbits out to your dog

Edited November 20, 2011 by J.DOG

[Guest thebigdog]

Yeah I think thebigdog is right get her on some bolters

 

a lad I know had a similar problem his dog could catch up to the rabbit on a run but then loses it on a turn so he went and found someone with a lure set up and got the lure set up with several turns and every time his dog missed or over run on the turn he slowed the lure down to allow it to catch back up to it , the dog finaly got the idea and now the dog is alot more alert it worked for him but it's trying to find someone with the lure set

that's an idea, hadn't thought about that. Might have to invest in a lure machine.

 

only problem with the ferreting without nets idea is that on both of my permissions the warrens are mainly in cover, so the rabbits don't usually bolt into open fields.

 

net a couple and drop them in a field if needs be, there's no substitute for catching i.m.o.

 

also graham4877 make lures if your after one

[rob190364 2,594]

Yeah I think thebigdog is right get her on some bolters

 

a lad I know had a similar problem his dog could catch up to the rabbit on a run but then loses it on a turn so he went and found someone with a lure set up and got the lure set up with several turns and every time his dog missed or over run on the turn he slowed the lure down to allow it to catch back up to it , the dog finaly got the idea and now the dog is alot more alert it worked for him but it's trying to find someone with the lure set

that's an idea, hadn't thought about that. Might have to invest in a lure machine.

 

only problem with the ferreting without nets idea is that on both of my permissions the warrens are mainly in cover, so the rabbits don't usually bolt into open fields.

 

net a couple and drop them in a field if needs be, there's no substitute for catching i.m.o.

 

also graham4877 make lures if your after one

I'll give that a whirl and will let you know how she gets on. Cheers bud

[jamiew 11]

what do you feed her on mate?

[rob190364 2,594]

what do you feed her on mate?

barf.....either raw mince with liver, turkey, chicken legs/wings etc., bit of veg. Every now and again I'll give her some brown rice and tuna if I'm low on meat.

 

She won't eat rabbit strangely.

[skycat 6,173]

The problem is that if a dog is only just fast enough to get up on a rabbit, running flat out, it finds it really difficult to alter its path at speed, whilst rabbits can turn on a sixpence at top speed. Contrary to some opinions, a dog needs to be fast enough to out turn the rabbits. Granted, I've seen some slowish dogs get the knack, after learning to read lots of rabbits on the run, and they can do quite well on rough ground, but without speed on short grass, small fields etc, the slow dog is at a huge disadvantage.

 

If you haven't got access to a lure, have you tried a dried rabbit skin on a fishing line? You can whizz it this way and that along the ground, and get the dog trying to anticipate which way it will go: of course let her catch it from time to time or she'll get fed up! If the dog hasn't got a natural inbuilt strike, this can really help them to hone that skill, but rabbits bolted from ferrets across open fields is the best way. A rabbit running FROM home, as opposed TO home, is at a disadvantage unless it can hole hop into the next nearby warren.

[jamiew 11]

try feeding minced lamb only, 500g twice a day if she,ll take it within a month you,ll see a difference in her physically,and it will help her in the field atb jamiew

[rob190364 2,594]

try feeding minced lamb only, 500g twice a day if she,ll take it within a month you,ll see a difference in her physically,and it will help her in the field atb jamiew

why lamb? cos of the fat content?