LABRADOR GREYHOUND ANYONE HAVE THIS CROSS

[skycat 6,173]

Met a Drakeshead bred bitch at our local feed store the other day, with her dam. The moment I saw the bitch I saw 'lurcher'. Sharp as a razor, lightly built and with that sort of questing intelligence that wants to be into everything, but not in that lumbering way you see in your average overblown lump of a 'pet' bred Lab. Superb little dog she was: could easily see how a Greyhound over her would produce a half decent lurcher, and one not lacking in speed either.

[stevo79 569]

Met a Drakeshead bred bitch at our local feed store the other day, with her dam. The moment I saw the bitch I saw 'lurcher'. Sharp as a razor, lightly built and with that sort of questing intelligence that wants to be into everything, but not in that lumbering way you see in your average overblown lump of a 'pet' bred Lab. Superb little dog she was: could easily see how a Greyhound over her would produce a half decent lurcher, and one not lacking in speed either.

Would you be able to use a whippet or would the pups turn out to small. Just a question?

[lurchers 2,768]

I know a lad who has a 1stx he says its got stamina to burn,great nose and realy keen for cover.the down side is he said it can run a good hare and will only catch it when the hare tires as its not fast enough.but he did put a whippet over her and said the pups were strongheaded but fast and good noses.

[Truther 1,579]

A mate had a whippet x lab in the 70's, his brother got the dog from the local stray place as a small pup. Its likely he was lab x non pedigree whippet racer with an element of gre?, but the dog only stood 18 or maybe 18.5" tts, but no mistaking what he was, a strong whippet frame with a square lab type head.

 

More of a fast busher than a lurcher, but he caught plenty of fur/feather, and the most genuinly intelligent dog iv'e ever seen. I could tell plenty of tales about the dog, but the one that stands out in my mind is the time me and the mate were walking one one side of a chain link fence, an dthe dog was working some rough grass on the other on his own, he was quatering about and we knew there was a rabbit somewhere close, it came and the dog nailed it in a few yards, but it was only a small one, the dog just stood there with the rabbit looking at my mate wagging his tail, the mate shouted "drop it" followed up by "Max" the dogs name, and the dog just put it down gently and just stood and watched it run back into the cover unharmed, having terriers i'd never seen a dog do anything like that, everything mine got was dead, the mate looked at me and said "he knows not to kill the little uns" and laughed, the dog just went back to working the field. I'd give a grand for him now, or for a mating to my spaniel x whippet bitch............Not sure about making faster/bigger dogs out of labs?, but that dog would suit me now.

 

He only ever threw mediocre pups, but we didn't know much about breeding back then, he never went over the right bitch imo.

[blackmaggie 3,376]

I use to go out with a lab / grey very good dog on all edible quarry and took some good numbers with good wind feet and was robust kind of dog that didnt pick up many injurys and was a natural retriever has you wold expect but only used with a light but given a chance I dare say would of be handy during the day didn't like teeth unless things were going its way and paired up but there was one Liverpool way that took good numbers of foxes s/h maybe bosun or all terrain could tell you more but its a cross I would own and one I bet wouldn't bring to much unwanted attention in some areas

[Butler 396]

I have a lab dog that imo would be perfect for producing lurchers..... His drive is second to none he tracks when out with the rifle works in the beating line picks up marks and kills rats and has been known to tackle larger game accidentally.... I would be willing to put him over a bitch free of charge for the right reasons. I've no problem with a man recouping the cost of rearing a litter but would not let anyone make money from a free stud.

[lurchers 2,768]

Now theres a genuine offer for somebody not to take the lend of.atb mate with the offer.

[dodger 2,761]

Nice offer butler he sounds a good one..

[FWBO 4]

I've had rescued whippets in the past but never pups. I can pick out promising springer and wirehair pups from the litters I've bred but I know what I'm looking for in a gundog. You're looking for the pups that are clearly responding to scents around the garden. Can anyone give guidance on picking lurchers from a litter?

 

I'm not convinced with the picking the sight hound body with a labs head is the way to go. Looking at any running dog the head needs to be light to facilitate the mechanics of how they propel themselves. Fast dogs don't have heavy heads.

[jars 9]

I like the idea of this cross..I just wonder if it would keep a sharp eye for game breaking at fair distance. I've a dog in my pack that ticks most boxes but its quality eyes that he lacks. Not so bad as the other 3 dogs spot up like sighthounds should.

[FWBO 4]

You would definitely get good vision from the lab side. Mine has the best eyesight and depth perception I've seen in a dog. The problem isn't the "price" of pups though. It is getting guys to agree to take a pup on and keep it for a couple of years and get an idea of what traits it has. We need some discussion of a selection game plan

[dustyj 63]

Great eyesight the ones I had were up that beam in no time spotting quarry.and if they went over the top of a clapped rabbit there nose knew it was their.just got to say aswell for bushing around wooded areas there endurance was excellent. Don't think you would get much better in a lurcher for that kind of work..and for lamping a few lads who went out with mine thinking it was going to be to slow and wouldn't be much cop were gobsmacked. So if you're planning on breeding go for it...don't knock it till you try it..I would think about getting another lab cross I've had lurchers for 35 years and enjoyed my time with them more than most dogs I've had in that time.??

[Hamish.J.Cronan 13]

Hello,

 

I'm on the look out for a new pup and from what everyone's written I'd be interested to know if a litter was planned.

I grew up with a lab, she was my best friend as a kid, bright, full of energy and gentle, much like the lurcher that i owned up until recently; but he was a bit more stubborn than bright i think, i never could quite tell...

 

I've not been on the forum for a few years since the lurcher was killed and it seems like lots has changed out there when it comes to buying and selling puppies, I don't feel confident of buying one that hasn't been bred for the right reasons; this sounds like just the sort of dog that would fit the bill for what i'm looking for.

 

Look forward to hearing more!

 

Cheers

[FWBO 4]

Right guys,

 

I have had a look at things at home and decided to wait till summer for the mating. She is regular twice a year and I would expect to be looking at July for mating. I spoke to Maxhardcore and he has a choice of two greys for sire. I don't know enough about lurchers to make an informed decision which dog to use so if people who are interested have a preference then it might be worth guys speaking to Maxhh too.

 

I've good experience breeding, my last litter of GWP's had 14 pups -which was too many-on a double cover mating. I will only go for a single cover and hope to rear about six pups. Most of the ball ache of breeding is dealing with selling them so I would prefer to get ahead of the game by getting together a list of people who will have one. I would prefer the bitches to go to guys with experience breeding because my gut tells me that the first cross grey X lab offspring would probably best being covered by a male whippet.

 

 

We could do with someone with a good greyhound bitch for Butlers lab to cover so that we have some more genes in the pool. Derry Argue (Advie gundogs) told me a few years ago that you need to run two parallel breeding lines, an A and a B, and don't cross them over. I don't know if he's still alive but I'll get in touch with him again.

 

I'm happy to do this at cost so I feel we should be upfront about who is in line for a pup so that this involves reliable guys and gals who aren't just after a cheap pup.

[Hamish.J.Cronan 13]

As mentioned before, I'd be interested to hear how this plan develops, best of luck!