Whippet or lurcher

[iworkwhippets 12,848]

i want the dog for mainly rabbits but again it cant be a very big dog

 

Look mate, i cant speak fer other folks whippets, but ive been working whippets fer a good few years now, have a look at some of my posts. im out a;; weathers with em /prolific bunny catchers, excellent prey drive, a very versatile little dog, and do exactly what they were born n bred to do, well mine do anyways, im not bragging here, jist giving you an honest answer from a whippet owner, good luck in your chosen breed

[Ideation 8,216]

What land do you plan on hunting, i.e what terrain?

[iworkwhippets 12,848]

What land do you plan on hunting, i.e what terrain?

 

He does state Rabbits Jai, as for the terrain, i run mine on all terrain

[derbylad1 293]

I see your in ireland....so not the warmest place in the world...lol. Would the jacket on a whippet cope with that weather, another good reason why folk have put the bedlington over whippets. Aslo what type of ground will you run the dog on. I've spent a lot of time over the water and a whippet sized would be pretty handy.

[ferretman123 4]

a whippet would be handy around here but hey can be fairly rare compared to lurchers

[ferretman123 4]

i will be running the dog on alot of different terrain

[Ideation 8,216]

What land do you plan on hunting, i.e what terrain?

 

He does state Rabbits Jai, as for the terrain, i run mine on all terrain

 

I know mate, i think they are ideal wee rabbiting dogs, and will take the odd other thing if they come across it, or at least have a good go. Mine also loves feather, and has had at least 30 pheasants this season so far.

 

I also run my lad on varied ground, however when folk say 'all terrain', that is a pretty subjective thing. I seem to spend a lot of my life with the dog in steep, rocky tree lined gullys, bramble filled ditchesfull of scrap, mountain sides, thick woodland and lots of generally shit places to run a running dog. It's incredibly rare that i see the dog run a rabbit across an open field in the day. The dog has a fantastic nose, and hunting sense, and is great in the above mentioned places for finding game. However, his high prey drive, quick acceleration and thin / tight skin / lack of jacket, has led to a rather unfortunate number of trips to the vets. He's covered in scars and sometimes i feel for the poor begger.

[hedz31 1,308]

i would go for a purpose bred lurcher every time,whippet's cost 2 or 3 time's the amount of a lurcher pup there skin is poor and like paper they are injury prone they lack the wind of a purpose bred lurcher they are very limited in comparison to a lurcher quarry wise i know all the lad's that keep them will argue with what ive said but that's up to them it's all personel choice

[ferretman123 4]

thanks for the comments lads

[ferretman123 4]

just wondering what breed i should get if i go for a lurcher as the dog cant be too big

[doris 6]

There is a lot of variation in whippets as well, i've seen plenty of 18 " very light weight ones, and then mine is pretty much 22" and most of 20 kg.

Im toying with getting a whippet and the type you have mentioned takes my interest. If you dont mind I'll message you to get some more info rather than bother this lot on here

[BEARINATOR 2,876]

just wondering what breed i should get if i go for a lurcher as the dog cant be too big

 

Collie/whippet/grey won't be too big and will take everything you can throw at it, or a bedlington cross

[iworkwhippets 12,848]

To be honest it's hard to beat a well bred, purpose bred lurcher for most hunting tasks.

 

I think with whippets, you just either have a thing for them or you don't.

 

I wouldnt swop mine for the world, but i would give him a thicker jacket if i could.

 

He has higher prey drive than any dog i have met.

 

I have a thing for them, and to be honest, if folks have never owned em, should think twice before posting negative comments, as i say ive run em for years, yes ive had some heart rending moments with em, but as i say, i can only speak for mine, they work their goolies off all weathers, ive had em wrapped around trees, barbed wire, the amount of injuries can be counted on one hand, all treated by myself, from the right stock, and in the right hands, cant fault em, and will tackle anything any lurcher would, what a shame cos of the ban , i cannot show you, just how my whippets work, do folks think for 1 minute, i would pussyfoot around with whimps ., !

100 per cent to the bone working dog man here , i want rabbiting dogs, ive got em

Edited January 15, 2012 by iworkwhippets

[djs7547 104]

you can more or less pick up small lurchers to, that will do the damage.

 

i picked up a 21 inch lurcher on fri aged 10 month , which is proving well worthwhile. had him out twice an he has done very well in quarry. his mix is whippet/greyhound, not sure if i was just lucky. but if you keep your eyes peeled an wait for right dog then its worth the wait. However i also beleive its not just the dog , but also the owner, you need to spend time out an about nuturing it on. its no use just taking it out a few times, but as often as possible. ATB

[PoppyB 22]

Rather than deciding on a particular breed, maybe concentrate on looking a dog of good working stock. Whippets are great wee rabitting dogs but more recently seem to come with inflated price tags. Most whippet cross lurchers will be small enough in size for you and will do the same job. IMO whippets can be quite stubborn, so maybe not ideal for a first dog if your not getting great advice.

 

Good luck in whatever you decide to get