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[South hams hunter 8,922]

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[nothernlite 18,088]

you on a writing course at college or you have a tag on whats happened

[paulus 26]

Something that has alway played on my mind especially when picking a young dog, which is more important? Well here's my thoughts on it.

 

I know a lot of lads that won't have a pup from unworked parents when picking a Lurcher, well I can understand this greatly as you can hope for traits to be passed on such as stamina, tenacity, agility, brains - the list could go on and on. I do believe that nature does play a vital row but having thought about it lately I have found more reasons that nurture is more important, the most recent being my own pup and her litter sister.

 

First of all I'll give a little bit of background on the pups, as I'm writing this article they are just past eight months of age. The litter was bred by my father from his own two Lurchers; both parents have done many seasons and proved themselves on a variety of quarry on vast different terrains. The mother is a 23 inch bitch that is an excellent rabbiting bitch and prior to the ban was a good little dog behind a hare on smaller fields and took the odd roe aswell ; the father a 27 inch dog that again prior to the ban excelled on hare on larger fields and absolutely adored deer of all species on any terrain but still makes a handy rabbit dog to this day. Both parents have a great up and at them attitude where they like to strike as early as possible and continue to do so til they caught there quarry.

 

Anyway before I drift to far back to tales of old ill get back to the pups, both bitches are of same height and build and are or as may seem of equal intelligence and biddability, at 6 weeks of age they where both fully weaned and taken from the litter. Now to some people this may seem early but the whole litter seemed very even in attitudes and size so they where picked on colour alone at around 4 weeks.

 

So now we have the two white bitches removed from the litter, one came home with me and one was kept by my younger sister and this is where the nurture side comes into the equation. Both bitches at a young age seemed keen and eager to please so training started immediately, within days both knew to sit on command without a treat and to be honest a small sibling rivalry started ( between me and my sister not the pups ) .

 

As time progressed we started to go our own way with training and lost interest and what each other where doing with there pup until around last month when we decided they where almost ready to start work. Now at this stage we both have well rounded young adults that are rearing to start.

 

Now here's where the differences start; Dip (my sisters pup) has wonderful retrieving and would bring back a fag butt if you where to chuck it for her, her recall is good but not quite perfect and her general behaviour is great. Panda ( my pup) is average at retrieving but has perfect recall and again is very well behaved. Over the last week we have taken both pups out twice each and had varied results, in which way you may ask well from 5 runs Dip hasn't managed to catch a rabbit unfortunately even with very good chances whereas panda has managed to catch 2 from 4 runs one of which the rabbit was already running before the pup was slipped.

 

So what where the differences between the two bitches? Both pups where right behind the bunnies on every turn and stuck to them like glue so why did Panda catch and Dip didn't? Striking! To catch a rabbit the dog must drop its head close to the ground to enable it to scoop it up, now is the a natural instinct? Yes I believe so but an instinct that must be honed and practised to get the best out of it.

 

Panda when running has her head close to the ground and is looking to strike continuously where as Dip has her head up as if she doesn't want it. Why? I believe but I may be wrong that it's down to our different approaches to training; both pups learnt there basic retrieving with a rabbit dummy but after that stage that is where things started to alter. To keep Panda interested and alert part of her daily regime is to go up the field and have some ball work; a small fast moving target that the dog learns to pick up as it is moving something similar to a rabbit whereas Dips retrieving work is mainly her dummy out the garden or down the local park but she hasn't done much ball work. Now even though her dummy is rabbit like on smell, appearance and feel it doesn't share characteristics in behaviour as once it hits the ground it becomes motionless thus allowing the dog to stop to pick it up.

 

Now don't for one second misread this, I have no doubt in my mind that both pups will make grade but I also believe this shows at the moment nurture is winning.

 

I can think of several other cases, for example has anyone noticed that most people that keep a good dog always have a good dog? No matter what cross, for what line of work or of what appearance they always seen to make the grade, can this be coincidence? I don't believe so.

 

Another example that comes to mind is my brother in law and a lad I Lamped with for a while. Now these two lads have both had 2 Lurchers since I've know them. Both there dogs came from the same two litters, my brother in law taking a bitch from the first litter and my mate a bitch and the second litter the other way round. So what does that say? Well both my brother in laws dogs have been rehoused to pet homes at around 3 years of age, why? Both of them had no recall, wouldn't retrieve and couldn't catch a fox in a telephone box. There siblings - both well trained good working dogs that have many seasons under there belt proving there worth in any kennel. Could this be a coincidence? Yes it could but again I believe nurture has prevailed yet again as neither litter was bred from anything special but more like pets that seen a lamp once or twice a season.

 

To summarise, I don't think it matters what you have or how it's bred but aslong as you put the time and effort in to the pup and the work in front of it you should be happy with it and should give you many a season of joy. As the saying goes - you reap what you sow.

you will be getting fat on b*llocks burgers come harvest time

[RossM 8,119]

Aye defo copy cut and paste, maybe should've put "taken from......" at the top of the post,

[South hams hunter 8,922]

Wrote it myself

[South hams hunter 8,922]

you on a writing course at college or you have a tag on whats happened

 

No just did a lot at school and enjoy writing

[Sherlock 42]

You might enjoy writing unfortunately I do not enjoy reading twaddle, keep it short and consise and to the point . 3 out of 10 .

[courseadog 231]

Dogs got to be breed right as well

Or it could jack

Dint read it all just last paragraph lol

[old school 531]

well done you for effort.... but heres my theory and it should sum it up in half the effort!! you can make a sculpture out of clay but not out of shite!! :-)

[bracken boy 584]

bitch bitch bitch, some of you are idiots, well done for taking the time to post ssh,

[South hams hunter 8,922]

Be the last time I do

[trenchfoot 4,243]

promise!?

[South hams hunter 8,922]

itll be the last time i take the time to write anything proper

[Millet 4,497]

Keep writing what you want and ignore the piss taker's.. ..a good dog man can make a shite dog good and make a good dog excell..a chav dog lad will make a shite dog shite and a good dog shite.. ..

[Guest Moscow]

There was a topic on here a while back with the a similar title to "nature vs nurture" You cannot make an iron bar out of a piece of shit, you cannot polish a turd etc etc so nature is extremely important.

 

A bad dogman can make good look shit and a good dog man can make an average dog look good but no dogman can bring out what is not there in the 1st place!