Whippet or lurcher?

[boyo 1,398]

aww baw and there was me thinking you was falling in love with salukis at last .lol.

[broonball 38]

I'd consider a whippet for ferreting, take off speed isn't as good wi my lurcher. Lamping I'd say my bitch is better in the field maybe a whippet would be better for the ones on the boundaries? Limited runs with whippet iv never seen my lurcher tired (relative). I'd like a whip as 2nd dog for ferreting but atm not possible.gutted Can't do anything atm anyway as my pup is healing. Cheers

[Sirius 1,391]

A great little dog and I would say the most entertaining dog I have seen to run rabbits either night or day. But in all seriousness would it physically stand lamping several nights a week in the winter on hillsides and stoney ground, ferreting in the rough pastures and woodland most weekends and running what else presents itself from time to time. I mean the way some people talk about rabbiting "just a little rabbiting dog, to knock over a few rabbits' it makes it sound easy and not physically hard work on the dog, where in reality if the dog is really doing alot it can really test them physically and mentally, with the amount of knocks and scrapes they get into. Can such a small dog manage rabbits live to hand, as many I have seen struggle to retriebve a live rabbit and have to kill it to make things easier.

The other concern I have noted from spending a fair amount of time with whippets is there mentality and behaviour, this do or die attitude and almost terrier like traits, are these really conducive to traininga lamping, ferreting dog which marks, is steady, retrieves and hopefully soft mouthed ?

 

Obviously there are exceptions to the rule, but looking at the breed as a overview (if that's possible) The whippet isn't the perfect rabbiting dog as some may lead us to believe, and the main trait IMO that is beneficial to the lurcher is the fact it brings down the size

The boom in whippets (particularly badly bred ones), in the last few years is more about the £££ in certain breeders pockets than the fact they are the right tool for the rabbiting job.

Edited December 14, 2012 by Sirius

[baw 4,360]

I'm gonna get a saluki boyo, articguns sending me his once its passed away I'm gonna stuff it, take photos of it next to dead hares and post them on anti sites they'll never believe a saluki caught them right enough, not if their is a tree or fence in the background

[baw 4,360]

Excellent post sirus, hope the rest of you are taking note on how to write a post lol, well done mate

[asanley 1,009]

Stan the man, that's what excites me right there, the speed. I love watching a fast animal over a slow one and they do look quick. But, I've had my fair share of speed bomb lurchers too. You give a good case for the whippet Stan and I'm starting to realize its maybe a required taste lol. Here my little cow pat lover, did you write that article and where can I see it

 

 

I don,t know if it,s an acquired taste or not , maybe it,s an age thing , or maybe you get it or you don,t I don,t know , all I know for sure is they suit me , my personality and the way I go about things down to the ground .

The article was a non starter when I realised that I,v got nothing interesting to say,and I was so looking forward to your critique .

[baw 4,360]

Fucksake Stan, you could of told of your exploits with brick, your fondness for using real cow dung as cammo..... Your clearly being bashful about your exploits in life.... A man who has hunted all his life with one foot in the grave.....

[Sirius 1,391]

Excellent post sirus, hope the rest of you are taking note on how to write a post lol, well done mate

 

Cheers, don't take the piss

[baw 4,360]

Hmmmm seems people who have had whippets don't tend to stick to the breed through out their life's like others do with say salukis. Wonder why that is.....

[NEWKID 27,182]

Good post Sirius,

I know I don't test my little dog hard enough to give her the chance to fail ( as such), but I know she would not compete with a well bred bigger lurcher, we ran collie/ greyhound xs growing up and they done it all really....

Although mine has a bit of beddy in the mix, she's still whippet like in size and shape, her main fault is her poor retrieve, and the points you make are valid on this point, for me at least...

Her real strengths are the obvious ones, speed off the mark, and turns on a sixpence, she catches well I the lamp to be fair to her..... But I will be bringing a bigger dog ( collie bred) in fairly soon....

[whippet 99 2,613]

Right you lovers of the thin skinned, shivering whippet, do you think they hold their own or better than a purpose bred lurcher? I'm not talking whippet cross lurchers, I mean for instance, collie cross. If both top animals were to be given a days ferreting bolting rabbits, scrub walking etc, followed by a nights lamping, which would come out best? Never had a whippet so I'm genuinely interested.

well bred lurcher any day...................love ferreting with a whip and bushing,................

on the lamp and bolting to the dogs a lurcher any day of the week...

[boyo 1,398]

I'm gonna get a saluki boyo, articguns sending me his once its passed away I'm gonna stuff it, take photos of it next to dead hares and post them on anti sites they'll never believe a saluki caught them right enough, not if their is a tree or fence in the background

pmsl lol :laugh:

[johnny boy68 11,726]

The speed thing is why a lot get a whippet but theres plenty lurchers out there with speed to burn, I have a little lurcher here who only loses out to a whippet on the initial take off but theres not much in it, when she's up into full flying mode she'll hold her own against most whippets for speed and is a more durable/tougher(call it what you like) than a whippet.

[baw 4,360]

Is it a whippet cross Johnny?

[whippet 99 2,613]

whippets have lighning acceleration speed and turn and are great around holes as said........................but for running a lurcher is by far better