Original Lurcher

[birddog 1,354]

phil loyd has put an interesting post up on the ongoing hancock topic so rather than hijack that thread i'll start a new one

 

 

 

 

what was the original lurcher ?

[paulus 26]

phil loyd has put an interesting post up on the ongoing hancock topic so rather than hijack that thread i'll start a new one

 

 

 

 

what was the original lurcher ?

Plummer and Burrell both have different theories

 

http://www.lurchers.org.uk/history.htm

 

Lurchers were originally developed because during the Middle Ages only the nobility were allowed to possess purebred sighthounds such as the Deerhound, Greyhound or Irish Wolfhound. Since Lurchers were considered to have no value, it was considered acceptable for the common man to possess such dogs.

[Banter 1,751]

if you find out let us know

[birddog 1,354]

my own guess is there was very little (if any) sighthound in the original, more like leggy collies i think, they belonged to countrymen, shepherds and drovers etc with little or no access to greyhound, whippet or deerhound blood (oops sorry or saluki....phew), i think its only fairly recently that speed and drive have became important as i'd imagine these guys valued nose, brains, herding instinct etc far more,

[jack68 628]

in the Norman times 1066 onwards only the king and noble men could have a running dog..blar blar blar or so I have read, but even before then I would of said there was lurchers or running dogs as they would of been then. its just over the years we have refined them into the dogs we have today, I sure there is more to it but that's about the ins ands outs of it...imo

[TOMO 26,308]

I suppose it depends on how far back you want to delve,,, if your talking Middle Ages ,, 500 to 1000 years,,, then feck knows what might be in them,,, Deffo not whippet,, deerhound perhaps ,, I suppose it would have been any cur type the breeder could get hold of,, mated to a sight hound ,,, but I suppose like today maybe they were just bitsa types rather than half crosses,,,

 

What is that medivel type that's on the old tapastrys,,, was it called a griffon ?,, maybe they were in the mix or is it briards,,

 

In more modern times,, then I think much the same as now,, but with a few less breeds ,, proberbly not saluki,, but herding types,, and tarrier types would be my gues..

 

I've said this befor on here,,, the Warrener did an interesting article a few year back in cmw ,, with some old pics of lurchers,, and exchange and mart adverts from 100 years ago,,, a good few we're Irish terrier cross,

 

And if you have seen that pic of Warrener reves from the break lands ,, his dogs a big hairy lump looks like a strong herding type that one

Edited October 22, 2013 by TOMO

[Stud dog 632]

I heard some wear that if a poor fella was to own any type of running dog then the lords an noble men wood snap a leg don't no how true this is could have been bull anyone else heard of this ?

[skycat 6,173]

Way back when, medieval times when the King's court, nobility etc roved round the countryside staying with various other nobles all year round, they must have had all sorts of different types of hunting dogs. I believe that's where the law started: that only nobility could own a dog that caught through sheer speed and eyesight. I've read that there weren't even any 'pure' breeds as such in those days. Greyhounds were rough or smooth depending on what they ran and where.

No doubt the myth/story is also true that the poor man sneaked a mating from a speedy dog of one sort or another, but the lurcher was classed as a lurcher even in the 1700s, when times had changed quite a bit from the era of all meat being hunted. Thomas Bewick described them in his History of the Quadruped.

This is taken from that book:

THE LYEMMER
So called from its being led in a thong, and
slipped at the game. Dr. Caius informs us, that it
hunted both by the scent and sight ; and, in its form,
was between the Hound and the Greyhound. It is
now unknown to us.




THE LURCHER.
Is less and shorter than the Greyhound, and its
limbs stronger : its body is covered with a rough
coat of hair, most commonly of a pale yellow colour;
its aspect is sullen, and its habits, whence it derives
its name, are dark and cunning.

Here's a copy of the wood cut of the lurcher:

http://www.diomedia....ageDetails.html

[TOMO 26,308]

Skycat,, that drawing looks like rays dog/ bear.......lol

[BORDERSCOT 3,816]

my own guess is there was very little (if any) sighthound in the original, more like leggy collies i think, they belonged to countrymen, shepherds and drovers etc with little or no access to greyhound, whippet or deerhound blood (oops sorry or saluki....phew), i think its only fairly recently that speed and drive have became important as i'd imagine these guys valued nose, brains, herding instinct etc far more,

 

My take would be something similar to this....and the greyhound would be added when folk started using dogs for sporting purposes.....to obtain a faster/swifter hound....interesting topic though....

[kanigra 110]

Always was led to believe it was some sort of running dog cross herding dog ( pot filler). So basically a collie greyhound but far removed from the collie crosses of today. Nobility's pure breeds cross farmers droving/herding type of dog made the old type lurcher to catch for the pot.But who really knows for sure?

[paulus 26]

i assume dogs followed mans progression originally used for hunting them moving to herding and stock protection then when times changed again sport and meat.

[Hot Meat 3,109]

Can't comment on anything that happens before I was born lol so I won't, but as a kid I was told a lurched was usually a collie/grey x terrier/grey and deerhound x Grey's were long dogs used for hares, to me a lurched is a dog that consistently catches game..

[jerry attrick 264]

i assume dogs followed mans progression originally used for hunting them moving to herding and stock protection then when times changed again sport and meat.

 

and in 2013 being rallied around in subaru wrx, i wonder what the cunning old poachers of yesteryear would think to the tracky wearing subaru driving rigger booted shaved hair, pot smoking people of today ???????????????

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

 

 

i assume dogs followed mans progression originally used for hunting them moving to herding and stock protection then when times changed again sport and meat.

and in 2013 being rallied around in subaru wrx, i wonder what the cunning old poachers of yesteryear would think to the tracky wearing subaru driving rigger booted shaved hair, pot smoking people of today ???????????????

Now you've spouted some shit on here Jerry but FFS have a day off.