Collie Brains

[weasle 1,119]

So we all know collies have more than just brain to add,but if you asked any one what collie would bring BRAINS would be first on the list.

Now we probably all stood there at some stage scratching our heads thinking if the dog was faster,slower,turned better jumped better etc .That wouldn't have got away,but i don't remember ever thinking if the dog had more brains it would have caught that

Ive certainly never had a dog that couldn't work out that when a ferret goes down a hole, a rabbit will come out,or when lamping a rabbit down a hole ain't coming back out.In fact they've all been able to work out for there selves a normal hunting situation.

So what is the collie brains for??

[TOMO 26,061]

I once said the same on mooches about a hundred years ago,,,,my words were,,,how brainy does a dog need to be to catch a rabbit,,,,

 

That said,, I like a bit of collie in a lurcher,,,feck I'm confused,,lol

[TOMO 26,061]

And going back to the other points you raised,,,that dog in my avatar was the fastest lurcher I have seen,,,and without dowt it cought rabbits,,,my other lurchers never would,,,great speed and a great mouth

[weasle 1,119]

Lol I dont mind a bit of most things ,troubles start when you get to much of anything

[weasle 1,119]

And going back to the other points you raised,,,that dog in my avatar was the fastest lurcher I have seen,,,and without dowt it cought rabbits,,,my other lurchers never would,,,great speed and a great mouth

My type was it half cross

[TOMO 26,061]

Yeh,,,,it was a half cross,,,,, 1 half was deerhound ,greyhound ,,,the other half was whippet,greyhound ,,,,lol

[weasle 1,119]

So is it a quick fix like a young lad with a bullx showing everyone how "ripped hes dog is"?

[KittleRox 2,147]

Coat, stamina, feet, general toughness

 

I do get your point though about turning etc,

 

I'll give you a typical day out ferreting though with the whippet and the collie cur, the collie curs concentration/ predicting round the holes is hard to beat and she gets a good number of the bunnys before the whippet gets a chance

 

the whippet mops up the bunnys that get past her

 

so I suppose what I'm trying to say is it all evens out when ferreting

 

too much collie doing other work and you're at a disadvantage

 

dog for the job, horses for courses etc etc

[jimmy1982 153]

The Collie brings agility into the breed ie they know when to make a kill and when not to. You ever sin a collie x on the lamp , when it just stands there looking at bunnies on the hedgerows and you and the dog are about 100 yard away. They know soon as they get in feet of the bunnies there guna bolt straight in the warrens so there using there heads. Now ive sin whippets with the turbos on thinking there guna get there before the bunnies have time to bolt back down ,and then stood over warrens used all that energy for f**k all.

[Sirius 1,391]

The brains and quick thinking apart from the benefits in the hunting field (especially ferreting) really helps IMO with training. They are quick to learn and this is a great benefit I have found and biddable. Well it seems to suit me.

[foresterj 1,096]

They've no more brains than any other type.They are or at least should be more tractable thus making their training far more straightforward than eg the Saluki, not renowned for their tractability but still a very intelligent animal.This tractability allows more complex tasks to be learned more easily and willingly and in addition shows in concentration and attention to the handler in theory, but doesn't give them any more 'brains' per se.IMO.

[Maximus Ferret 2,063]

As above, what the "brains" is really for is not so much to assist in catching but more to make the dog "handy" and easier/faster to train and handle. As an example if you want a dog to work out of sight on the other side of a hedge you're ferreting a handy dog can be trusted to do this and will bring any rabbits either to you or to it,s spot at the hedge back.

I won't say no other type of lurcher can be made manageable like this but IMO it's easier with a collie cross.

[brookie 1,193]

The Collie brings agility into the breed ie they know when to make a kill and when not to. You ever sin a collie x on the lamp , when it just stands there looking at bunnies on the hedgerows and you and the dog are about 100 yard away. They know soon as they get in feet of the bunnies there guna bolt straight in the warrens so there using there heads. Now ive sin whippets with the turbos on thinking there guna get there before the bunnies have time to bolt back down ,and then stood over warrens used all that energy for f**k all.

he never knows he aint going to catch something if he doesnt first try ive seen hundreds pushed back out of hedge and rabbits turn back of hedge as soon as it hears a dog coming a dog that stands and just looks at a rabbit with out trying lacks prey drive and to me its a jacker .if one of mine ever does it id be rehoming it asap im sorry

[Ausnick 190]

I dunno about ferreting; what I do know is if a dog runs straight at a fox when it's heading straight for cover, it'll catch less than the dog that cuts the fox off from the cover and pushes it into the open.

[weasle 1,119]

So it is really a quick fix,Ive either been lucky or found a young pup being out ferreting often,will grow in to a decent ferreting dog.

Or if you need a dog to tell you your slipping at the wrong rabbits.

Or you just like saying cur

The most intelligant dog i ever had by a long way was a whippet bull mix