Hunting with Lurchers in the U.S.

[Linda&Daisy 0]

Also on the introduction topic but it looked like it belonged here as well.

Hello,

Daisy and I are new to this site. We are in Alaska. Since I got her, I have been searching for more information about Lurchers. While people seem to have a passing knowledge of them I think they need to be elevated to a desirable hybrid. Greyhounds were bred into sled dogs for a while in the 1980s but and there are a few sight hound owners here but due to the winter conditions they special care. What I haven’t found until you site is how to hunt with them. I have raised and trained Labradors for 25 years for competition and hunting (two very different pursuits). I was happy to see one blog , the border collie/ greyhound lurcher with birds! Rabbits and grouse, and fox are abundant here. I’m a little nervous about the fox but I know they are close, marked my front door and my newspaper.

 

Daisy does retrieve with a moderate degree of drive. It seems to be growing with more play. I am sure she hunted for herself when she was running loose in the woods. She is just a year old. She found us 2 months ago. I’ve been working on obedience and recall. Recall is our biggest hurdle right now. We are getting there but she is still looking for her old owner and she wants to chase the cat. I took a fluffy dog toy on a long string , hooked that to a retractable leash and had her chasing it around the yard. I don’t know what Im doing.

I’m used to Labs that stay near until they have to retrieve. What are the first steps in training the Lurcher to hunt? Do you think I can train her like she’s a lab? She can have a soft mouth but also a tight grip. She is also very sensitive. We had a retrieving challenge a couple of weeks ago and Daisy wore out the 5 yr old field trial Lab.

I have a blog on her web site www.aklurcher.com

 

Any help would be appreciated. Also I’d like to find US Lurcher owners. I know we can not use dogs for bear & moose. (no problem for me, I let Charlie hunt those)

Last week I sent information to the local shelters to be on the look out for sight hound crosses and asked that potential adoptive parents get my web site info. Love to see these dogs recognized for their uniqueness.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Linda & Daisy

Edited November 9, 2007 by Linda&Daisy

[salukiman 28]

hi ya,i think as you are in somewhat the same pos as me ,however in a diferent land what u should do is stop training and start planning.mistakes that are made now (which we all do)can have lasting effects.start with the basics,get a real strong bond with the dog/bitch,and start with the lead/ recal and its name.when u have given the name u have to never use it as punnishment,a dog that assosiates its name with a telling off wont come back to it. praise when a task is compleated, it is up to u how, fuss or food.

now mooving on is sit ,lay down stay and heel.as i am sure u know with other dogs a dog that you cant controll in your own garden you wont controll in the field.now obtain a rabbit skin and play with the dog fooling it into retreaving as a game.as u may know little and often is the order of the day a bored dog is impossible a dog which assosiates training with fun will want to please the owner so in this vain i always end a training session with a game which i always end up looking a fool but it has brought me results.

remember this is a frustrating time(training)but dont show your frustration keep things fun and do it alone in a place with no distractions ,if the dog gets boored stop as u have time on your side.

introduction to its quarry is done in lots of ways but i use a simple way,i let the dog discover it by walking where the chance of a bunnie in the open is poss. i then let the dog find it its self, may walk straight at it to aid the dog as a mooving bunnie is easer to see.

now nature comes in and the dog teaches its self (u cant run after it yourself).after a couple of kills i move on to the lamp.as for fox i cant advise u but keep asking this site has people on it that know far more than me good luck and keep in touch.

[Lennard 10]

Hey Linda (and Daisy),

 

Nice to have a lurcher up in AK!

 

What people mostly do with lurchers is run game without firearms...either by day or with aid of artificial light by night. When the prey drive is there the dog is supposed to catch and maybe retrieve the game all by itself. It is simpler than all the moves and commands with a gundog...you only need prey drive, speed and a "good" recall.

 

Training a running dog is a combination of "stimulating" the prey drive and doing basic obedience.

If you purchase a Small game licence you can go after rabbits/racoons/fox.snowshoe hares and such legally. Deer and bear is illegal in your state...deer is illegal to run with dogs everywhere I think and bear or feral pigs can be "tracked" with dogs in the south...

 

For fast small game like snowshoe you need a fast and agile dog...but I can see a dane/greyhound coming in handy for fox/racoon.

 

Your rabbit is the cottontail?

Do you have real snow hares (not snowshoe) where you are?

 

best regards,

L

[Linda&Daisy 0]

Yes I have my small game license and hunt grouse with the my Labs. We have hares they are turning white like the fox and Ptarmigan, no cottontail. fox and martins are here as well but I'm not crazy about her tangling with those. ? Dont they bite back? Bears and moose are the other game but you are correct, can t use dogs and thats Charlie's job to get those. I just walk around with a gun or hide in the car in the case of bears. Out 16 lb Tabby cat brought me ermin but I need 10 more for a hat:-) Oh yes and then there is Daisy's cat. She was always on lead when she tried to chase the cat outside.

 

We haven't had her that long and other than cuddling in the evening (or in bed squeezing me out) she seems to still be looking for someone else. Since I work at home I have to carve out time to spend working on obedience and some bonding alone without the Labs in the mix. I think I'll do it now.

 

thanks for the help' I have to change all my photos to smaller files to post her but go to www.aklurcher.com to see her gallery.

Linda & Daisy