Some Do & Some Don't..

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

I'm not as fatalistic as some of you. I've seen some horrendous tears from barbed wire on young lurchers who weren't properly looking where they were going: usually when there's other dogs messing about and distracting the youngster. Yes, I teach mine to jump, but I never teach jumping on to concrete or slabs or rock hard ground, and I never send them pinging back and forth over fences over and over again for the hell of it. If that sounds poncy, so be it.

Gaz: that photo you just put up, we have only that sort of fencing round here, and it is easily 4 and a half feet high round here. No problem for a dog that understands the dangers, but I'd sooner get a pup jumping something lower to begin with. I've also seen dogs make a mistake, try to bank the fence and ending up hanging by one foot twisted between the top two wire. Deer and fox die by doing that. Found a muntjac once with both hind feet nearly severed and almost dead. God knows how long it had been hanging there.

My dogs jump when they need to, but these days I'm a lot more careful than I used to be. Even an experienced dog can miss its footing; one of my best jumpers ended up hanging from the top rusty strand of a barbed wire fence, and I think it was because she was jumping into low sun and couldn't see the top rusty wire. My theory anyway, as that was the only slip up she ever had when jumping.

Having said all that, some pups are born to jump and you can't stop them. They seem to get a real kick out of flying through the air. I certainly wouldn't tie a dog down if it wants to do it.

That's all we've got round here Skycat, sheep mesh type fencing with one or two strands of wire on top.

 

My theory is that if they jump it from young (and get the odd nick) they will understand the dangers early on and learn to clear it.

 

Both of mine had a few nasty tears in the early days but they know to clear it now.

 

Maybe the wrong way of doing it. I don't know.

 

[trigger2 3,146]

i like to start my dogs as soon as possible the earlier they learn the better.

 

buster at 4.5 months

 

 

 

 

 

will always jump even if he can go under. i know when he goes under stuff instead of over hes either knackered or hurting. imo its a must for a dog to learn to jump

[trigger2 3,146]

hopefully this dog will being the same in a few weeks.

 

 

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

Jumping is an essential attribute for any working dog,...be he a Herder, a lurcher or a Retriever,....but,..ya got to be sensible...

In my opinion,....(having taken a fair bit of saleable game),...there ain't a critter on God's earth,. worth gutting your valuable Jukel for,..and that's the truth.

 

So, if my hedgerow hunters can manage to squeeze through or scrabble under an obstacle,.then that suits me fine,..but if they have to jump a fence or gate, they need to know their limitations and have the required experience and physicality, to safely achieve the leap...

 

When you work dogs for a living, and depend on them to pay the bills,...ya get kinda protective...

 

Of course,..Lurchers must jump,...but only when they have to jump.....

Edited March 5, 2017 by Phil Lloyd

[skycat 6,174]

Phil: that dog is just cruising the wire with a nonchalant look on her face: she's saying: "Jumping? Any fool can jump, but do they have my style?"

[frankel 2,123]

[coverdogs 888]

There is not much point in having a lurcher that can jump any fence when its well past middle aged owner cant get over the bloody thing. i look at my lurcher standing in the next field waiting on me and i know he is saying to himself hurry up you fat c--t.

[bird 9,985]

There is not much point in having a lurcher that can jump any fence when its well past middle aged owner cant get over the bloody thing. i look at my lurcher standing in the next field waiting on me and i know he is saying to himself hurry up you fat c--t.

lol , mine come on you old prat

[nickdonboy 264]

Not everyone wants or needs their lurchers to jump but one that doesn't is as much use as a glass eye to me no matter what its capable of on a fen or such,it's red hot here today so as my lad has Boots down the river with him swimming i took the pup just out the back door for a bit of jumping practice,he's doing OK if not perfect but he's only 9 1/2 months old so he will get the hang of things before i start him away for sure..

 

 

 

 

 

 

lovely pooch. what cross?

[FUJI 17,328]

He's coursing bred bud out of these two..

 

Mia

 

 

 

Romeo

 

[skycat 6,174]

And on the topic of wire: how the hell does a bitch who jumps the same fence every day to go and run a few rabbits round a field manage to get caught on the top of the fence and put a nasty hole in her groin?????????? I can only assume she slipped, or misjudged her jump. Grrrr. Happens to even the most sensible and experienced if they put a foot wrong.

[Ross M 149]

Off topic but love the shape of that Mia

[FUJI 17,328]

And on the topic of wire: how the hell does a bitch who jumps the same fence every day to go and run a few rabbits round a field manage to get caught on the top of the fence and put a nasty hole in her groin?????????? I can only assume she slipped, or misjudged her jump. Grrrr. Happens to even the most sensible and experienced if they put a foot wrong.

Sadly its just part & parcel of lurcherwork Penny an accident as they say simple as that,could of ran a rabbit into a hedge & torn herself on the hedgerow itself or some discarded machinery etc,its where do we draw the line with them? Every single time we unleash them it could end in tears,you,i & lots of others know the risks that come with keeping working dogs..we never set off with the intention of causing injury or worse still death to our four legged friends but our desire & more so theirs to hunt in whatever terrain we confront be it forestry,moorland,fen,clear fell,paddocks,fells etc each of them are laden with their own dangers (trees,ditches,fences,roads,uneven ground,scree,rocks etc) & we know this but we live to hunt & so do our dogs,its pretty much all we know..a lurcher is the ULTIMATE canine athlete & just like a human athlete accidents & injuries are common place,you just have to grit your teeth & get back on the horse so to speak as soon as possible..its a tough owld game that's for sure ?

[as88 146]

Cutting it fine with that barbed wire trigger. I had a bull x nearly loose his knackers getting over barbed wire that way

[NEWKID 27,627]

She's not a bad jumper.. encouraged from early now a year old and pretty confident, most of the time!!