some advice on lurchers wanted.

[fishfish 17]

i have been giving serious thaught to getting a lurcher for rabbiting, ime not one to rush into dogs or tattoos! so what shouldi look for in a lurcher?(yes i know about 4 legs!!!) would a rescue dog be any good? or a retired racing dog?

[Giro 2,648]

get a pup fella best way...

[stork 1]

i have been giving serious thaught to getting a lurcher for rabbiting, ime not one to rush into dogs or tattoos! so what shouldi look for in a lurcher?(yes i know about 4 legs!!!) would a rescue dog be any good? or a retired racing dog?

I got a 2 year old rescue dog he had been beaten near to death now he is 10 a brillient dog for rabbitting and good to the ferrets

[Mitch 0]

What about size? and breed? What would be the pick. A dog that is agile, and also has abit of brain. And would also be good on the lamp, What would you fellas suggest?

[stork 1]

What about size? and breed? What would be the pick. A dog that is agile, and also has abit of brain. And would also be good on the lamp, What would you fellas suggest?

I`ve just got a beddyxwhippet pup broad head so hopefully a clever dog mums 22 inch dads 24inch so he`ll be a good rabbitting - ferretting dog i hope

[Ludwig 0]

Fish Fish, If you are looking for a dog to take a rabbits as a main stay then you should consider a Working Whippet or Whippet Cross of some sort as these are dependable little dogs for bunny bashing; I wouldn't advise going for dogs bred from larger sight hounds as they are IMO a bit over sized for just Rabbits that said I have a friend who had a Deerhound X Greyhound that took more than its fair share of rabbits in open country but then again in woods and cover It was not so lucky and some of the other things it killed would be frowned upon these days .

 

As for the non Sighthound part of the equation (Unless you go for a whippet or Whippet Greyhound) then Bedlington Terriers are often the dog of choice, But I have seen Collie Whippets (and Lurcher X Lurcher dogs that looked the part for that matter) which were good dogs. I think that a lot of it comes down to what you like in a dog. But you've got the right Idea about taking your time and thinking about it.

 

a Pup will easier to stockbreak than an adults rescue dog and this is something worth thinking about as Lurchers have a high preydrive and some will cause no end of trouble. Also when training you will not need to Iron out someone elses mistakes.

 

Good luck

Edited December 8, 2007 by Ludwig

[Guest SJM]

A pup is always best its a blank canvas you can shape it the way you want training wise

[Giro 2,648]

Dodgers pup in classifieds is a decent dog if you want adult i dont but adults but would have that.. Hes a geniun decent fella and the dogs breed well knock stuff over day and night..

[minion 29]

I would defenatly go down the route of a pup. That way you know where you stand. I have alot of respect for those who rehome rescue dogs but imo you should avoid them as you are taking on someone elses failure. Ideally rescue dogs should end up in good pet homes for the rest of their lives.

 

Yes some get a rescue dog that ends up being a good one but why take the risk?

 

Plus training a pup is great fun and I wouldn't want to miss out on that part.

[fishfish 17]

so what characteristics does the bedlington blood give? also arent they the dogs with the silly pom pom ears? i noticed the chap in the warrener video uses a bedlinton lurcher cross,and if a travler uses it i supose it must be good!

[suluki 2]

isent that a jack russel/whipet in the warrener video? plus iv seen lots of travlers with rubbish dogs! if you want a good rabbit dog you wont go wrong with a collie/greyhound although i have saluki/grey/whip that is very good on rabbit the collie or beddy are a lot easier to train! good luck in your lurcher search mate theres plenty out there!!

[Ludwig 0]

so what characteristics does the bedlington blood give? also arent they the dogs with the silly pom pom ears? i noticed the chap in the warrener video uses a bedlinton lurcher cross,and if a travler uses it i supose it must be good!

 

Good question,

 

If i was being wise I'd probably say its personal preference

 

I've never had a Bedlington Whippet, but I have asked my self this question more than once and here are my thoughts.

 

I'm not trying to put anybodys back up as I certain that a lot of people with Beddi Whippets are gonna come back and say that they have dogs which are by far better than my Whippets

 

 

Many people swear by Beddi Whippets and many swear by Whippets; Some say that beddi whippets are more likley to open up (bark when hunting) some say that the coat is better in the broken coatedones as they either keep the dog warm or stop as many skin tears? I think that in the past people liked having dogs with thick coats to hide how fit the dog was from the Keeper etc. I have two whippets, one adult and one Pup and IMO they are good dogs for rabbits. Too many people use beddi whippets for them not to be on the mark, BUT if a Pure whippet is faster than a Beddlington terrier then why cross it to the terrier as it will result in slower Pups? I can't see what bedlingtons bring to the mix that wasn't there in the first place if you go for good working stock such as Laguna/Sooty Sam lines or some of the other good working lines.

 

I don't want to sound down on BeddiX's as perhaps they are more bidable than straight whippets or something like that, but Pure Whippets will do the job and so will BeddiXs.

 

 

 

Like I said at the begining Personal Preference .

[stork 1]

I would defenatly go down the route of a pup. That way you know where you stand. I have alot of respect for those who rehome rescue dogs but imo you should avoid them as you are taking on someone elses failure. Ideally rescue dogs should end up in good pet homes for the rest of their lives.

 

Yes some get a rescue dog that ends up being a good one but why take the risk?

 

Plus training a pup is great fun and I wouldn't want to miss out on that part.

True this one we got was a family dog then i got in to ferretting and took him with me and he learnt what to do plus hes brill with my brother and sister the new pup i got to do as i say and i know what its capble of

[allgame 0]

but if you've never seen anyone bring up a lurcher i wouldntget a pup if i was you its easy to srew them up by makeing simple mistakes that you dont relive that your doin untill its older if its your first dog get a going one that way if there is any proberlems with it atleast you can see what there are and when u decide to get a pup ull know whats important to teach it plus you can use it stright away i mean the most that will be wrong with the dog is that it might not have had much work so what also it will have a different name but you can always ahnge it slightly jut make sure its stock proff

[mat p 0]

my first dog was a 2 year old beddy whippett greyhound and was a fantastic rabbitt dog both day and night i didnt get her until she was 2 years old i managed a litter from her and i will always kick myself for not holding 1 back for myself instead i give a pup to my bro and hes turned out a better allround dog than the mother! and i now have a collie whippett greyhound which i had from pup and hes turned out to be a good rabbitt dog although he is qiute a big lad he still turns well in my opinion taking dogs on that are all ready running can be a bit of a lottery but with a well bred pup you get out what you put in as for breeds i dont think you would go wrong with anything with whippett blood in it.