Smithfield Lurcher

[Saluki71 110]

I was reading one of my dads old books and was very interested in the old Smithfield drovers dogs, very shaggy coats and good feet and stamina, does anyone think that these dogs still exist tucked away somewhere or are they like the dodo(extinct). I am genuinely interested in this so lntelligent answers appreciated please.

[low plains drifter 10,237]

There is said to be some Smithfield type herding dogs in New Zealand

[gamerooster 1,179]

Dogs back then weren't bred for type, they were bred for one thing and that's function, so in my eyes any rough coated working dog that could herd was a smithfield, it's the people wishing to sell books that proclaim these dogs to be some mythical beast

[low plains drifter 10,237]

Types, myths or whatever, I'd like to think there are some relatives of these bygones somewhere, must have been tough, versatile dogs driving all kinds of livestock all that way, aswell as guarding the flocks at night, filling the drovers dutch oven, and keeping the quadbike ticking over

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

Hard times, hard men and even harder dogs..

[Plucky1 1,119]

I think the real old drovers type dog is now consigned to the past, as Game roosters excellent post says dogs were bred for the work at that time,there are not people spending days herding stock to market, modern times means everything moves on, even the herding types have to adapt to the job being asked of them, if you go to any Smithfield market or livestock auction these days as I do you will see all manner of beasts being herded in and out by mongrels and curs of all types, I move a lot of farm stock around the many farms I hunt on in any given week and most have a collie of some description and I help out with my terriers but the quad bike seems to do more herding than any dog these days, WM

[TOMO 25,991]

There defiantly out there,,,cos Geoff Burrell breeds them........

 

He advertise them in countrymens weekly and earth dog running dog,,,,give him a ring and have a chat,,he will tell you all you need to know

[riohog 5,701]

There defiantly out there,,,cos Geoff Burrell breeds them........

 

He advertise them in countrymens weekly and earth dog running dog,,,,give him a ring and have a chat,,he will tell you all you need to know

i think geoff breeds unicorns aswell tomo

[bird 9,858]

I think the real old drovers type dog is now consigned to the past, as Game roosters excellent post says dogs were bred for the work at that time,there are not people spending days herding stock to market, modern times means everything moves on, even the herding types have to adapt to the job being asked of them, if you go to any Smithfield market or livestock auction these days as I do you will see all manner of beasts being herded in and out by mongrels and curs of all types, I move a lot of farm stock around the many farms I hunt on in any given week and most have a collie of some description and I help out with my terriers but the quad bike seems to do more herding than any dog these days, WM

i was thinking that the other day, when watching (one man and his dog) on country file , ok dogs still work sheep and few cattle, but most stock i thought were moved with quad bikes or off road bikes maybe the day of the herding dog coming to a end, like you say you got to go forward in time, not backwards

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

Due to the UK's diverse terrain,.nothing,.will ever replace the Herding dog.

Edited October 18, 2016 by Phil Lloyd

[Blueboybilly 164]

http://www.lurchers.org.uk/smithfielddrover.html

[Robert hasselhoff 137]

There defiantly out there,,,cos Geoff Burrell breeds them........

He advertise them in countrymens weekly and earth dog running dog,,,,give him a ring and have a chat,,he will tell you all you need to know

Awwwwwwwwww big fella, you beat me to it. I was gona mention geoff lol Atb the hoff

[Blackdog92 2,047]

 

 

I think the real old drovers type dog is now consigned to the past, as Game roosters excellent post says dogs were bred for the work at that time,there are not people spending days herding stock to market, modern times means everything moves on, even the herding types have to adapt to the job being asked of them, if you go to any Smithfield market or livestock auction these days as I do you will see all manner of beasts being herded in and out by mongrels and curs of all types, I move a lot of farm stock around the many farms I hunt on in any given week and most have a collie of some description and I help out with my terriers but the quad bike seems to do more herding than any dog these days, WM

i was thinking that the other day, when watching (one man and his dog) on country file , ok dogs still work sheep and few cattle, but most stock i thought were moved with quad bikes or off road bikes maybe the day of the herding dog coming to a end, like you say you got to go forward in time, not backwards

It may be the case down in the lowlands for stockmen to move the stock with a quad/bike but up here in the fells or the highlands a dog is the only tool you have, you cant get a quad bike up most of these fells. One man and his dogs is not really a accurate gauge for your day to day sheepdog, a lot of the people who go in those competions dont farm and will just buy a trained dog soley to go in the competions.

 

If the sheepdog ever becomes out dated i will be out of a job, i doubt it ever will though.

[Wild-Bill 500]

There defiantly out there,,,cos Geoff Burrell breeds them........

 

He advertise them in countrymens weekly and earth dog running dog,,,,give him a ring and have a chat,,he will tell you all you need to know

Ring him on Friday and you won't get off the phone till Sunday morning lol

[Saluki71 110]

I had a dog off Geoff Burrell about 15 years ago she was no show stopper but was supposedly a Smithfield lurcher, when he gave me her 'pedigree' I noticed there was German short haired pointer and husky in there, with the research I've done I know that these two breeds weren't even in the country at the time of the Smithfield drovers dogs, the nearest I can see in type is the rough coated Welsh collie which is now extinct, I think it was the Welsh but please correct me if I've got that mixed up.

Atb to all.