Why makes a lurcher pick their runs by the hedge?

[billhardy 2,343]

Sa

ly has got some collie types on if that's the type yas looking for but she his very expensive they gone up in price since I last dropped in atb bill

[shaaark 10,950]

4 hours ago, trigger2 said:

I’ve found over the years that some heavily worked dogs of all can develope that habit.

Yeah, slipped and run til exhaustion when the dog is still unfit, too young, inexperienced or whatever. Think how you'd feel when asked to do 15 -20 flat out 100 yard sprints when you're say 12-13 years of age, and you have no proper fitness levels. You'd be put off for life

[NE_Monkey 159]

I only lamp my lurcher and i have seen him put the brakes on because of hedges and miss rabbits due to this, i kept lamping him and he has over come this issue, a lot of his strikes are near the hedge and he has built confidence and awareness, i wouldn't day he was picking his runs, just learning field obstacles.

If you want a dog that goes full tilt into obstacle and not have progressive experience, then be prepared to own a lot of dogs.

[Guest vin]

My dogs have literally run thousands of rabbits over the last 6-8 years. They have missed more than they caught on many occasions, My old dog can look at a rabbit 20 yards away on the next Warren from the one I'm ferreting and ignore it even when it runs off downhill she sometimes pretends she hasn't seen it. She then looks at me sideways with one eye to see if I saw her jacking it and I often mouth the word wanker in silence to her... she smirks at me like a sly old fekker. . . . .  I know she knows better than I do when it comes to catching bunnies. 

 

[Casso 1,261]

All animals work off an energy expenditure ratio , output must equal input 

animals weight up the resistance value of pursuing prey , how much distance between us , how much energy to take it down, if it doesn’t equate in favour of calories earned   Or resistance overcome, it’s not over stimulating 

dogs are different , the drive in dogs far exceed anything in nature,  animal in the wild won’t run themselves to dire exhaustion like a dog, but that doesn’t mean nature doesn’t apply to dogs , dogs eventually figure it out 

another aspect of the sheepdog is the ability to keep the shepherd and sheep in the one frame of mind , all that stimulation and the dog will still “Down “ on command it doesn’t break into a chase instinct ,  it can stay social in excitable environments , it can still be stimulated but not act on instinct 

put it this way, a she cat with kittens in the barn will clear a hedgerow of rabbits far easier than a lurcher running round like a headless chicken, she cuts down the resistance of distance by sitting directly outside the Warren, the less I do the more I get a principle of nature , dogs eventually twig it 

I would be interested to hear from anyone whose dog has stalked foxes like they will rabbits  or  picked their runs on them  even if the dog wasn’t killing or won’t engage,  are they still stimulated into flight ??

 

[Black neck 16,350]

1 hour ago, vin said:

My dogs have literally run thousands of rabbits over the last 6-8 years. They have missed more than they caught on many occasions, My old dog can look at a rabbit 20 yards away on the next Warren from the one I'm ferreting and ignore it even when it runs off downhill she sometimes pretends she hasn't seen it. She then looks at me sideways with one eye to see if I saw her jacking it and I often mouth the word wanker in silence to her... she smirks at me like a sly old fekker. . . . .  I know she knows better than I do when it comes to catching bunnies. 

 

Brilliant 

[TALKCHEAP 183]

12 hours ago, downsouth said:

Apart from super game bull crosses.They bust holes through hedges pulling out trees with their bare teeth whilst in hot pursuit.

you could be right, like history said a brain

[TALKCHEAP 183]

10 hours ago, W. Katchum said:

I don’t know wat you mean

neither does he

[white van man 3,379]

I have no problem with my dog picking his runs in the day. Lamping would be a different matter. Majority of our rabbits are caught just inside the hedge line at night. 

[Black neck 16,350]

8 hours ago, white van man said:

I have no problem with my dog picking his runs in the day. Lamping would be a different matter. Majority of our rabbits are caught just inside the hedge line at night. 

Other way round for me run ote in the day older bitch getting a bit picky at night 

[springfield 20]

Loads say it’s collie blood. I also have found if they don’t like cover to much mainly sighthound breds 

[terryd 8,717]

On 23/11/2018 at 07:27, Penda said:

I've had a couple of dogs do it in the past but I don't haven't had that happen for years if a dog wants it they'll hit that hedge weither it's on the hole or by the hedge row they do there darn best 

That is true I find this with my present one and its that attitude that puts things in the bag. The rabbit might be in C but he will go through round or over incase it tries to go to D lol. Just applying that bit of pressure seems to make them some times make the wrong move too 

[Mr Wilkes 3,084]

I used to lamp with a lad who ran a 5/8 3/8 bull grey and a line bred bull grey , by the end of the season both dogs wouldn’t run a rabbit if sat nr a hedge and would run 5yrd or so on a hare before pulling up and watching it skip away.. both dogs caught a lot of rabbits in a season but nearing the end they knew what they could catch.

[C.green 3,231]

Seen dogs pull up on rabbits and hares but would break a hedge in half to get the eyes reflecting back off something else. Think some dogs just dont get alot out of catching heavy numbers on the lamp and fetching th back.

[two crows 3,342]

when I used to lamp a lot my little bitch always stood by the hedge for a few seconds if the rabbit got in, and its surprising how many she court like that I recon she used to listen for movement, it surprises me how many people don't see picking runs as that big a deal to me its like jacking.