Speed or skill?

[Attack Fell Terrier 864]

There's not much better like seeing a rapid dog run and catch well, and I suppose they've gotta have some speed, but the brainy dogs are the more reliable ones (as far as keeping the pot full goes) from what I've seen.

Edited March 16, 2009 by Attack Fell Terrier

[bird 9,982]

I think it comes down each dog, my old bitch bitza[ greyxwhippetxcolliexgreyx?grey]was a fast dog,but she would old back, and only strike at the right time. Then ive seen some dogs, and you think if it was shade quicker, it would have caught that. Brains yes, but they got to catch it first??.

[Guest jt750]

I think it comes down each dog, my old bitch bitza[ greyxwhippetxcolliexgreyx?grey]was a fast dog,but she would old back, and only strike at the right time. Then ive seen some dogs, and you think if it was shade quicker, it would have caught that. Brains yes, but they got to catch it first??.

Agreed 100% but i must say i've seen snappers that quick they overshoot anything they run..they didn't have the brain to control themselves. Example is my avatar is old hancocks dog lots of brains not great speed and never caught a hare in his life. Would have been 15 this year so it was all legal. But that dog was great on bunny in his early days and great on fox around the 4 year old mark and only bit once and from that day he was never bit again

[mikeyboy 7]

i would say brains aswell. if a dog hasn't got that it wont do as good. its does need speed though dont it. got to have right mix

[Penda 3,341]

1 of my dogs is about 5 years old he is off my own breeding he isnt 1 of the fastest dogs i have owned but when he runs a rabbit on the beam he sticks just behind them til they get by the hedge then he panics them just on the hedge line

[Guest miller1989]

My bitch is realy fast and used to miss alot of rabbits striking in and missing,she is now controlling her speed realy realy well the other night i had a quick look out with a mate and his dogs usually excellent on rabbits she missed three straight off and my bitch eventually controlled herself and took all 5 of her slips and caught the bunnys with ease,i was over the moon watching her because before she was nearly dead through some poisen she was a great rabbiting bitch at 12 months ill untill 17 months then i started to run her again when all fit and well,and she had lost everything id taught her was flying flat out to rabbits and missing by miles i mean miles some nights had 15 slips caught nothing was unreal thought she was wrecked,participated and know she will bag as many as there is there she only misses a few not many beat her,running bigger game he is also good as she gets to top speed realy quick and waits for the vital mistake! KABOOM

[Penda 3,341]

My bitch is realy fast and used to miss alot of rabbits striking in and missing,she is now controlling her speed realy realy well the other night i had a quick look out with a mate and his dogs usually excellent on rabbits she missed three straight off and my bitch eventually controlled herself and took all 5 of her slips and caught the bunnys with ease,i was over the moon watching her because before she was nearly dead through some poisen she was a great rabbiting bitch at 12 months ill untill 17 months then i started to run her again when all fit and well,and she had lost everything id taught her was flying flat out to rabbits and missing by miles i mean miles some nights had 15 slips caught nothing was unreal thought she was wrecked,participated and know she will bag as many as there is there she only misses a few not many beat her,running bigger game he is also good as she gets to top speed realy quick and waits for the vital mistake! KABOOM

They learn in the end miller some of the best lamping dogs i have heard of arent even lurchers i heard of a bloke my mate worked with who owned a fox terrier x collie it couldnt be touched on the lamp

[jordanmb 0]

speed and skill for me thats wat i like mostly for the bigger rabbits

[night moocher 41]

They need a bit of both,young saplings show their speed early on and they soon learn to twist their neck and snatch

instead of keep overshooting em.

they got to know when to hold off or go up a gear,but they only get that with experience.

clever dogs as they call them sometimes end up too clever and shy off the hedges when another couple of yrds would have nailed it.

[Bosun11 537]

Skill in my book, anytime....

 

Out and out speed has killed more lurchers than the RSPCA!

Nowt better than watching a fast dog but speeds got to be harnessed to be effective especially to see a long working life in a dog.

All greyhound composits will posess 'enough' speed, IMO if it were all about speed you'd never need a lurcher, the greyhound would fit the bill just right.

[pistol pete 0]

i think you need a good mix of both for an alround dog ie catch what ever you put the light on and anything you see daytime. my bitch is good on rabbits can pick them up on the straight or out of a squat but a hare she has to run to death because she can turn and turn them but just dont have that extra boost to pick them up. so she's got the skill just lacks a little speed. very frustating to watch!

[#1poacher 8]

its a bit of both isnt it no good aving something so quick yet cant turn

[lofti 579]

spose it does depend on what quarry your after but

in a perfect world its good to have both if poss,

but you dont want a dog thats to clever for its own good

like slowing down to early before a wall or a fence when

were nearly about to catch,

or a dog that is that fast that gets injured all the time.

 

but yes definatley skill got to be for me.

 

lofti.

[Guest dances]

IM PRETTY LUCKY, MY BITCH RUNS IT TILL IT HITS THE HEDGE THEN CATCHES IT

[Guest mickyrichardson]

I have worked and owned a few different breeds of lurcher through the years, some have been real speed machines but some of these speed machines do unfortunatley get injured and banged up because of the drive in them i have also owned and worked lurchers that arent what you would call a fast dog but what they may lack in speed they make up in there skills i.e learning what move there quarries gona make before it makes it,trotting down the beam to there quarry and using there stealth to ways to help them catch there quarry, just wandering what people like to favour

i like a dog which uses brain when running as i like a dog only to run the speed it needs to i hate seeing dogs over shooting on the quarry