Hello all! Saluki x question

[exmonkey]

Hi - first time posting

I have an 18month old Saluki x Collie- Teddy. He's classic Saluki Lurcher (in that his recall is good right up until it isn't - and he's the fastest dog I've ever seen).

Someone has offered us a 6month old Saluki x whippet, and I' considering it as I think that Teddy would enjoy a like-minded friend. They've met before and Teddy loves running with him (as he does with pretty much any dog who can keep up)

Am I anthropomorphizing or is this a good idea?

Any advice gratefully received.

 

[twiggy2]

Your alright until 2 of them have no real and go off hunting.
As a lurcher owner I would not have 2 at the same time.

 

[Cortez]

What a beautiful dog (pic). I find that sighthounds love being with like-minded friends and have some pretty thrilling zoomies together, they can be great partners in crime too....

 

[planete]

Go for it. I have three saluki crosses! As you already have one you probably know all about the possible pitfalls. However bear in mind that two dogs loose together tend to ignore their owner even more than when single and can take great delight in ganging up to get up to no good. The solution then is to only let one off leash at a time unless in a very safe environment and to train separately to ensure they remain sufficiently bonded with you instead of just each other.

 

[exmonkey]

I do worry that his behaviour will deteriorate with the influence of another like minded nutter.

Hopefully the secret weapon I found for teddy (pocket full of cheese lumps) will help...

 

[{97702}]

God rather you than me, and I’ve had sight hounds for 30 years 😂😂

I know you know this already, but they will take every opportunity to p*ss off into the wild blue yonder together..... I would never have 2 lurchers, unless it was like my current set-up where one is 11 years old and slightly (just slightly!) more sensible 😊

 

[Blazingsaddles]

I used to have four lurchers. When they were young & I was younger😉 I used to run them together. They would recall on the whistle & even though they would take off together after something I was confident in their lack of coursing abilities😀 The most they ever caught was mixi bunnies!
ETA. Strangely the Saluki x was my best dog & her recall was second to none, the wherriers took a bit longer😀

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Food means nothing if two like minded dogs go off together. Believe me, several hours of trawling (crawling! I was just recovering from a little accident I had) woods in the middle of the night was some of the least fun I've ever had. Planet has it, one off at a time unless it's a secure area.

 

[pippixox]

Although I know plenty of people stick to the same breeds, I do find my two different breeds work well by having different personalities and priorities. They do play and run together but being a lab and a collie they don’t go off coursing together. However,... it does mean sometimes they go in the opposite directions to each other 😜

However .... any excuse to give a home to a lovely looking dog and I would say go for it. Just with caution as I think 18months-2 years they often hit a teen age where they start pushing boundaries more. So it may be a tricky age combo at times!

 

[Leo Walker]

I had my oldest whippet on his own until he was 18months but I've always had 2 since then. They really do seem to need another dog the same sort of speed to run with. I wouldnt have 1 on its own again by choice, so I say go for it

 

[Annette4]

Having a 17 month old Saluki x whippet I’d say don’t do it

 

[{97702}]

I had my oldest whippet on his own until he was 18months but I've always had 2 since then. They really do seem to need another dog the same sort of speed to run with. I wouldnt have 1 on its own again by choice, so I say go for it

Wow - I've had 2 or more since 1998 and I would say the last thing they need is another dog the same sort of speed to run with lol Once I moved from one whippet to two, I discovered the joys of disappearing sight hounds

 

[Equi]

Im always fascinated by how much influence a sight hound can put into a mixed offspring, they are literally spotable a mile off.

I'm of the mind, if you are happy as you are don't change it. But im also very bad at saying no to a new animal...

 

[planete]

Every day I think my saluki crosses are awesome. They are probably not for everyone but, providing you do not expect to manage them as if they were a more mellow type, their beauty, goofiness and people loving abilities more than make up for their sometimes insane prey drive for me. Just learn to manage them and give them outlets for their high energy.

 

[exmonkey]

Properly mixed opinions here!

 

[Leo Walker]

Wow - I've had 2 or more since 1998 and I would say the last thing they need is another dog the same sort of speed to run with lol Once I moved from one whippet to two, I discovered the joys of disappearing sight hounds

Mine dont disappear. Their recall is good and we dont let them off anywhere that they might be tempted to sod off. I actually found the younger dog took his cues from the older one and came back with him. When Dylan was on his own his was always wanting to play with other dogs, once we got Floyd they play together. It means Dylans separation anxiety is slighly better as well as he has company who is totally chilled. That can back fire though and you end up with 2 dogs that hate being alone, but we were really careful how we did it and its worked out brilliantly.

 

[{97702}]

Properly mixed opinions here!

If I were in your position I would probably go for it, because I can’t resist a sweet face - that’s why I’ve ended up with 4 and am planning my 5th! 😛 so I don’t even take my own advice 😂

 

[Annette4]

Properly mixed opinions here!

I do say don’t do it mostly in jest. I’m having major over arousal, lack of recall and general teenage issues at the moment BUT he is a wonderful, sweet dog. Fizz likes having a friend even if she does loose patience with him sometimes she loves having a friend to bitey face with and when we are somewhere safe she has someone to run with. He’s the most difficult dog I’ve ever had but certainly not a difficult dog and I’m confident he’ll mature to be a lovely dog I just wish this part would hurry up and be over with

 

[{97702}]

I do say don’t do it mostly in jest. I’m having major over arousal, lack of recall and general teenage issues at the moment BUT he is a wonderful, sweet dog. Fizz likes having a friend even if she does loose patience with him sometimes she loves having a friend to bitey face with and when we are somewhere safe she has someone to run with. He’s the most difficult dog I’ve ever had but certainly not a difficult dog and I’m confident he’ll mature to be a lovely dog I just wish this part would hurry up and be over with

I hate to say it but you’ve got a while yet - Millie is 3 and is showing no signs of maturity 😂

 

[Annette4]

I hate to say it but you’ve got a while yet - Millie is 3 and is showing no signs of maturity 😂

I have no doubt but if I can at least channel it into concentration and coming back at Flyball I’ll be happy 😂

 

[{97702}]

I have no doubt but if I can at least channel it into concentration and coming back at Flyball I’ll be happy 😂

Lol I like your style 😊😊 we are going the canicross route - my running aim is no longer to lose weight or get fitter, it’s to tire Millie out every day 😛

 

[exmonkey]

We decided to adopt the second dog :s picking up on a couple of weeks after our hols.
We took the two of them out yesterday and they got on really well. Recall was actually ok (the little followed my boy)
Cheese is my secret weapon. Teddy will eat anything, but he'll come back for cheese.

 

[Clodagh]

I think your decision was inevitable! I loved my saluki whippety thing, she was very faithful and loving...unless she hads a better offer. We used to do B&B here and one day she climbed in the window and slept on the guests bed while they were out. I thought it was really funny - they didn't!

 

[exmonkey]

Update for you: We now have Charlie - he's settling in well, although the two of them spend a lot of time rough playing.

They are *loving* running together.

Remarkably, despite being 7 months old, Charlie's recall is damn near perfect. He puts Teddy's to shame. Also very affectionate.
He does have some fear/aggression issues if Teddy tries to take one of his toys, but I guess it could be worse.
All the other normal Saluki lurcher behaviours are there - food stealing, chasing furry things, stealing the sofa.

 

[Leo Walker]

They are definitely happier in a pair!

 

[splashgirl45]

lovely dogs, you are braver than me. we have quite alot of deer round us and my lurcher used to keep disappearing with my collie cross in hot pursuit, as the collie cross couldnt keep up she used to come back after about 5 minutes, the lurcher could be back anywhere between 1 and 3 hours. i dread to think how long she would have been gone if she had a lurcher friend to run with...i still would love another lurcher but as my last one was so prey driven i got a small terrier cross as my next dog...and so far he is not prey driven just loves other dogs..much easier to manage...

 

[{97702}]

Update for you: We now have Charlie - he's settling in well, although the two of them spend a lot of time rough playing.

They are *loving* running together.

Remarkably, despite being 7 months old, Charlie's recall is damn near perfect. He puts Teddy's to shame. Also very affectionate.
He does have some fear/aggression issues if Teddy tries to take one of his toys, but I guess it could be worse.
All the other normal Saluki lurcher behaviours are there - food stealing, chasing furry things, stealing the sofa.

I agree with SplashGirl - you are very brave 😆 - enjoy the perfect recall because in my experience it doesn’t last, although I’d love it if you proved me wrong ❤️❤️❤️

 

[exmonkey]

I also invested in a tracker for the both of them!

 

[{97702}]

I also invested in a tracker for the both of them!

That’s a great idea - they are gorgeous, I can see why you couldn’t resist 😊