Lurchers - tell me all about them!

[[59851]]

After years of having terriers and collies before that I have pretty much decided my next dog will be a lurcher. The ones I have come across seem to have lovely temprements and a calm nature. I would like the smaller Bedlington/whippet type. Do they have many health problems to be aware of? Any traits to know about. The more I meet the more I like them!

 

[Faro]

Lovely, lovely dogs - that goes for all lurchers, but in particular the Beddlingon/Whippet type (but then again I'm completely biased, because my Ronniedog is - yes, a Beddy/Whippet!). Ron shows the terrier side more than the whippet, but is a typical lurcher in that he's happy to sleep all day, as long as he has his chance to let off steam every day - which usually involves 20 minutes or so of major zoomies up at the farm, while I'm doing the horses, before settling down to walkies. He doesn't bark very often, is easy to keep, easy to feed, and extremely friendly temperament. Perfectly trainable, although not the sharpest tool in the box!

Some lurchers you will find simply can't go off lead, as their recall is non-existent. I'm lucky with Ron in that his recall is okay most of the time (just occasionally when he spots something interesting he becomes selectively deaf) so he rarely goes ON the lead (except near roads etc.). Lurchers aren't always great with cats either, as their chase instinct is very strong. Ronnie lives with 2 cats - and I trust him with my two (only because he was so young when we got him) - but I still wouldn't trust him with anyone else's cat.

For us the lurcher is the perfect dog - and god forbid, if anything ever happened to Ron, I would look for a Beddy/Whippet cross again.

 

[BigRed]

Make sure you get one as a puppy, so you can teach it proper recall skills. You won't stop it hunting, but there is no reason why any running dog shouldn't be able to go off the lead. Mine all do. I have a small lurcher. She is a busy little thing when she goes for a walk, but otherwise the 50% whippet part sleeps all day.

 

[Hedwards]

I absolutely love lurchers! and my Suzy has been the best decision I ever made! she is of unknown parentage but definitely some Saluki/Greyhound/Whippet in there, and maybe some collie...She will walk for hours, but when not walking spends the rest of her time roaching in her bed or on the sofa. very laid back, calm and incredibly loyal and loving!

She was a rescue, and was approx 18mo - 2yrs old when i got her, had basic training she would sit and give paw, lie down, and was house trained (after a stint in a foster home) however her recall was bloomin awful, and she had been mistreated in the past, so worries if i get the mop out, or anything like a broom (assume someone hit her at some point )

It took some time, but she is now fab, and off lead whenever its safe to do! She has some chase instinct, but is actually more interesting in playing with Millie my JRT than chasing anything, and on the odd occasion she has flushed a bird/squirrel etc. she has gone after them, but comes back on call. So definitely DONT discount an older rescue! (GRWE are absolutely fab and i would highly recommend them!)

Food wasnt the way to keep her interesting in training, and i think this is common with sight hounds. I spent many many evenings working on her recall, and would run jump, whoop and on odd occasions sing at the top of my voice (Born in the USA seemed the song to work the best) to get her attention, also lying on my back kicking my legs in the air... it didnt actually take long for her to get the idea, and just needed consistent training for it to end up with me being able to just call her name. I will admit, if she is absolutely hooning around she can ignore me, but on the whole she is absolutely great off lead!

I would have another lurcher tomorrow and like you have my heart set on a beddylurcher or similar for my next doglet!

 

[lizziebell]

Have a look at the Scrupples Whippet Rescue, they have some lovely small whippets and whippet Crosses desperately looking for homes.

 

[amy_b]

They have a self important view on life I found!! they might do what you want, if you're lucky they might even consider whether they want to or not but on most occasions they will carry on doing what they were doing in the first place!
My mum has one who is 18 months and I cant lie, I am only just warming to her...!!
She is so stubborn!!!!! and sneaky!!!! we have a complete personality clash whereas my mum thinks she is hilarious
We tend to keep out of each others way....

ETA - my mums dogs recall is really good, if there is nothing else more interesting to do...which there usually is!!!!!
also, they seem to cope with lots of exercise but not NEED alot of exercise which is one of the few things I like about lurchers/greyhounds etc

 

[Crackedhalo]

I have Six of them, Whippet/greys and bull/greys. They are amazing and addictive, We show and race ours and they love it. They are full of energy but very lazy, They will eat anything in sight which is not for them - counter surfing!!- but turn their noses up at dog food, lol. Brilliant dogs, Can't say i've ever come across a health problem specific to them. They are perfectly trainable, recall is spot on. They will chase but most dogs will!
couldn't recommend them enough!!

 

[Cluny]

I've had five lurchers (all rescues) and as a previous poster said, they are totally addictive. They are wonderful dogs to have, very affectionate, wonderful to watch run and just beautiful. I prefer saluki lurchers which are not the easiest ( think selective deafness) but my friend has Beddy lurchers and they are lovely!

 

[CAYLA]

Make sure you get one as a puppy, so you can teach it proper recall skills. You won't stop it hunting, but there is no reason why any running dog shouldn't be able to go off the lead. Mine all do. I have a small lurcher. She is a busy little thing when she goes for a walk, but otherwise the 50% whippet part sleeps all day.

I would actually go so far as to say they are a breeze to train, of all the dogs I work with and recall issues, lurchers are a breeze, even the greyhounds.
I have never had a lurcher since a pup (all adult rescue) and have had ones used for hunting previous to owning them and racing. I also have cats.
I have never come to think of it ever experience hardship with recall and lurcher/sight hounds but indeed as suggested they are a sight hound and a natural hunter in most cases.

OP, there are many different crosses, I currently have whip x grey & bully x grey & bedlington x grey x collie x deerhound type.
Had saluki x whippey & saluki x grey a deerhound and a deerhound x collie x greyhound (all died now)
I do love the shaggies and I love my whippets and whippet x greys especially.
I dont actually like bedlingtons as a bred but as part lurcher I dont mind

Have a look on lurcher link

 

[cremedemonthe]

I've had 2, first one was Whippet (dad) x JRT(mum) and was the size of a regular whippet, she used to play with my friend's whippet and everyone thought she was an ordinary whippet but a little heavier. She was a lovely girl but we lost her to cancer 2 years ago, now we have Daisy, a Saluki x Whippet who is a real character, never stops playing or running and drives my staffy x lab to distraction as he can't catch her, neither can our JRT!
She broke her femur first few months we had her, so £3,000 later and a trip to Fitzpatricks in Godalming she now has a plate, pin and a rod in her leg she's as good as new and runs for England.
You'll love having a Lurcher, they are a worry when they run full pelt though!
If you get a youngster, don't allow them to run full tilt until about 2 years old, their bones/joints are not strong enough to take the strain as we found out.

 

[Clodagh]

I have a saluki x rescue lurcher and she is fantastic. She is a real hunter, and free ranges on our farm but does come when she is called, as long as she isn't actually running.
She is very cat like, wants affection when it suits her, always finds the most comfy spot and hates water, unless she has had a good run and is hot when she gets in the pond. And will then dry off on the B&B sheets if given a chance. She is sneaky, manipulative and steals anything lying around. (We have chickens and she takes the eggs and buries them). She doesn't steal off the table, luckily.
I would have another like a shot but OH says never.... we shall see.

 

[splashgirl45]

i have a whippet/bearded collie/bedlington and you couldnt find a gentler dog with people and other dogs....she has a fabulous temperament BUT has quite a high prey drive and i have to be very alert on our walks so i can recall her before she starts to chase anything. she is usually off lead most of the time but at the moment im having to keep her on the lead when i go past the rape fields as she cant resist hunting through them ( i lost her for 3 hours recently and i was a little stressed!!)

 

[paisley]

I have a whippet collie cross, calm, cheery, brilliant with other dogs, house trained from 12 weeks, good to leave on his own.

Yes, I had to really focus on his recall, but if a clueless numpty like me can manage it, anyone can! You will learn to spot rabbits from far far away and the ' chase me, chase me! ' style sprint to get attention. And hiding in bushes so they panic and come and find you. It helps if you live in a remote area so no-one can see you do this

He has never thieved food or trashed anything other than the ' Cushiongate' incident.
He does get cuts and scrapes very easily, but they are much tougher than they look. I have the highest insurance I can afford, plus lots of bandages and Savlon spray

You should also know that buying a dog bed is probably a waste of time. Just make sure you have a big sofa

 

[[59851]]

Thanks for all your replies. I really do want a lurcher as my next dog now!! The stubborn sneakiness I will love, I already have a stubborn, sneaky, selectively deaf gobs!te terrier with a mega hunting/chasing instinct, but would like a quieter breed as my next dog!! I think I can cope with a lurcher after having collies (need too much excercise) and boxers (manic zebedee dogs!) And JRT's (meerkats on speed) In the past. Sounds like a lurcher will fit our lifestyle very well indeed.

I love the beddy crosses, they do seem to have alot of character, and the saluki/whippet mix is just beautiful. I have my heart set on a fawnie stripey one or a slate bluey grey with white bits - I'm sure there is a correct term for those colours!!

 

[TarrSteps]

They must be addictive - almost every pointy dog person I know has multiples! (Mine are on the 'puppy' thread.)

Because they are all crosses it's hard to generalise but sighthounds definitely bring specific traits to the party. I don't think I'd have anything else now.

Because our older dog was my first sighthound (I've had dogs all my life, including some difficult ones but am a big believer in expert opinions) and my OH's first dog ever, and we have a cat, I was really clear with the rescue - Greyhound Gap - about what we needed in a dog. Stan was exactly as trailed, although grew significantly larger than predicted. (I now know this is a common delusion for rescues! ) So if you have any 'special needs' - cat friendly or whatever - be clear and they'll help you out. By the same token, our younger dog needed a special home herself and when we started to think about a second dog they were very keen for us to take her, mostly, I suspect, because they knew the other dog is so chilled. My experience of the lurcher rescues is they are very keen to make the right match and educate people on how the sighthounds operate.

They are in many ways very 'horsey' - more a horse cross cat than a dog.

All that said, a friend of mine, very experienced with pointy dogs, is being driven to distraction by her year old whippet x bedlington! He's hugely energetic and constantly looking for a way out of the yard etc. They do seem to have particularly maddening teenage stages - I would cheerfully have given mine away some days!

 

[Bosworth]

What???????? not photos???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poppy the gorgeous bedlington whippet. A lovely lovely girl, sadly when my ex and i split he kept her. Wonderful, loving, stubborn, fun, aloof, friendly, fantastic at cuddles and so fast she was awesome. Wonderful wonderful dogs, 17 inches to the shoulder so small enough to cuddle up with, but big enough to be a 'proper' dog. she will run for hours, or sleep for 24/7. In fact what ever you want to do, she will do. Easy to have around and a wonderful friend.

 

[cremedemonthe]

Saluki x Whippet

 

[PolarSkye]

Best. Dogs. Ever.

They are affectionate, sofa lounging, kitchen counter-surfing fluff monsters. They do like their creature comforts and prefer something soft and warm to sleep on - ours never, ever lay down on anything hard and could be relied upon to choose the warmest place in the house to doze . . . often a patch of sunshine. Most have a high prey drive and it's best to be careful around small furries . . . and some are never reliable wrt recall when off the lead. They can be off putting to other dogs b/c they tend to be rather vocal and mouthy in the way they play - not to mention their speed and exuberance, but judicious muzzling (if needed) can make walks incident free.

I'd have another one in a heartbeat - but I'm only allowed two dogs so I'll have to wait a while or husband will divorce me .

P

 

[Hedwards]

Oh well if we're posting photos....

Suzy Skinny Dog...

However, be aware, a muddy puddle is a favouite place for a lurchery dog to cool down....

 

[Faro]

My Beddy/Whippet - Ron

 

[Jesstickle]

Best dogs in the world. I've had mine for 16 years, he's never so much looked the wrong way at a person, child or other dog. He doesn't chase the cat and he sleeps 23 hours a day and always has done.

The only down sides to him are that he is a terrible thief and that he likes to chase and kill rabbits. Neither is particularly unforgivable by my books and he is doted on by everyone who meets him. Even people who are usually frightened of dogs love Duff.

I love hounds and I'd never have anything else now.

As you can see, he isn't beautiful on the outside and he is old and smelly now too but I wouldn't change him for all the money in the world.

 

[Alec Swan]

What???????? not photos???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

.......

Bosworth, I hope that in my cropping of your post, I haven't wrecked the pic, we'll see!! If it works, that's a lovely head, and an ideal bitch to put to a small greyhound dog. The better way round, were that pic of a dog, would be to put him to a small greyhound bitch. The speed, ideally, should be underneath.

Lurchers? as with all dogs, it's often a mistake to generalise, BUT! in my experience, the girls tend to be a little more amenable than the boys. I've known and owned one or two excellent males, which made excellent companions, but generally the ladies come out as to be preferred. Mine have never really had a great deal to do with strangers, and tend to be a little more reserved, upon first meetings.

Another observation, for the aspiring owner, the pure bred coursing dogs, when put together, and from some of the more scatterbrained breeds can often produce dogs with a death wish. Dogs with no sense of self preservation are a liability, so be sure that they're insured! I've seen some appalling accidents, and perhaps by chance, but all so many seem to involve Salukis or their crossbred offspring!

Were I to be stuck on a desert island, and allowed only one dog, it'd be a tidy little lurcher bitch standing at about 22"-24". One such as yours would do. Heaven!! I'm sorry that you had to leave your girl behind. I'm giving some serious thought to breeding a litter of puppies, when and if I do, then I'll bear you in mind!

Alec.

ETS, and having just read jesstickle's post, another observation, if you have a lurcher, which isn't a thief, then there's something wrong with it!! It isn't a proper dog!! a.

 

[Clodagh]

My OH says you can take the dog out of the p***y camp but you can't take the p***y out of the dog!
My saluki x has cost me a fortune on vets bills, the worst one with the first muntjak she caught nearly took her hindleg off, but mainly its just stitches. She has broken a few toes and done legs too but we didn't bother the vet for those.
Shes 23" which I think is ideal, fast and nippy. She is hopeless on rabbits though, unless they have mixy.

 

[Bosworth]

Alec, should you decide to breed, i would love love love another gorgeous first cross beddy whippet bitch. Please please bear me in mind should you decide to breed, I would travel for miles to get her. I am so hoping my ex decides to work abroad and can not have poppy,although I suspect I would be the last person he would let have her, or that she goes missing as I know she is still wearing my name tag and her microchip is still in my name Me and Floddy really do miss her so much, despite her need to take over the bed, the seat, the room, any food around........ and her ability to run as fast as the wind but still come back the second she was called

 

[lilly1]

I have a lurcher. Not sure what cross but she is likely to be a greyhound x collie with maybe a touch of deerhound in there somewhere. She’s a lovely dog but at 9 is only just beginning to show signs of slowing down! I got her as a 2yo and she was and still is mad. She has a lovely nature but does have quite a high opinion of herself and likes her creature comforts. She is very loyal though and has never tired to bog off. I’d describe her as the ultimate all terrain dog as she loves life and will throw her self into anything. She loves to fetch and adores the beach. This does have its drawbacks however as being fast and thin skinned has brought its fair share of injuries and vet bills. In fact I’m surprised she is still with us the amount of accidents she has had.

This is her

 

[Lacuna]

Sorry, no photos on this laptop but we had a lurcher - whippie/greyhound who was just like an oversized muscly whippet, with possibly a splash of terrier.

Random things he taught me were:

Always make sure the sofa is big enough, lurchers need at least half as much space again as you think as they tend to uncurl as they sleep and the legs telescope out.

pointy noses can reach further than you think onto counters, tables, coffee mugs, etc.

No matter how cooped up we've been, walks will not happen in heavy rain, wind, snow unless the correct wardrobe is provided.

(maybe not specifically lurcher) greetings involve head burying behaviour in laps and armpits, expecially if you're wearing something fuzzy.

Even small lurchers can't fit easily onto laps, bony elbows hurt!

Tooth chattering and even whole body vibration can occur when very excited.

There's nothing more beautiful than watching them run through a young tree plantation at top speed like its a slalem course.

 

[splashgirl45]

oh well if piccies are compulsery

oops got carried away...

 

[Burmilla]

I have had GSD's for the last 24 years, losing the second one at 13 years old and still very lively, to acute liver failure in March this year. By a long winded route I fetched up with an 8year old rescue long dog: a whippet x greyhound about two months ago. She is just wonderful! Good recall, learns quickly the commands necessary for safety - wait, come, away (the last for riding out with me in the fields and commons, as she tends to get too close and run along under the horse's belly) and a general charmer to all humans, dogs, cats, rabbits. She will go for miles - or not, sleeps 23/7 if she was allowed, is a clever shop lifter if in the feed store - animal or human, and very stubborn about going back home - or not, depending on her mood. She has filled the dog shaped hole in my life with hope and enjoyment, which I had thought would only happen with another GSD.

 

[Jesstickle]

Sorry, no photos on this laptop but we had a lurcher - whippie/greyhound who was just like an oversized muscly whippet, with possibly a splash of terrier.

Random things he taught me were:

Always make sure the sofa is big enough, lurchers need at least half as much space again as you think as they tend to uncurl as they sleep and the legs telescope out.

pointy noses can reach further than you think onto counters, tables, coffee mugs, etc.

No matter how cooped up we've been, walks will not happen in heavy rain, wind, snow unless the correct wardrobe is provided.

(maybe not specifically lurcher) greetings involve head burying behaviour in laps and armpits, expecially if you're wearing something fuzzy.

Even small lurchers can't fit easily onto laps, bony elbows hurt!

Tooth chattering and even whole body vibration can occur when very excited.

There's nothing more beautiful than watching them run through a young tree plantation at top speed like its a slalem course.

That pretty much sums mine up. Funny little dogs

 

[TarrSteps]

Beware the Extra-Large Lurchers, though . . .