Norfolk Lurcher

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Swirlymurphy

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Does anyone have a Norfolk Lurcher? Can you tell me a bit about the breed?

We've always had DH crosses but I'm interested in these.

Many thanks
 
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Alec Swan

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Swirlymurphy, and just to clarify things. Traditionally those lurchers bred in Norfolk were a first cross Smithfield Cattle dog and a Greyhound. The Smithfield no longer exists, but when the did they were the dogs which were used by the drovers who walked cattle to Smithfield market with the journey sometimes taking weeks. The Smithfield dog put to a Greyhound bitch was generally considered to be the better option. The Smithfield was a 'type' and not a specific breed and they looked nothing like our Sheepdogs of today. The resultant Smithfield x Greyhound generally wasn't good enough to catch a hare, though rabbits they'd manage, and their main use was in driving both rabbits and hares in to nets. Many people kept them and by and large, for one reason. The Warreners who abounded in Norfolk always had them and they would pay for their keep, handsomely.

The apparent classification of Lurchers and so called Long-dogs were the work of those who wrote entertaining books in the 70s and 80s. Those who wrote rarely if ever had the faintest idea what they were on about! The Lurcher is bred, hopefully by judicious breeding but so many different breeds which can be used to create a litter of pups, it really is a nonsense to describe any of them one way, or another. We can call them Lurchers or Long-dogs, it really doesn't matter, because they are one and the same thing.

I hope that helps! :)

Alec.
 
Chiffy

Chiffy

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Yes Alec, but 'back in the day' weren't lurchers also poachers dogs combining the speed of a sighthound with the intelligence of a working dog, probably Collie?
I know when we researched them and bought our first one some 40 years ago they were mostly in Norfolk or Lambourn and most pet owners had never heard of them.
These days anything with a touch of running dog in it is termed a lurcher.
 
twiggy2

twiggy2

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Norfolk lurcher did traditionally have long/rough coats, but the original lurcher was always long coated as that was thought to disguise the athletic body that was capable of use when poaching.
A lurcher should be a minimum of 50% running dog and the rest can now be any breed but again traditionally it was working dog. A long dog is 100% running dog of 2 or more breeds.
If you go to some lurcher shows you will see dogs that resemble the Norfolk lurcher, one well establish breeder that breeds these to show is Pat Flatman but I believe hers are never worked, I dont think they are raced either but I could be wrong.
 
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