Saluki puppy or no puppy update

Nudibranch

Nudibranch

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Well, being still undecided about an adult or puppy companion for my dog-wary dachshund, I may have had matters taken out of my hands! I placed an ad on a website and was contacted by a very nice man who needs to rehome a 14 month old bitch. She meets all the criteria except for being unspayed but that's easily fixed. What's more she is free to the right home. I'm going to meet her next Sunday, she is a stunning dog and sounds like the right temperament and upbringing...fingers crossed!
 
I love salukis (other than their stubbornness and their poor recall at times) and have had 3. They are lovely calm dogs and your dog should do fine, as long as he is ok with dogs that are significantly bigger than him - some can stand 28 inches at the shoulder
 
Sometimes everything just falls into place and was meant to happen - I hope Sunday goes well and you add a new member to your family :)
 
I had to look after my bil's puppy for two weeks before he could have him. One of mine is massively DA but within a week, he was playing with him and letting him sleep with him. Fingers crossed that your daxie is the same!
 
OK....devil's advocate here! :) Apart from the size difference (I believe your dachsie is a mini??), there is also the difference in exercise requirements. A 14 month old bitch is nowhere near being a mature adult and is likely to be very puppyish in her behaviour and play requirements..........is your six year old dog-wary boy going to cope without having a go at her and maybe, just maybe, causing her issues??

Also, places that you may walk your dachsie currently may be unsuited for a sighthound - again, the extent (or lack!) of the recall won't be fully known until the bitch is fully mature, so you need to bear in mind that what you have now is not what you may end up with!! :)

Finally, whilst your dog may accord a 14 month old pup puppy licence at the moment, is he likely to carry that over when she matures? Only you can answer that one; I've known people introduce pups to dog wary individuals and it has been a great success for the rest of their respective lives; however, I've also known two where the pup was tolerated, but when it matured, problems arose which resulted in one person putting the original dog down and in the other instance the new incomer was rehomed.

Just some things to bear in mind and I hope it works out for you and your boy! Good luck.
 
Lévrier;12519242 said:
The only salukis I have known personally treated the whippets they were walked with as rabbits.....
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That is another thing to take into account - mine take great delight in playing chase with other dogs. Would the mini daxi cope with this? They can give a 'greyhound nip' on catching which could upset yours...
 
I am afraid I am another who doesn't necessarily think that a young saluki will make an appropriate companion for your dog-shy Dachsie. Lurchers/sighthounds can be an acquired taste for other dogs - they don't play like other dogs . . . are more "mouthy" and quite full-on and other breeds can misconstrue their behaviour and react accordingly.

Personally, I would hold off getting another dog until your lovely boy has passed away . . . I just don't think it's fair to introduce another dog to him when he's made it perfectly plain that he's not crazy about other dogs (for whatever reason). I speak from experience . . . some dogs are better off as only dogs. Also, my perfect, laid-back, easy-going, gentle girl Daisy doesn't like lurchers . . . and she likes EVERY other dog she has ever met, which is why she is such a perfect companion to our other (very neurotic, troubled, worried) dog, Fred. When he "explodes" because it's raining, or there are fireworks, or the washing machine is running, or someone walked past the front window, or there is an R in the month, she knows just how to react (or not) . . . but she really finds the way lurchers chase and play hard to deal with - she doesn't react, she just doesn't like it and won't engage with them.

Your little mini is the incumbent dog . . . his needs come first.

Sorry for being so forthright :(.

P
 
I don't have any sighthound experience, but if what the others are saying is true, would it be worth taking your dog to meet her and see how they get on? That might give you a better idea of if it would work or not.
 
gunnergundog said:
OK....devil's advocate here! :) Apart from the size difference (I believe your dachsie is a mini??), there is also the difference in exercise requirements. A 14 month old bitch is nowhere near being a mature adult and is likely to be very puppyish in her behaviour and play requirements..........is your six year old dog-wary boy going to cope without having a go at her and maybe, just maybe, causing her issues??

Also, places that you may walk your dachsie currently may be unsuited for a sighthound - again, the extent (or lack!) of the recall won't be fully known until the bitch is fully mature, so you need to bear in mind that what you have now is not what you may end up with!! :)

Finally, whilst your dog may accord a 14 month old pup puppy licence at the moment, is he likely to carry that over when she matures? Only you can answer that one; I've known people introduce pups to dog wary individuals and it has been a great success for the rest of their respective lives; however, I've also known two where the pup was tolerated, but when it matured, problems arose which resulted in one person putting the original dog down and in the other instance the new incomer was rehomed.

Just some things to bear in mind and I hope it works out for you and your boy! Good luck.
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As some one with a working bred whippet who was generally considered to be a nightmare when he was an adolescent, I wouldnt take on a saluki if it came gift wrapped in winning lottery tickets! I have grown up with dogs and have never in all my life had a dog as difficult as mine was! We are fine now, better than fine in fact. Hes my dog of a lifetime, but I have had to change pretty mch eveery aspect of my life to accomodate his needs. Mine is also very dog friendly and lives with a cat but NO WAY would I keep him with a dog that small

The move quickly and play hard. No malice but much rougher than other dogs I've had. Mine would mean no harm at all but he would def rough up a little dashound, and no way are the exercise requirements the same.

I've been talking to a friend tonight laughing about how mine are couch potatoes now. But those couch potatoes run 5k 3 times a week and get a lot off off lead running the rest of the time as well as all sorts of mental stimulation. Previously when they were fit we clocked up 50 miles plus a week over the N.Yorks moors. We used to go out on a weekend for 5 hours or so and clock up 15 miles in one walk and they still came home full of running.

Salukis are like little whippety lurchers on crack!
 
FrankieCob said:
As some one with a working bred whippet who was generally considered to be a nightmare when he was an adolescent, I wouldnt take on a saluki if it came gift wrapped in winning lottery tickets! I have grown up with dogs and have never in all my life had a dog as difficult as mine was! We are fine now, better than fine in fact. Hes my dog of a lifetime, but I have had to change pretty mch eveery aspect of my life to accomodate his needs. Mine is also very dog friendly and lives with a cat but NO WAY would I keep him with a dog that small

The move quickly and play hard. No malice but much rougher than other dogs I've had. Mine would mean no harm at all but he would def rough up a little dashound, and no way are the exercise requirements the same.

I've been talking to a friend tonight laughing about how mine are couch potatoes now. But those couch potatoes run 5k 3 times a week and get a lot off off lead running the rest of the time as well as all sorts of mental stimulation. Previously when they were fit we clocked up 50 miles plus a week over the N.Yorks moors. We used to go out on a weekend for 5 hours or so and clock up 15 miles in one walk and they still came home full of running.

Salukis are like little whippety lurchers on crack!
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This is very accurate as are all the other comments about Salukis and sight hounds in general.
I have this, mad whippety x saluki lurchery thing.
Daisysnoozing.jpg
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She plays very rough, likes to "mouth" her catches (our other dogs and other peoples little fluffy dogs if I don't watch her), she loudly grumbles/encourages them to run when she's laid in wait and pounced on them,they can't outrun her to escape which makes the game of torment even more fun for her. It's all fun in her eyes and no malice but to the non sight hound owner it looks like she's attacking everything in sight.
Her recall up until the age of 3 was very hit and miss despite lots of practice and training. Sight hounds in general can be a handful and the comment Salukis are like little whippety lurchers on crack is a very good description!
I have both in one dog!
If you have any doubts about their running and hunting abilities watch this,they have tremendous stamina, can run all day, like to go off and hunt on their own and if chasing something NO amount of recall will work until they have finished what they are doing, your little dog would never be able to get away!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U0H4_YK9K8&list=FLtEvGYnQvRQeISklkDCnRtg&index=31
 
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Go for it OP! For some reason a lot of people keep both breeds together. No idea where people get their ideas re Salukis! :( Have just had a good laugh at some of these replies!
 
Irishdan said:
Go for it OP! For some reason a lot of people keep both breeds together. No idea where people get their ideas re Salukis! :( Have just had a good laugh at some of these replies!
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They may keep these breeds/types together but they may also have had them BOTH brought up together and not introduced at a later stage.
These "ideas" as you call it are from experience, so you are saying that all the people who have sight hounds and have experienced this behaviour which is well known for their type and have commented on here are all wrong and are merely "having a laugh"?
 
I'm afraid to say that I'd be firmly in the camp of those who'd advise against inflicting a Saluki of any description upon a dog-wary Dachshund. Whilst the Ladies of the breed would be perhaps less excitable and so a little more amenable, one would have to question why this particular animal is 'free to a good home'. How old was the dog when her current owner acquired her? Has he given you a reason for needing to re-home her? If she's the paragon that you describe, why does he want to be rid of her? 'Free to a good home', smacks of desperation, to me.

Your initial reasons for wanting a Dachshund would probably be the complete reversal for wanting a Saluki, unless I'm very much mistaken. As dogs, and by disposition, they tend to be the complete antithesis of each other.

I'm sorry to pour cold water over your idea, but I suspect that you'll be running a huge risk, and that in no time you too will be offering the dog up as 'Free to a good home', and so the progression of the dog moving from one home to another, will follow an all too familiar route.

Alec.

Ets. C-de-m is entirely right in his observations, all of them.
 
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cremedemonthe said:
They may keep these breeds/types together but they may also have had them BOTH brought up together and not introduced at a later stage.
These "ideas" as you call it are from experience, so you are saying that all the people who have sight hounds and have experienced this behaviour which is well known for their type and have commented on here are all wrong and are merely "having a laugh"?
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Its like saying all TBs are neurotic nutters! Salukis are not some wild mythical beasts that cant be tamed lol! We currently have five pure working bred Salukis and have kept Salukis and lurchers for a good many years. Never had a problem with recall or killing small fluffies.
 
Alec Swan said:
I'm afraid to say that I'd be firmly in the camp of those who'd advise against inflicting a Saluki of any description upon a dog-wary Dachshund. Whilst the Ladies of the breed would be perhaps less excitable and so a little more amenable, one would have to question why this particular animal is 'free to a good home'. How old was the dog when her current owner acquired her? Has he given you a reason for needing to re-home her? If she's the paragon that you describe, why does he want to be rid of her? 'Free to a good home', smacks of desperation, to me.

Your initial reasons for wanting a Dachshund would probably be the complete reversal for wanting a Saluki, unless I'm very much mistaken. As dogs, and by disposition, they tend to be the complete antithesis of each other.

I'm sorry to pour cold water over your idea, but I suspect that you'll be running a huge risk, and that in no time you too will be offering the dog up as 'Free to a good home', and so the progression of the dog moving from one home to another, will follow an all too familiar route.

Alec.

Ets. C-de-m is entirely right in his observations, all of them.
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I seem to remember having this Saluki discussion with you before Alec :) I also seem to remember you talked about observing one pure Saluki abroad, once :) Hmmmmmmmmmm
 
You can keep a young saluki and a small cranky dog in the same house as I know. BUT they had to be exercised separately and in no way would I have expected them to keep each other company. In fact the saluki was never left in the same room as my other dogs when unsupervised. He had a huge prey drive and was very assertive, thought it was fun to pounce on small dogs and pin them to the ground and even though there was no malice in him he certainly kept me on my toes more than any other dog I have ever had. He was also extremely clever and thought he could outrun, outfight and outwit anything.
 
And this is not a puppy but a 14 months old adolescent. By this age there will be no puppy licence from other dogs. She will also be mature enough to challenge dogs and humans who disagree with her if she is a confident type and has not been properly trained so far.
 
I tried to bypass all the quiet frankly ridiculous comments regarding sakukis and small dogs but can't salukis certainly can live with small dogs they never have treated whippets as rabbits my whippets and lurcher walk with my friends salukis fine I do wish some would get their facts straight before posting such inane comments about a breed they clearly know nothing about guess what sighthounds aren't serial killers do live with other breeds even toy breeds fine oh and like my 3 whippets and lurcher will live with cats and ferrets and can even run free off the lead shock horror!! They even know the difference between a rabbit and dog who'd have thought it hey? To the op if it were me I'd go for it u know your dog but be expecting to put in time training her and getting her to bond with u that way u can train it to your way of thinking sighthounds can have a great recall but will take off in hot pursuit of whatever takes their fancy so that's something to think about sighthounds are such loving dogs and do not have a bad bone in their body all they ask is for an owner that understands their way of thinking and if u aren't prepared to understand one please don't get one they are such a sensitive breed and need someone that respects that!
 
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Irishdan said:
I seem to remember having this Saluki discussion with you before Alec :) I also seem to remember you talked about observing one pure Saluki abroad, once :) Hmmmmmmmmmm
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I 'once' spent time in the desert with Arabs who had several Salukis, and of desert type and origin. The 'once' extended to about 10 days, from memory. That is not the extent of my experience, with the breed. I have never had a pure-bred animal, and having observed, a great many over the years, and as I've previously stated, they really aren't the dogs for me, so having had several part-breds, I'm ever more convinced.

If others want Salukis, part or pure, that's fine by me, the simple fact is that they would not be MY dog of choice. As a breed, they have their qualities, in that they're distance dogs, and that's because of their desert origin. They are not, in my humble opinion, the dogs for poking about hedgerows or for poaching.

All decent coursing dogs have a degree of independence about them, but with Salukis, that level of independence is not to my liking.

Your sarcasm is misplaced.

Alec.
 
Alec Swan said:
I 'once' spent time in the desert with Arabs who had several Salukis, and of desert type and origin. The 'once' extended to about 10 days, from memory. That is not the extent of my experience, with the breed. I have never had a pure-bred animal, and having observed, a great many over the years, and as I've previously stated, they really aren't the dogs for me, so having had several part-breds, I'm ever more convinced.

If others want Salukis, part or pure, that's fine by me, the simple fact is that they would not be MY dog of choice. As a breed, they have their qualities, in that they're distance dogs, and that's because of their desert origin. They are not, in my humble opinion, the dogs for poking about hedgerows or for poaching.

All decent coursing dogs have a degree of independence about them, but with Salukis, that level of independence is not to my liking.

Your sarcasm is misplaced.

Alec.
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No sarasm intended Alec - it was tongue in cheek, as am well aware of your views on Salukis :)

I honestly dont find any of ours distant or particularly independant dogs at all and all work well along hedgerows and the like - my Bedlington on the other hand :(
 
Totally agree irish dan unless u have lived with sighthounds u really can't comment salukis living with the arabs are very switched on all they do is hunt however dogs in this country tend not to have the same prey drive simply because it's not tapped into seriously they can live peacefully along side small dogs cats and ferrets it's all about how they are brought up!
 
Is that not the issue though, this one is already 14 months as therefore already been brought up to an extent?
 
ester said:
Is that not the issue though, this one is already 14 months as therefore already been brought up to an extent?
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To the extent of what exactly? Sorry but again u are talking rubbish just because a dog has hit a certain age doesn't make it unable to be brought into another household with the right introduction it can work just wish some would see past prey drive lots of sight hounds do not even have one most are 100 mph couch potatoes once they have had a good run and show no interest in anything small or furry!
 
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I have nothing to do with sighthounds so sorry if I'm talking rubbish but I was just summarising what had come across to me from the other posts.

Surely introducing a puppy is very different to introducing an adult dog to one who already has problems. You were the one that said it is all about how they are brought up - which implies child hood not something on the brink of adulthood.
 
sighthoundlover said:
To the extent of what exactly? Sorry but again u are talking rubbish just because a dog has hit a certain age doesn't make it unable to be brought into another household with the right introduction it can work just wish some would see past prey drive lots of sight hounds do not even have one most are 100 mph couch potatoes once they have had a good run and show no interest in anything small or furry!
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I'd also love to see any sighthound out for 5 hrs clocking up 15 miles of running and still want moreseeing as they are bred for short bursts of energy doubt even a border collie would cope with that never mind a sighthound!
 
Lets get one thing straight regarding hounds at 14 months they are still very immature more so than most other breeds but fact remains wether it's a saluki spaniel or staffy each dog should be taken on it's merit she may be the most placid dog going and most will adjust given time and the correct training hardly rocket science one of my whippet puppies lives with a staffy common sense will tell the op wether the dog is right for her
 
sighthoundlover said:
I'd also love to see any sighthound out for 5 hrs clocking up 15 miles of running and still want moreseeing as they are bred for short bursts of energy doubt even a border collie would cope with that never mind a sighthound!
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They went for a 15 mile walk... how is that not feasible? I think it is quite rude to suggest that Frankiecob is lying about what she does with her whippets!
 
Nudibranch said:
Well, being still undecided about an adult or puppy companion for my dog-wary dachshund, I may have had matters taken out of my hands! I placed an ad on a website and was contacted by a very nice man who needs to rehome a 14 month old bitch. She meets all the criteria except for being unspayed but that's easily fixed. What's more she is free to the right home. I'm going to meet her next Sunday, she is a stunning dog and sounds like the right temperament and upbringing...fingers crossed!
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GO FOR IT!!!

Honestly I have just read through some of these comments left by people and my blood is boiling. As with any new dog no matter the breed, introductions to existing dogs/pets should be done carefully. Over the 20+ years of owning ex-racing Greyhounds, Saluki Lurchers and pure Salukis.....all which were/are allowed to hunt rabbits, I never once had an issue regarding them thinking or treating a small dog like it was a rabbit. These are intelligent dogs and with the right training and guidance from their owners they quickly learn what is prey and what is not.
I know lots of Sighthound owners, esp Saluki owners who own Dachshunds too and they get on great. From my experience with the breeds, Dachshunds think of themselves as Salukis and behave very similarly.
My recent experience was bringing a 12 week old mini Dach into my home (along with 4 Maltese Terriers that it lives with) to stay on holiday with my Borzoi x Lurcher, 2 Saluki x Whippets and my Arabian bred Saluki. The Dach immediately attached itself to my Saluki and was her shadow for the period she was here. The following year, I got another Saluki and he was only a few months old when the Dach and her friends came back for another holiday. They all got on great and no issues.....in fact the Dach was the one always chasing after the Salukis.....and yes, they all got to run off lead across wide open beaches and no, no-one thought the wee dog was prey!!!!
Over all the years of owning Sight hounds I have been keeping lots of other breeds for people while they go on holiday etc so my hounds have had Yorkies, min poodles, Lhasas, Maltese, Papillons, Dachshunds, Pomeranians, Westies and all sorts of other wee dogs stay and there has been no issues!
Oh and I have also kept pet Rabbits alongside my Greyhounds that hunted wild Rabbits and I own 6 Ferrets which my dogs can be free to play with in the garden.
Really folks, stop filling peoples heads with these silly comments about Salukis etc based on little or no experience.....they make fantastic dogs and like any, can be trained to a good level - all mine have done Obedience!
I have had my dogs attacked and badly injured a good few times over the years from various dogs, and not one was of these bad dogs was a Sighthound.....go figure!

PS. Have lots of photos of my Salukis etc playing and cuddling into a Dachshund and other very small breeds but don't know how to post them here.
 
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