Lurchers and stalking

[spannulman]

Hi all, i have always been a Spaniel man and, having lost the best hunting companion 18 months ago I am coming round to the idea of another, but I don’t think i want another spaniel.

This might be my last dog from a pup, so i have to choose wisely.

My partner likes the BGS and i do too but what I have a hankering for is a small grey rough coated running dog.

A friend has had a couple of Bedlingtons which seem super intelligent and a bedlington/ whippet cross might be perfect. Small enough for the car and house, smart, biddable? But would a lurcher use its nose much, and be capable of tracking lost deer?
I guess almost any dog is better than none when you lose a beast but can anyone share their experience of having a lurcher as a stalking companion please? Thank you.

I may have to change my username of course….

 

[Klenchblaize]

A Lurcher will track deer without doubt but what you’ll need to watch out for is that he/she doesn’t get there before the bullet! Especially if it has Saluki in it.

K

 

[Klenchblaize]

It’s also a sad fact of rural life that to be seen with anything other than a handbag-sized Lurcher is to court the same disapproving looks as someone dragging an XL Bully around a City Street.

A curly-haired Lurcher the size of a lamb but with the heart of Lion is the way to go if you must have one.

K

 

[Milk no sugar please]

I have a small bedlington whippet bitch who is now just shy of three years old. Smart, fast and brilliant with my toddler. She has a high prey drive and is a natural hunter. Easy enough to teach basic commands and picks up new ideas quickly.

She is excellent squirrel dog and she will also track deer which have run provided the trail isn’t too cold. The first time I took her to a bullet strike site she knew precisely what to do and immediately followed the four hour old trail finding the place where the roe expired in seconds. Since she has followed up a 6h old trail. She has also now been present with me now a few times when I have shot deer and she improves each stalk.

She naturally points and can be steady to game but, if something gets up directly in front of her at speed her natural reaction is to chase and she will do exactly this. You have to be quick on recall to stop her else she really will go.

She has excellent stamina but being lightly built with thin skin she does get cut up badly at times in brambles plus also cold when it’s wet in winter.

I am very pleased with her, I felt like a proud dad the first time we successfully stalked a deer together. Since that first successful stalk she now knows precisely what is expected of her and she improves every time.

She certainly isn’t the perfect deer dog and I wouldn’t get one specifically for the job but, she is an excellent companion and is useful to have around.

 

[VSS]

Hi all, i have always been a Spaniel man and, having lost the best hunting companion 18 months ago I am coming round to the idea of another, but I don’t think i want another spaniel.

This might be my last dog from a pup, so i have to choose wisely.

My partner likes the BGS and i do too but what I have a hankering for is a small grey rough coated running dog.

A friend has had a couple of Bedlingtons which seem super intelligent and a bedlington/ whippet cross might be perfect. Small enough for the car and house, smart, biddable? But would a lurcher use its nose much, and be capable of tracking lost deer?
I guess almost any dog is better than none when you lose a beast but can anyone share their experience of having a lurcher as a stalking companion please? Thank you.

I may have to change my username of course….

Ask @Smellydog

 

[finnbear270]

It is a surprising world in which we live work & hunt , your longdog is no different, I get some weird reactions when I relate tales of my Jack Russell bitch retrieving shot birds

 

[jb1]

It is a surprising world in which we live work & hunt , your longdog is no different, I get some weird reactions when I relate tales of my Jack Russell bitch retrieving shot birds

LOL i have visions of a Jack Russel used for beating on a shoot day at Catton Derbyshire, he was let off the lead on one of the drives and found munching on a pheasant he'd pinned behind a tree. No doubt with the correct training they are no different from many other dogs, but then again its a terrier.

 

[spannulman]

Thanks for the replies chaps, that sounds promising. The main obstacle will be a girlfriend who really dislikes wiry coat dogs.

 

[finnbear270]

Get a smooth coat Teckle!

 

[spannulman]

Get a smooth coat Teckle!

That has occurred to me already. Work is too busy with travel to get a pup at the moment so there’s no rush. Teckels have an appeal, but
I have a hankering for a running dag.

 

[The Woodsman]

Bedlington whippet for sure great wee dogs with great tracking abilitie and more

 

[Rake Aboot]

I’ve a large bedlington whippet cross that will track and follow deer no problem

Only issue is it’s usually flat out and likely to end in a takedown.
Lurchers without prey drive are few and far between , and getting on top of that prey drive is hard work .

 

[The Woodsman]

Very hard work

 

[Smellydog]

.y little beddiwhippet is far from perfect but no way does that berate the breed. My was a rescue dog with issues.
In saying that, she will find shot fox's and deer.

I've only had her on one fallow and she was straight there.
A lovely companion full of character. Very sensitive and obedient. Love rats and squirrels.
I had to train her about the law and hares. She took it well.

 

[The Woodsman]

Young bedy whippets can't be trusted. Hence the lead

 

[John Gryphon]

Quite a tale associated with this pic. Lurcher bitch with her pup. Victoria.

And in hot tropical far north Queensland, the old girl on left even found quail for me when she realised that i was after them. Foxes/cats/hares/rabbits what an allrounder.

.

 

[SikaSeeker]

The only issue I’d have about that breed you want to get, is that the beddy will not be from working stock. Very few are worked these days and rats aren’t really the intended work for these. I’d go for a lurcher pup that’s from out and out working stock. For just deer work, maybe first cross GWP grey or the likes. TBH if it’s just for tracking, go for a more suitable breed. If you are tracking a deer and game gets up in front of your dog, what’s it going to do?

 

[Bowland blades]

Running dogs generally speaking tend to have a far worse nose than gundog breeds and terriers as both these have been selected bred for such work . Running dogs also are keen to chase - PITA to break with a keen one . Unfortunately you will be seen as a potential poacher which is a hassle when a cop car turns up . Border collies are notoriously gun nervy regards the report of firearms but make good tracking dogs otherwise. There are exceptions within breeds that dont follow the norm but to be as safe as you can in choosing a tracking dog / stalking dog - Buy a medium to large gundog with proven strong working breeding ! I have had a GWP and two labs , The labs both have been far easier to handle and more adaptable . The GWP was from deer hunting lines and my labs both came from very top lines of very successful trials breeding - way more biddable and dont be fooled ALL DOGS take quickly to deer work its their natural prey ( unlike birds)

 

[Keith Edmunds]

There is variability in pure-breds and of course, more in cross-breds. That said, I'd happily have another whippet lurcher as my last dog.

 

[Rake Aboot]

Running dogs generally speaking tend to have a far worse nose than gundog breeds and terriers as both these have been selected bred for such work . Running dogs also are keen to chase - PITA to break with a keen one . Unfortunately you will be seen as a potential poacher which is a hassle when a cop car turns up . Border collies are notoriously gun nervy regards the report of firearms but make good tracking dogs otherwise. There are exceptions within breeds that dont follow the norm but to be as safe as you can in choosing a tracking dog / stalking dog - Buy a medium to large gundog with proven strong working breeding ! I have had a GWP and two labs , The labs both have been far easier to handle and more adaptable . The GWP was from deer hunting lines and my labs both came from very top lines of very successful trials breeding - way more biddable and dont be fooled ALL DOGS take quickly to deer work its their natural prey ( unlike birds)

Not in my decades of experience