Excellent lurcher article

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JudyN
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Excellent lurcher article

Post by JudyN »

This article is by Jackie Drakeford, so it was bound to be excellent - but she really does describe the lurcher personality so well: https://www.shootinguk.co.uk/gundogs/gu ... 3f7i96JsoU

The only bit that made me raise my eyebrow was 'for the sake of handler sanity, task-oriented breeds such as collies are often crossed into the sighthound mix...' Now, I've always said I wouldn't have a collie x lurcher because I want to preserve my sanity, but that's because I want an idle companion, not a working dog or one who seems to want to progress to algebra as soon as possible...
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: Excellent lurcher article

Post by Nettle »

:lol: maybe just a smidgen of collie then. You are right in that you couldn't describe a half or more collie as a relaxing dog to own. But then neither is Jas, and look at how well you manage him!
It's different when they have a working life to occupy them, but even then, the one-eighth collie I owned had quite enough collie behaviour. I know a lot of half crosses, I like them, admire them, but wouldn't want one.
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JudyN
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Re: Excellent lurcher article

Post by JudyN »

Quite possibly the fact that for the sake of my sanity I wouldn't have a collie cross but would take on a saluki cross or even full saluki at the drop of a hat suggests that I've already lost my sanity :lol: It'd be interesting to compare the personality and even political leanings of 'collie x' and 'saluki x' lurcher fans (and bull x, terrier x, etc.?). In fact if I was going to do a PhD I think that would be my topic :D
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: Excellent lurcher article

Post by Nettle »

A great PhD subject that a lot of people hoping to be dog trainers/behaviourists would benefit from. Because breed type does make a huge difference to the way dogs interact with people, and therefore we need to factor this in for the best way to motivate said dogs to do what we want.

People personality is important too - some folks can't get the best out of certain types of dog.
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Dominika
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Re: Excellent lurcher article

Post by Dominika »

My first dog was a Malamute and I really wanted another. Now we've had two lurchers I can't imagine having any other dogs. One a saluki cross and one a collie cross. Our saluki cross was loyal from the get go she bonded with me amazingly. What is it like training a saluki ? I didn't teach her anything because she was never interested 😂 and I never tried too hard.

Our collie cross on the other hand is full on 😄 he doesn't really look it but people that know can tell haha.
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Nettle
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Re: Excellent lurcher article

Post by Nettle »

It makes me smile when people put up Youtubes training herding breeds using toys and play, as if all dogs can be trained that way. A saluki or saluki lurcher would just look scathingly at you and walk away.
But they are lovely dogs as long as we know what makes them tick.
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JudyN
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Re: Excellent lurcher article

Post by JudyN »

I haven't trained a saluki, but if training a collie is at the far left of the scale and training a lurcher is close to the far right, then a saluki is not just at the far right but has run off two miles further in that direction.... :lol:

Imagining you're training a cat might be a good start. A saluki won't do something 'because you say so' but will consider your request and decide it it's reasonable. Yout task as a trainer is to make the saluki think that it is actually worth doing it. And they won't do repetition for the sake of it. If I asked you to sit, down, stand, repeatedly, even with a reward, you'd decide it was pointless and that I was wasting both my time and yours. Likewise, if you ask a saluki to sit and it decides that standing or lying down is a perfectly good alternative (which, if the aim is for the saluki to stay in one place, it usually is), you're probably better off settling for that.

Like I say though, I haven't trained - or owned - a saluki x and I'm not a trainer either.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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Nettle
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Re: Excellent lurcher article

Post by Nettle »

nevertheless, you are pretty much on the button 8)
A dog is never bad or naughty - it is simply being a dog

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