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After not having a lurcher for the last 15 years, I am thinking of getting another one. I will be used mainly for ferreting / mooching for rabbits only, with a little bit of lamp work. My first thought was something with a beddy / Whippet greyhound in it but the thought of the dog having a hard mouth has put me off somewhat.

 

I have decided on a GH / Collie x Whippet / Greyhound. In theory it should give a dog that would even out in the low twenties at the shoulder and have the enough brains from the collie to be able to work things out.

 

What are your thoughts on that cross.

 

TC

Edited by tiercel
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That's the mix I think I'd go for if I was looking for another lurcher. I've got a beddy/whippet ATM. He's 22" TTS and does mostly what I ask of him, but the two things that drive me nuts is a severe lack of intelligence and that he gets very overexcited. He's coming up 3 now and is still very puppy like in his mannerisms. I'll give him until the end of the coming season to mature, but if he doesn't I'm thinking of having his nuts off and keeping him fully as a pet. :yes:

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nice cross .

one of the reasons that a dog is hardmouthed is breeding but frustration on lots of early misses due to being too young ,not fit or just too slow to catch easily can lead to the dog giving the prey a hammering when they do eventually catch it.also a poor retrieve where they run around in circles can cause them to bight down on a rabbit that fancies his chances of escape.

this cross should have plenty of speed aand enough collie for brains.

good luck

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They use an egg to teach spaniels

i had a lurcher once that would fetch a egg back to me every time in one piece. every rabbit it caught it would also fetch back but the fecker would fold round your hand as it was smashed to shit.

 

i was told once if a dog can fetch a egg back without breaking it then its soft mouthed, what a load of bollocks that turned out to be :thumbs:

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seen a bull cross that crunches foxes for fun retrive rabbits with not a mark or bruise on the meat when killed and skinned.so 2 say the dog is going 2 be hard mouthed cause it has beddie in it is rubbish.

 

I have seen bedlington crosses with mouths like butter. But, I have seen more of them that will give the rabbit a crunch if it gives it a hard time. I have seen a few lurchers in my time, I had my first one funnily enough that was a beddy x another terrier crossed with a whippet in 1968. She had a fairly good mouth but the odd rabbit would get the treatment.

 

The last lurcher I had was about 15 years ago off chalkwarren as it happens, out of his ACD X Speckle. Unfortunatly he broke his neck while working and that put me off having another lurcher, but I have been thinking for the last couple of years about getting another. My preferance for a collie blood as opposed to Bedlington is brought about by my observations of the last 40 odd years. If I required the dog to bush as well as mark and work with the ferrets then perhaps I would have gone for the bedlington x. That is no slight on the bedlington x just my preferance.

 

Hard mouth in a dog can be avoided to a certain extent by training methods, as has been previously stated not overmatching the dog when it is younger will help. Although I did have a collie x once that started off with a hard mouth. When I bought her she had been worked on foxes after a couple of months on rabbits only her mouth did soften a little, till she coursed a hare one day and it led her a merry dance. When she eventually caught it I don't think there was a whole bone in it's body she crunched every rabbit after that.

 

Any dog can be hard mouthed from a lab to a whippet, and anything inbetween, a lot depends on how the dog is brought on, you can reduce the chances of hard mouth somewhat with sound training methods.

 

TC

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Here's Tess. 24" TTS. 3yrs old. Good moocher, not been lamped yet, but hope to get out this coming season. Not sure about her mouth as my other dog takes whatever she catches off her straight away so not much left of it after the struggle. Very obedinet and loyal.

 

post-57067-0-50070200-1310574270_thumb.jpg

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seen a bull cross that crunches foxes for fun retrive rabbits with not a mark or bruise on the meat when killed and skinned.so 2 say the dog is going 2 be hard mouthed cause it has beddie in it is rubbish.

 

I have seen bedlington crosses with mouths like butter. But, I have seen more of them that will give the rabbit a crunch if it gives it a hard time. I have seen a few lurchers in my time, I had my first one funnily enough that was a beddy x another terrier crossed with a whippet in 1968. She had a fairly good mouth but the odd rabbit would get the treatment.

 

The last lurcher I had was about 15 years ago off chalkwarren as it happens, out of his ACD X Speckle. Unfortunatly he broke his neck while working and that put me off having another lurcher, but I have been thinking for the last couple of years about getting another. My preferance for a collie blood as opposed to Bedlington is brought about by my observations of the last 40 odd years. If I required the dog to bush as well as mark and work with the ferrets then perhaps I would have gone for the bedlington x. That is no slight on the bedlington x just my preferance.

 

 

no what your saying bud its all down 2 dog in question not the breed.collies are known for there soft mouth.its all down 2 the mentailty of the dog two .the bitch im running now saluki/grey/whiipet 4 year old.for her first 2 seasons she used 2 crunch the rabbis trew excitment from being young now shes spot on will bring them back live and kicking every time as she has matured.i think collies mature alot faster 2 other crosses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hard mouth in a dog can be avoided to a certain extent by training methods, as has been previously stated not overmatching the dog when it is younger will help. Although I did have a collie x once that started off with a hard mouth. When I bought her she had been worked on foxes after a couple of months on rabbits only her mouth did soften a little, till she coursed a hare one day and it led her a merry dance. When she eventually caught it I don't think there was a whole bone in it's body she crunched every rabbit after that.

 

Any dog can be hard mouthed from a lab to a whippet, and anything inbetween, a lot depends on how the dog is brought on, you can reduce the chances of hard mouth somewhat with sound training methods.

 

TC

Edited by mighty celt
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