Collie brains better than speed

[Richie10 345]

Sounds like it was herding them and not actually chasing and catching/coursing.

[chartpolski 20,427]

I've only ever had one Collie X, back in the 70's, and it was brainless AND slow !! LOL !! I know it shouldn't have, but it soured my opinion of Collie X's for life !! So, by the law of averages, if you can get a brainless slow one, you should be able to get a clever fast one ?? But they will usualy be somewhere inbetween. I've seen some dogs run "clever" but can go up the gears and show a good turn of speed when needed, so, I repeat, it's not as clear cut as "brains V speed" !!

 

Cheers.

[Sirius 1,358]

You need both brains and speed, one without the other will not make a good allround lurcher.

Forget the % and look at the dogs sire/dam and the way they work in the field, oops I forgot it coming from hancock Then its just that bit more of a gamble

 

But good luck with your collie type

[Guest born to run1083]

I guess it all depends on what sort of person you are: if you are a quiet sort who likes to mooch about on your own, being a bit of a pot hunter, letting the dog hunt up, learn its trade, catch through canny experience and brains, be part of the team with you, then a slower dog is the ideal. But if you are the sort who wants to go out, make a show, impress your mates, get a buzz from watching speed, dash and excitement, then the faster dog may suit you better. I'm not implying that fast dogs don't have brains, but the slower, more thoughtful approach is often better appreciated by those who aren't necessarily out to make big bags: but of course, it all depends on what you hunt, where and why.

Don't really agree with that skycat my half x is prity quick. and has became quite an excitement to watch. How fast does a dog really need to be when it has the knowledge to box quarry and out wit what ita chasing. I've said many a time my bitch to me a specialist rabbit dog but by feck at night she can take long ears. Pics of bambi and Charlie when in Ireland. I wouldn't say she's a specialist in that but she can do it easy enough.

But in the day on the other hand she does need that extra stride. What would you say is big bag skycat as mine as few know on here is capable of a shift, 11 months old she caught 15 the pics been on here and at 14 months old she did 24 rabs and a Charlie in a place you wouldn't expect to catch those numbers, I think this year now I can push her harder being second season she'l beat her best no problem, I think the half cross is a very underrated animal

[skycat 6,172]

When I said 'big bags' I wasn't really talking about lamping, more day time mooching about: I should have explained that. Which of course brings us to the speed versus other attributes whilst lamping: whole different ball game at night. Once again, there are so many variables when talking about hunting and dogs that we could never ever cover every angle in a few sentences!

 

I've seen plenty of 'slower' dogs do very well on the lamp, but the bitch I mentioned was crap on the lamp (for my neck of the woods at any rate) She had the sticky Collie thing down to a tee It was like watching paint dry seeing her creep up to a squatter, and by the time she'd gone out and caught one the others had legged it for home: but that was on flat grass land or drilling with bad light pollution. She'd have probably changed her tactics completely if I'd run her on rougher ground.

[skycat 6,172]

Sounds like it was herding them and not actually chasing and catching/coursing.

 

Still managed to catch though: more than one way to catch a rabbit.

[Guest born to run1083]

Fair enough skycat valid points, I think with collie x it's how there entered and managed my collie x has never stalked on any rabbit I've put her on, she doesn't pick runs or anything like that, birds bryn is the same he doesn't stalk or pick runs and by feck bryns a fast dog, very explosive of the mark. I think there like marmite the collie x. Your 100% right tho day and night are different ball game

[bunnys 1,228]

I've only ever had one Collie X, back in the 70's, and it was brainless AND slow !! LOL !! I know it shouldn't have, but it soured my opinion of Collie X's for life !! So, by the law of averages, if you can get a brainless slow one, you should be able to get a clever fast one ?? But they will usualy be somewhere inbetween. I've seen some dogs run "clever" but can go up the gears and show a good turn of speed when needed, so, I repeat, it's not as clear cut as "brains V speed" !!

 

Cheers. and its very true charts , seen halfs faster than threequarters , and halfs duller than three quarters . its not about percentages its about the animal itself . breeding them back in to each other care of percentages will and does get the odd gems with great hunting brain , and that requirement so much wanted the gears running fast and slow and changing the sride pattern to suit the ground . atb bunnys.

[desertbred 5,490]

forget about percentages and bag sizes, on any particular day or night, just get out run whatever dogs youve got on whatever land is available to you and most importantly enjoy it. To much time spent trying to bring science and disection into it.

Edited August 21, 2012 by desertbred

[boyo 1,398]

myself i love speed always have and always will had a first cross of hancock in his very early days very obediant and good lamp dog but by two year old was picking what it wanted to run . this bitch was a tremendous jumper and was nearly unbeatable in high jumps and if run doubled up always caught in front of anything which was strange because she was the slowest lurcher i have ever owned but had the knack of being in the right place .eventually got fed up of her picking her runs and gave her to a mate of mine who thought iwas of my head for getting rid of her ,but at this time was in to the numbers game . nowadays it would have been a differant story but older and wiser now .

Edited August 21, 2012 by boyo

[millybot 3]

no two dogs the same even out of the same litter you could talk about this all day and night basicly choose what you fancy and get on with it lots of dogs on here look nowt but catch plenty i would never put a dog down without seeing it perform it's not what they look like once had a picture post card saluki 25 years ago i was better off running after the game myself so looks not everything as for brains every dog has it's day some are more cleverer than others an old poacher once told me when iwas young beware of the man with one dog was good advice looking in hindsight

so keep this topic going will throw up some good reasons which x is better 5/8 3/4 or 1/2 cross you pay your money and take a chance

millybot

[bird 9,594]

as been said you would get fast 1xs ,and clever 1/4 as the same as 1xs. Ive been lucky that my 1x Bryn (local bred) is fast, and very agile good wind he is spot on for the rabbit job. And i think the only quarry a 1x would find hard are hares, anything else a 1x can catch + kill . But as its only rabbits now with the Ban, the 1x will do what you need. I do think a colliex whippetxgrey would make a very good lurcher, the 1s ive seen are very good dogs having that bit of whippet in does make a differnce.You still got plenty of brain but plenty of speed, i think if was looking for colliex again i would have 1 with bit of whippet in the mix.

Bryn 1x colliex grey, as said racey for this x

[troter58 1,711]

as said you never know what you will get in a first cross me and a pal both got a first cross collie from the same litter mine was slow and could not catch in a phone box good for ferreting marking and bushing but no speed yet my pals was a great dog on the lamp fast and clever to so it is not the % ie half cross or 3/4 its pot luck when picking your pup and all the best with your dogs what ever cross.troter

[KittleRox 2,147]

Are you talking about just bunnys chalky or other stuff a good slow un will take just as many bunnys as a good fast one imo

[KittleRox 2,147]

My half cross is pretty quick enough for rabbiting.

yours is a 3/4 bred though lol