Getting Started

[James Beil 0]

We've recently bought a lurcher who is about five and a half months old, and he's got a lot of energy that he needs to burn off (which puppy doesn't?) and I'd like to learn more about hunting - we live five minutes away from a farmer, but what I'd really like to find is some sort of starting instructions for people looking for getting into hunting - can anyone give any advice for a complete newcomer?

Many thanks,

James.

[baw 4,360]

What you like to know mate? Is your area got livestock? What's his recall like? How long you had him and do you know the guy you got him from? Get him out a walk as often as possible, I prefer taking pups out 3 half hour walks than a single big walk.

[Taz-n-Lily 62]

Hi James, and welcome.

 

What is the pup - do you know?

I ask because different crosses take different lengths of time to mature. My pup is a deerhound X - he's nearly two and a half, and nowhere near mature. Other mixes mature at twelve months.

 

Books were my first call for hunting instruction, together with going out with a local ferreter now and again. You'll find that people will be naturally reluctant to offer to take you out, manly due to the hunting ban and anti's.

Jackie Drakeford is very readable, and Skycat on here has written a couple of books. Read all you can and get a feel of hunting before you consider whether or not to do it for real. And bear in mind that in the UK we are only legally allowed two types of quarry - rats and rabbits.

 

My advice would be to bond with your pup, and work on his recall. Get that perfect then work on retrieve and stay. Stock-breaking is also important, but I would get recall sorted first.

Go and have a word with the farmer - find out if he/she has a rabbit problem. If you shoot offer to help out, and there is an in for your dog later on.

 

Whatever you do, you have some groundwork to put in with your pup - enjoy - and don't rush it!

 

Just saw Baw's post - he's right about 3 short walks rather than one long one .

Also, keep the training sessions to 5 or 10 minutes, no longer.

Edited March 1, 2013 by Taz-n-Lily

[troter58 1,711]

get your self a dvd called purdys progress some one on here will have it as baw said get out with the dog and get a bond going with it and theres no rush you have all summer then enter it to a few bunnies and enjoy the dog hope it all works out for you.atb

[James Beil 0]

It's all arable land, no livestock, and he's pictured on the avatar - we know that he's a saluki cross, but I honestly don't know enough about the breed to say what else is in his line.

We've only been with him for a little over a fortnight so obviously bonding with him's still going to take a lot of time, but we're in no great rush. Presently he doesn't have a recall as such - his previous owners were even more rural than we are in Rushden, so he was trained to wait for someone to follow - he'll run off a few dozen feet ahead, and then look back to see if someone's coming with him. Unfortunately, when there are other dogs around he decides that he's a hunting dog extraordinaire and won't give up the chase for anything - lead to some rather hairy moments when he ran out into a main road bear a park in pursuit of a West Highland Terrier that he'd decided on catching. (Thankfully, both the dogs were fine!)

I'll pop down the library and have a look for anything on the subject, and I'll see if I can talk to the farmer once we've got Dobby trained on his recall. Are there any legal restrictions on what can be done with the catch - I was planning on simply taking them home, skinning them and letting the dog have them, but is there any kind of red tape I need to deal with first?

Edited March 1, 2013 by James Beil

[Taz-n-Lily 62]

Sounds like you have some work in front of you!

You'll have to watch for deer if you're on arable land. Your dog will instinctively chase deer if it sees them.

 

You can do what you like with rabbits. Mine like the occasional one raw and in it's jacket. Read up on raw feeding and the barf diet.

There is a drawback to feeding raw rabbit to dogs in that some have tapeworms, so if unsure cook them first.

 

Don't give them all to the dog either .

[baw 4,360]

Saluki cross are notoriously deaf when they want to be. Slow to mature so take it slow. Can be one owner dogs by that I mean bond with you and only you. I'd keep him on the lead when out in parks with other dogs and traffic about. The light mornings are coming in, get up early when the parks empty and as taz says, watch for deer. Work on his recal, take something really tasty, bit of chicken etc and keep shouting him back and rewarding him. Best rewarding for good behavior than scolding him for bad. Saluki cross ain't for first time dog owners mate, you'll need the patience of a saint. Never had one as a pup but plenty on here have and will give you sound advice.

[Westy76 546]

Hi James

Everyone does things differently but I would keep the pup on a lead and work on that bond to start with and expose the pup to everything during that time,recall can be worked on at home simply and without distraction.

I'd go right back to basics and take it really slow to start with as bonding I think would be more important in this situation.

Good luck.

[J.DOG 1,355]

My advice would be take it out and work on recall I own saluki xs myself and they will test you so focus on the recall but slowly take your time with the pup gain its trust and don't be too harsh on it when it does wrong you will loose his trust so kid gloves are needed but aslong as you get recall sorted everything else falls into place just train him to sit and stay and recall , jumping then retrieving take your time with him let him think learning is a game, let him exsperiance everything when out and about mooching good luck mate

[Taz-n-Lily 62]

Just to add that the advice on this forum is generally excellent. If you need to know anything in a hurry, just ask.