Hancock Dogs

[Omanyra 2,518]

True JD

Edited October 12, 2015 by Omanyra

[Grunter123 1,092]

A lot of Hancocks clientele these days are flyball/agility/pet based so a lot of feedback is coming from these, so they're probably aiming a lot of breeding towards this type.

Back in the day a large % of people who bought Hancock dogs worked them so a lot of work based feedback gave you an idea what studs/matings were working. But with a lot of the client Base changing then so the type of dog is imo.

Totally agree it's all about money and demand and people want designer lurchers colours rough coated lap dogs

[Dewclaw69 484]

To dewclaw the bitchs name was kim

cheers. Not the bitch i knew

[neil cooney 10,415]

A lot of Hancocks clientele these days are flyball/agility/pet based so a lot of feedback is coming from these, so they're probably aiming a lot of breeding towards this type.

 

Back in the day a large % of people who bought Hancock dogs worked them so a lot of work based feedback gave you an idea what studs/matings were working. But with a lot of the client Base changing then so the type of dog is imo.

That's interesting about the flyball etc. and it would explain a lot as to how the man is still in business. And that's what it is, a business. Funny enough it was Plummer who had a big contribution into Mr Hancock starting off and Plummer was SO outspoken against puppy farming.

And as we all know Plummer was no hypocrite.

 

Even if Hancock did breed many good ones early on in his business one thing I do know is that it takes hard work and continuous testing of dogs to keep a line of workers going combined with an understanding of breeding and if, as a lot of you say that no testing goes on anymore then you have a recipe for disaster. A lot of lads seem to make a lot of money on the backs of dogs they bred years ago.

 

I seen 4 or 5 Hancock dogs over 20 years ago. Border, Beardie and a mixture of both who were halfs or three quarter breds and they were very average.

[pengelli 365]

had a merle 3 quarter bred dog early ninetys he was an absolute workaholic good ferreting dog good on teeth and bambi good lamp dog too hancock told me when he started breeding collie xs he used to pay top dollar for retired coursing greys and then he stopped and used any old greyhound he could get as the greyhound blood was only needed to add speed and shape to the pups his words not mine think when he started to go wrong was when he tried the same principal with the collie blood using scatty nervous type collies instead of proper working sheep herding blood jmo

[Ideation 8,216]

 

I don't have a huge experience of Hancock dogs. . . . . but for what it's worth, here's my tuppence worth.

 

Ive only seen (I think) three dogs from his kennels work. The one was a long time ago, and I helped a lad enter it. I don't remember much, but it was a half decent dog. The other two, I have had a lot more to do with, and seem come on. Both are owned by friends, and members on here, and both have posted about their dogs in this thread.

 

Now I will say this, both dogs look to have all of the right bits in all of the right places. They seem to be able to do everything a lurcher should. But there is something missing, hard to put your finger on quite, but that thing that just makes an animal wed to it's work. They seem to lack that drive that makes an dog know from day one that it wants to chase and catch game. Sure, they will chase, but they don't seem to 'want' it quite the same as one would hope.

 

 

 

It's not a very big survey, so it may well be miles off the mark, but I really think that its got something to do with being bred off parents that whilst they may be well put together etc etc, have not been out hunting, catching and killing. You can breed a dog that looks just like a lurcher, you can do that without ever running anything. But its a lot harder to breed that heart, soul and mind into a beast, without testing its attitude and mindset in the field.

 

Obviously some dogs will be very good, as said, if you breed enough collie and greyhounds together, you will always end up with some decent dogs. But it's not how i'd do it, and its not where i'd go to get a pup.

 

If I wanted a collie x, i'd always go for some kind of line bred collie lurcher thing. And if I was desperate for a 1st x, i'd go and breed my own. I'm lucky enough to have access to a wide range of very handy collies. . . . . . so it'd just be finding the running dog blood. If I was going to do it, I know of a very handy collie that regularly kills foxes, as well as working 1000's of sheep, and I know some very good kelpie x collie dogs that have a good bit of bite to them. I'd stick one of these over either a working grew, or if possible a working greyhound. But you've got to get the right kind of collie!

 

Just my thoughts.

 

My older dog is a hancock and he,s never lacked drive, his speed and strike when he was younger was a pleasure to watch..the other dog i,ve got is out of him and a suluki x bitch and he will give as much in his last run as he does on the first and he has run til he dropped.....

 

 

 

Fairplay, I didn't know your old dog was a hancock mate. It wasn't a knock against all Hancocks, i'm sure there are a lot of good ones out there.

 

One thing I was thinking since writing that post. . . . . there are a lot of working bred lurchers who probably also have very similar attributes to those I mentioned in the post.

 

So maybe we just see it more with hancocks, because there are just so many bred. But of course, we will only hear about the bad and the very good. . . . . . all of the average dogs don't usually get mentioned. And that's probably the same with every breeding / litter.

 

Hope you, the family and dogs are well matey.

[Marvel 461]

 

I don't have a huge experience of Hancock dogs. . . . . but for what it's worth, here's my tuppence worth.

 

Ive only seen (I think) three dogs from his kennels work. The one was a long time ago, and I helped a lad enter it. I don't remember much, but it was a half decent dog. The other two, I have had a lot more to do with, and seem come on. Both are owned by friends, and members on here, and both have posted about their dogs in this thread.

 

Now I will say this, both dogs look to have all of the right bits in all of the right places. They seem to be able to do everything a lurcher should. But there is something missing, hard to put your finger on quite, but that thing that just makes an animal wed to it's work. They seem to lack that drive that makes an dog know from day one that it wants to chase and catch game. Sure, they will chase, but they don't seem to 'want' it quite the same as one would hope.

 

It's not a very big survey, so it may well be miles off the mark, but I really think that its got something to do with being bred off parents that whilst they may be well put together etc etc, have not been out hunting, catching and killing. You can breed a dog that looks just like a lurcher, you can do that without ever running anything. But its a lot harder to breed that heart, soul and mind into a beast, without testing its attitude and mindset in the field.

 

Obviously some dogs will be very good, as said, if you breed enough collie and greyhounds together, you will always end up with some decent dogs. But it's not how i'd do it, and its not where i'd go to get a pup.

 

If I wanted a collie x, i'd always go for some kind of line bred collie lurcher thing. And if I was desperate for a 1st x, i'd go and breed my own. I'm lucky enough to have access to a wide range of very handy collies. . . . . . so it'd just be finding the running dog blood. If I was going to do it, I know of a very handy collie that regularly kills foxes, as well as working 1000's of sheep, and I know some very good kelpie x collie dogs that have a good bit of bite to them. I'd stick one of these over either a working grew, or if possible a working greyhound. But you've got to get the right kind of collie!

 

Just my thoughts.

Quality post that.

 

That "thing" you talk about. Hard to put into words. I call it the "x factor". Some dogs have just got it. Some haven't and won't ever have.

 

For me it's a lack of drive, and it not a coincidence that it come from non working parents, if it's not bred in you can't train it in

[bird 9,598]

This was out of the old Richard Jones ie 20 years ago

he was prob one of his best studs there,he was 1/4 bearded 1/4 border 1./2 greyhound ,my colliex grey blaze was 1/2 hancock bred richard jones x 1/4 collie 3/4 grey from north wales so blaze was 3/8 collie 5/8grey good on foxes ok on rabbits,he been on here before big black/white 27in dog, this was in the mid 80s r/j was good collie x grey,but dont think any of studs are as good as what he was, think he was used few times lamping , but that was as said years ago when done a bit with them,

[steve66 3,115]

i think sometimes people get blinded by bloodlines and breeding , it used to be a good un to a good un and every now and again back to a greyhound

[Omanyra 2,518]

Think more people get blinded by clever advertisements

[Chid 6,378]

 

 

This was out of the old Richard Jones ie 20 years ago

he was prob one of his best studs there,he was 1/4 bearded 1/4 border 1./2 greyhound ,my colliex grey blaze was 1/2 hancock bred richard jones x 1/4 collie 3/4 grey from north wales so blaze was 3/8 collie 5/8grey good on foxes ok on rabbits,he been on here before big black/white 27in dog, this was in the mid 80s r/j was good collie x grey,but dont think any of studs are as good as what he was, think he was used few times lamping , but that was as said years ago when done a bit with them,

Richard jones was a half beardie half border , there was no greyhound in him

[Stud dog 632]

mate i go hunting with got a pup from hancock clever bitch easy to train the bitch took forever to start picking rabbits up but now she is shes turning out a cracking dog personally i wouldnt have one but i agree with most that its wots put in that you get out of a dog in the end.

[Rake aboot 4,929]

Holy crap

 

Northern, you need a slap, ! lol you must be bored !

 

 

Anyhoo

I have a 4 yr old and have worked 3 of them and have been happy with them all.

 

 

It`s what you put in that you get out of a dog.

[dytkos 17,537]

This was out of the old Richard Jones ie 20 years ago

Bollox, I had a pup out of Richard Jones circa 1984!!!!!!

First x beardie border to a grey called Jade if I remember right

 

Cheers, D.

[runem 533]

Seen one run and it's put the brakes on but that's not saying there all bad

Ive had four Hancock dogs first one related to plumbers merle,on a sliding scale the working/hunting instinct decreased till finally the fourth one about two years ago,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,lets just say hancocks dogs are are handincock dogs and not worth a w++k,,,,,,,,,,