He certainly does, he just does`nt need to be chasing anything to do it

He is half Saluki, half BC, he has the build for running and the brains to know there are far more exciting things to do than to just try to kill rabbits

and Bulldogs were originally used for bear baiting.
Clinging to an `origin` usage which is not a survival necessity in this day and age is hardly an enlightened way to think.

Sure - however when a thread was initially posted in the general dog chat section before being moved to this one you can`t expect it to have not come to the notice of people who are opposed to hunting, and everyone here has the right to express an opinion - `even` in the sports and working dogs section

Mine used to not need to chase anything, and most days he still doesn't.

And lurchers shouldn't kill rabbits, they should be pinned or retrieved to hand ALIVE. A lurcher who kills them makes sure that there's little use for them afterwards, and as for me the point of hunting should be the use afterwards a killing mouth wouldn't be acceptable. I personally don't like to see people going out hunting with guns and I don't feel it gives the quarry (be it rabbit, deer, or whatever) a fair enough chance. Hunting with a dog or two however to me feels more fair because the animal being hunted has a better chance to get away.

And people hunt because there is still a need to do so.

This thread has been in this section for some time now, so perhaps we would do best to cease this discussion. I hope we can agree that we want to do right by our dogs, and hate to see wasted life, even if we disagree about the finer points.

Back to the original post
I was reading last night about how whippet greyhound crosses can sometimes try to enter themselves to hunting whilst they're still too young. So perhaps limit your pup to the odd rabbit and otherwise avoid rabbit areas until older and more trained.

YES YES YES!! They should! As I said before too many pet Lurcher owners think its ok for their dogs to chase, catch and kill but its "cruel" for a dog to be worked!

I have a retrieving border terrier, absolutely great on feather as you can see here:

However, in typical terrier fashion, she wont retrieve fur! Well she will but its mashed!! No use!

That's a fantastic picture!

We were drawn into the lamping world by chance. I know its a bit off topic but I would like to share my experience of it as i hate blood sports.

My brother in law is the Game keeper in his local area and one of his main jobs is controling the populations of the various 'pests'. Foxes he shots during the winter but never in spring or summer and rabbits he lamps.

When we got Cassie it was clear to see she was a working dog in her old life (she was brought over from Ireland by the dogs trust), my BIL was keen to try her our on the bunnies as it had been many years since his dad owned running dogs (he has a lovely trio of working springers). At frist i was reluctant, as already mentioned i was a firm believer in banning hunting with dogs. What made me decide to go is that how can you disagree with something if you have never seen it first hand? Fox hunting i have seen and hated but at least i knwo what i'm talking about when i saw i hate it.

Anyway we went out one night and Cassie was transformed, gone was the still slightly nervous not too bright though lovely girl. She was a predator with a level of skill i didn't know she had in her. Watching her run was a thing of beauty, she caught 6 rabbits out of the 10 or so she ran. Out of the 6, 2 were ill in some way (one had the start of mixi the other a huge abses). I can say hand on heart that it was NOT cruel in anyway. The rabbit has better night vision (the lamp is not used to stun the rabbit but to help the dog see where they are going), its the bunnies home ground and they have better agility. At no point were guns or nets used, once the rabbit was caught Cassie brought it back (she carries it by the scruff like a puppy! They don't even make a noise when she picks them up) and my BIL broke its neck. From start to finish it was just over a min, how long do you think cows stand around waiting to be killed?

I still don't agree with it being used as a sport or organised by catching rabbits and releasing them into ready made fenced fields but as a method of control it is much better then gasing or mixi. Its also darwin in action the most natural thing in the world predator and prey.

to you for being open minded enough to give it a try.

Your post shines through with pride in Cassie's skill. Don't ever let anyone make you feel bad about it

As Borderdawn says, many pet lurcher owners think it is ok for their dogs to chase all manner of wildlife at any time of the year (probably because they have zero recall) and because they don't call it 'hunting' it doesn't really count.

Hunting folk are far more responsible than that. Like your BIL they only go for legal quarry, and only allow the dog to chase something that they are prepared to kill, and unless they are contracted pest controllers they respect the seasons, and very importantly they have the landowner's permission. If only all dog owners were so responsible

Regarding the OP: I think he's disappeared but IMO should wait until the dog is matured, which looking at the date of the thread should co-incide with the winter season. He would probably benefit from joining a dedicated hunting forum.

Thanks for the nice post! It has been hard over the last few months with some people saying i have turned my back on my belifs. In my view i haven't as i still do not believe in cruelty to animals in any form for any reason.

I'm sure it has been hard. From other peoples' point of view there you were one minute in a nice neat pigeon-hole and the next minute you had popped out of the pigeon-hole and made a decision that didn't seem to fit. People tend to lash out in those circumstances.

You'll find that a few folk do disagree with you but will be genuinely interested in your thought process, and by talking to these people and exchanging views you will eventually settle on a set of beliefs that fit you personally. You may not sign up for the whole 'hunting' package, but feel comfortable with some activities and not others. Your own conscience will also tell you what is right and what is wrong. Believe me, a person's conscience is a far harder task master than any critic.

Above all, don't be afraid of them.

Do you remember how you felt when Cassie showed you what she was bred for? Bet you're smiling ....

neither do I or anyone I know. Someone who was cruel to animals would pretty soon be booted out of the hunting fraternity. It sounds as if your BIL had a good assistant!

what type of lurcher you got

Please note the original post is 3 years old