Lurchers?
 

I have been doing some research and looking around. But I can't seem to find breeders in the United States. Does anyone know of any good breeders here in the United States?

Seems a lot of people in California are using Greyhound Collie mixes. Or Border Collie Greyhound mixes.

There is sometimes a fine line between a Cur and a Lurcher. Sometimes sight hunters are called Hounds, were I come from hounds are scent hunters.

When it comes to lurchers I was thinking greyhound collie mix and I am trying to find a breeder.

This is a stock picture of my last Lurcher, pretty much a clone of her, but an internet picture (I'm not finding her real pictures, maybe lost in my last puter crash).



She was paired up with my Hog dog a Beagle Rottweiler mix. That sucker had two things in his head. follow that scent and kill something. I wouldn't recommend that mix to anybody.

Here is a stock picture of a Catahoula Cur



Amazingly similar in looks, other than the fur, ears and coloration.

That looks like an Ibizan Hound which I have looked up before they are a sighthound and are pretty cool dogs. That Beagle Rottweiler sounds like a good dog but a bit of a handful.

That is an Ibizan Hound, so was mine, an adoption. The North African coursing dogs look much the same.

That Beagle Rottweiler mix was a good watchdog, anybody coming into the yard un******ed was dinner. He was actually a Czech Bear dog, bred for Boar hunting. I took him back to the breeder asking for some guidance, he said they are bred to be aggressive and stupid, they would have to be to go into a thicket after a Boar or Bear, he laughed, I didn't see the humor. He was another adoption, the Customs agents at the local airport tried them for awhile and decided they were way too aggressive.

What was your experience with the Ibizan hound? I had looked in to them but they were not easy to find.

I never did really bond with mine, she seemed kind of aloof. She had a strong prey drive, it was a wonder watching her chase a Hare. She would come back when she got good and ready. I needed to work her with another dog that would listen.

I think that kind of behavior is common with sighthounds in general isn't it.

Seems likely, most don't seem to be pack hunters and have a narrow view of life, if it runs chase it.

The speed dog I've mentioned in my first pack, the Black mouth Cur look alike, was basically a Lurcher, sight hunter, smart as whip, nearly as fast as a Greyhound but with more stamina and the most trainable dog I've ever known. We had a real bond. Just a lucky mix.

Lurcher, Cur and other Dog categories get kind of blurred.

A Lurcher to me is any dog that mostly sight hunts and is quick. Lurcher has been redefined a bit over the years. Now it is mostly Greyhound or Whippet mix.

I know you mentioned greyhound collie mixes before have you ever worked with any. I would think the collie would help with training and and make it a better back pack dog. But I have no experience with them so I would like to know.

No I haven't worked with Collie Greyhound mixes, but have known Greyhounds and Collies. Seems like a good mix, seems a lot of people also think so. A Collie without all the fur is built light boned and quick but a herding breed, smarter and more trainable than the average Greyhound. Greyhounds are fast and have a strong prey drive.

There are sites dedicated to this mix on the internut. Most of my searches were about Jack Rabbit hunting, one of my great pleasures in life and I came across people breeding Lurchers to course Jackrabbits. Coursing Yotes is a likely crossover, Yotes are quick.

If you look at the skull, many breeds have some Greyhound in there, the skull shape is kind of a tip off (indicator). Other than that you'd have to do a red blood cell count and check heart size or do genetic testing. The skull shape is old school, but a likely tell tale.

Yea they are both quick dogs. I am really thinking about getting one if I can find one for sale. Because I start of using them for rabbit then we I get a few use them for yotes. I would probably use that dog along with the dog I have know to hunt rabbits just to get a feel for them.

Lurcher?
 

I don't know of many folks breeding them. But there was a guy in Wisconsin breeding stag/border collies. His first name was Dan his last name was Mc something or other.

Mine came off of Hancock's yard. You might have better luck just calling them.
http://www.hancocklurchers.co.uk/Default.aspx

They don't charge much for their dogs but the shipping is another matter.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

Thank you I will look into both of those.

Lurcher
 

I guess it might help to give you my thoughts on collie/greyhounds. Mine is 1/4 collie 3/4 greyhound. He's about 29" at the shoulder and 65#. He's a nice biddable dog and easy to keep. In the forest he sticks with me pretty well though he'll chase anything you put up. I had to use an e collar to break him off deer. But as he's gotten older I can pretty much call him off of anything.


He's fast and strong but he doesn't like getting bit. So, he's more useful for rabbits, possum's and the like.






Oh, and cold weather in not a problem for him. he can sleep out here in Michigan without any problems. He's about three years old in these pics.

Beautiful dog and thanks for all the help

Lurcher
 

It's been almost a year. Did you ever find a dog?


ATB

Hey bud. I'm not an expert on saluki's but they have a reputation for being sort of odd. Most cross breeds that include saluki generally pursue jack rabbits in hotter country. In the UK they are common for their European hare.

Crossing a pointing breed and a saluki may not be the best option. Not enough front end speed I'm thinking.