Lurcher Health

You would be surprised at the number of Lurcher health issues you could actually diagnose and treat yourself, at a fraction of the cost of taking your Lurcher to the vet.

Written by vet John Bleby, The Dog’s Health from A-Z: A Canine Veterinary Dictionary, descibes how many canine illnesses can be self-diagnosed and treated, or avoided altogether, with a little knowledge and understanding.

While this book cannot take the place of your vet, it certainly demonstrates that there is much that you can do to prevent many problems happening in the first place. Lurchers.co.uk are more than happy to recommend this book which is certain to pay for itself in the fullness of time!

What Are Lurchers Really Like?

Lurchers are intelligent, gentle and affectionate dogs with a natural willingness to learn and to please. Nonetheless, it should be remembered that the Lurcher was originally bred to work and hunt. This should be borne in mind before you buy a Lurcher.

Like all dogs, Lurchers need training and early socialization. Their natural instinct is to chase its prey, so they need to be made aware that such behaviour is not acceptable in a family pet.

Of course if you want a Lurcher because of its considerable competence at dog sports, that is a different matter. Lurchers are highly trainable and excel at dog agility and obedience trials, lure coursing and dog racing.

In summary, the Lurcher makes a wonderful family pet providing it is properly trained and socialized from an early age. Training should always be positive, varied and mentally stimulating for your Lurcher.

If you would like to read more about owning a Lurcher, please read some of these excellent, highly recommended books:

* The House Lurcher by: Jackie Drakeford
* Pet Owner’s Guide to the Lurcher by: Jason Framlingham
* The Lurcher: Training and Hunting by: Frank Sheardown
* The Lurcher: A Complete Guide by: Jon Hutcheon
* The Working Lurcher: The Traditional Skills by: Jackie Drakeford
* Understanding the Working Lurcher by: Jackie Drakeford

What Is A Lurcher?

The Lurcher is a type of dog rather than a breed of dog. It is a crossbreed, generally between a sighthound (traditionally the Greyhound) and a member of the terrier or pastoral group of dogs.

Because of their genetic makeup, Lurchers tend to be versatile in the extreme, combining both excellent family pet or companion dog with an exceptional hunting ability and all round sporting capability.

Because the Lurcher is a type of dog rather than a breed, it can vary greatly in appearance. Since there is no recognised breed standard, Lurchers can be as large as a Deerhound or as small as a Whippet. They can also be of any colour and have a coat that varies between short and long. The one thing that all Lurchers have in common is that they are all sighthounds, which is to say, dogs that hunt by sight rather than by smell.

Still Nervous

The park walk was good. It was empty however so no real challenge, but, that's not such a bad thing. I don't want to induce an anxious state in him by forcing an environment on him which he doesn't like. I'd rather confront situations as they arise, so in other words, not go out of my way to look for other dogs or the like but to be calm when he does come into contact.

The actual dog park we where going to go to next had two German shepherds in, unleashed, so I thought it not a good idea to take him in. It sucks that I can't or maybe wont let him go in there with other unleashed dogs but I've got to think of what is good for him and at present I don't know what to expect.

For example, to get him used to older men, I stand and chat in a shop on the way home so he can see me being calm and that there is no threat. However, he smelt a large dog outside before I could see it and his tail was right under his legs. Shows I made a wise decision about the dog park. He is getting better not pulling on the lead because he knows I'm his pack leader but on the way home he was pulling on the leash. He'd chose flight in this case. I kept stopping him, calming him, but it was only when we got home that he began to relax. The reason for me stopping him is that I didn't want to reinforce it by quickening my pace to get home quickly. Although I maintained a slow walk, it was too slow for him hence his pulling.

Either he has never been allowed to socialise with other dogs or he's had bad experiences. I wont give up on him though. It's cool because as I'm teaching him, I'm re-training myself too.

The Witch and the Hound

Thanks for the link babe. Indeed I will waffle about our little lad, everyday is so full of funny things he does I wont be at a loss for things to say.

Right. Off for his 5am walk!

(I must be mad)

Meeting other dogs

So he is a good dog. He's not aggressive at all but he will react to another dog who gets to close or barks at him. A Chihuahua was the first of today's tests and Flash did well even though it was barking his head off at him. Why was the Chihuahua barking though? I still don't understand canine language or social hierarchy so was it a greeting or something else?
I decided to just calm him down and allowed the dog and owner to walk ahead of us before continuing. Flash didn't bark back at all but he was clearly not happy with it.

The second test for him came in the form of a spaniel. To me the dog was okay, it wasn't aggressive, didn't bark but just seemed inquisitive. He (or she) stopped, saw Flash and then made a very confident beeline towards him. The spaniel stopped a few feet away and that's when Flash jumped up in the air and barked "keep your distance!". I kept calm, gave a quick tug on the leash and told him to be calm then slowly removed him from the area. The other owner did likewise and once he was away he stood very calmly next to DD and I.

The last test was a terrier in a muzzle, but I spotted him and we stopped until they passed.

I think half the problem comes from me. I'm unsure when to allow him to be near other dogs and at times it's not even an option anyway. I know I don't want to constantly remove him from any other dogs as he'll never get that interaction which he needs and will always be unsure of them. So I think I need some proper advice and to do me some research!

First Walk

After his morning cuppa LOL! he was ready for a full day of play. He really does have a lot of energy but they come in spurts so you do have time to just chill with him too. His first walk with us was good with only one problem. A puppy was coming the other direction and ended up eyeballing him. Flash did the usual dog thing and barked and lurched for him, but with a quick tug he fell back in line and was calm again after after a second calm assertive tug. There where at least another 15 dogs in the park at that time too but he was calm near them so I'm really impressed by that. Well, when I say near I don't mean sniff butt close. That's something we'll tackle when he gets used to his surroundings and more importantly, being part of our pack.