 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about
Lurchers
|
| What is a
Sighthound? |
A Sighthound is a dog that hunts
primarily by sight (rather than by scent) and speed. The following breeds are
the most common Sighthounds: Irish Wolfhound, Scottish Deerhound, Greyhound,
Whippet, Saluki, Russian Borzoi, Italian Greyhound; other Sighthounds are the
Ibizan, Pharaoh Hound, Sloughi, and Rhodesian Ridgeback. |
What is a Lurcher?
|
Any dog crossed with a
Sighthound is a Lurcher. Thus, a Lurcher is a cross breed not a purebred
dog. |
| What are the advantages of a
Lurcher? |
They are
relatively quiet, calm, low energy dogs (although the pups are active), and are
friendly and love people. However, their characteristics depend on the cross.
We think our dogs get their sedate side from the Greyhound blood and their fun
loving, silliness from their Deerhound ancestry. |
| What are the disadvantages of a
Lurcher? |
They might not
be easily trained to come when called; if they run a lot, it might be difficult
to keep weight on them; they need to have room and time to have at least one
daily run. |
| How big do they
get? |
The size depends
totally on the particular cross. A Whippet crossed with a like size dog would
be on the small to medium size. Our Lurchers range from 47 to 90
pounds. |
| What are the feeding needs of a
Lurcher? |
We feed our
Lurchers a mixture of kibble, canned food, boiled chicken, and cooked
hamburger, plus a few dog biscuits during the day for good
measure. |
| What are the grooming needs of a
Lurcher? |
The grooming needs depends on the
particular Lurcher cross. Two of our Deerhound Lurchers have broken coats with
short coarse hair requiring very little combing. The other two with their
longer "silken" coats, can look rather scruffy without a quick
comb. |
| Where can I get a
Lurcher? |
There are only a
few Lurcher breeders in America, but there are quite a few in England. We would
happily talk with you about importing a British dog. If however, you would like
an American born Deerhound Lurcher, please contact us
about future litters. |
Where can I compete with my
Lurcher?
|
In America, only
purebred AKC (American Kennel Club) dogs compete in conformation classes. The
AKC also offers lure coursing. In Britain, there are dog shows specifically for
Lurchers. These shows offer conformation classes and lure coursing trials.
Since Lurchers are not a breed, they cannot be shown for conformation at dog
shows in the U.S. There are some lure coursing competitions open to mix breed
dogs, but they must be neutered. However, there are a variety of agility
classes open to cross breed dogs. |
| What is Lure Coursing? |
A competition in which two or three
dogs chase a mechanically operated lure over a assigned course (see Related
Links below). |
