Shooting Times & Country Magazine
The lowdown on lurchers
Former head chef at River
Cottage and runs a shoot in Devon
SIMON WHITEHEAD
Author, professional ferreter and rabbit controller
IAIN WATSON
Keen stalker and senior CIC international trophy judge
I would like to get a lurcher puppy to help me with my ferreting. This will be my first dog, so what should I look for in a good lurcher?
Looking for a lurcher can be difficult. You never see a trained or parttrained rabbiting dog for sale because, once trained, they are priceless to their owners. I am a staunch advocate of always looking at working strains rather than show or racing strains/owners. The type of lurcher that I like isn’t necessarily going to suit the next person, but the criteria shouldn’t be a million miles out.
Start by looking at the breeding. I am a great fan of the collie-cross lurcher because they have a bit of brain, but not too much, along with the collie’s drive and biddability. The height and conformation should be dictated by your terrain and style of ferreting. Open ground favours the slightly larger dog, whereas smaller dogs, such as whippet crosses, are ideal for hedges.
It must have good feet, not only to withstand the terrain that it will be working in, but also due to the pressure caused by running, twisting and turning at speed.
The coat is another talking point. I have had both rough- and smoothcoated dogs and I found my dogs suffered less with the smooth collietype coat than the rough-coated.
Some people like dogs, others bitches. Only you know what you prefer. At the end of the day, lurchers come in all kinds of shapes, speed, temperament, brains and drive. It is just as much of what you put into them as what is born into them. Temperament, however, is king and often overlooked.
I like to get my puppy at eight weeks and start getting it used to what will become its life as soon as I possibly can.
Patience is needed in its raising and training, which I am sure many people will be willing to advise you on. SW