I can see why they didn’t let you have a dog now…………

righto, I think the word is anthropomorphisation, but then my spelling is very poor

The word I was thinking of only had four letters 8)

Anagallis,

You’re right about the spaniel bit, luckly he has the common sense of a Spainel too, so he was faily easy to train, as I say training Lurchers is quite easy, not Collie or Labardor easy if you get what I mean.

Keeping dogs outside can be good for dogs that tend to get good, thick coats, Akitas etc, as it encourages them to grow thicker. But, depending on the parentage of yours it may be that it just will not grow a thick coat – our Spaniel cross, Jasper doesn’t, he’s almost bald in some areas.

Dogs go mad, collies especially becuase they’re not mentally stimulated/worked enough, they get bored, then crazy.

And on the puppy front, imo go for the quiet one.

Steady on Oxboy, you generalised a step too far, and I wasn’t trying to make you look daft. Admittedly I could have started my response to you better, and for that I apologise.

There could be all manner of characters thrown from that mix. I agree that a puppy is an unknown quantity but don’t put people off the hundreds of fantastic lurchers / sighthounds in rescue after a home.

You’ve had 2 ex workers one was older and steadied down and probably a crap worker like the young one you have.

Ted (younger, current hound) is a terrible worker. He’s ridiculously prey-driven, but so soft-mouthed a working owner would weep. He’s got enough saluki in him to make sure I never have a ‘rose tinted view’ of dogs. He’s doing fine in a pet home. Ali was as keen as mustard, and very ‘successful’ on his walks with us, despite his years, until we convinced him he was retired.

Conclusion – Lurchers and other sighthounds can, and very often do, make fantastic pets / trail dogs. Like any other breed.

Anyway, for a pet go through a good rescue. Get one assessed for your family / lifestyle. There are too many good dogs needing homes.

You wanna a Boxer….
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a_a – our late Golden Retriever slept outside in a purpose built kennel on her own. She was far healthier than many other dogs. Of course she was part of the family but dogs need to know their place.

I did a lot of research into parentage, siblings, hip scores which are inportant with GR’s. Looked at various litters with a friend who had been involved with breeding gun dogs. When you have kids it’s important to know these things.

Some lovely pics here, does anyone have a dog I could borrow or be an auntie to?

Some lovely pics here, does anyone have a dog I could borrow or be an auntie to?

There are times I’d give you Ted and any amount you wish as compensation to sweeten the deal. Times measured in micro-seconds though 😉

Stunning hound, he is.

What should be looking for when you go to buy a puppy? That the people selling the puppy find out about you. The meeting is not just about you making sure they are OK, but that they have concern where the puppy is going. If you see that happening you know the breeders are caring people who have the welfare of their puppies at heart.

Are you suitable? Ask yourself that. Will the dog be taken out regularly, not be left alone for long periods? That sort of thing. Some dogs are better suited to modern lifestyles than others but they all need lots of attention. Collies simply will not stand for lack of it. They literally go crazy if you don’t give them masses of attention and walks. Lapdogs can take less attention but crave human company. Big dogs needs loads of room and huge amounts of exercise. All common sense really, it’s almost like buying a child.

And they all demand discipline.

Oh, and here’s our dog. She’s great.

Big dogs needs loads of room and huge amounts of exercise.

Hmmm, generalisation again. Ted is 31″ to the shoulder, most people who meet him say (Little Britain Dennis Waterman style) ‘Ooh, that’s a big dog!’ He takes up no room and is as lazy as a lion.

We live in a terrace, and both work full time. With a bit of juggling of our jobs, Ted gets 60 minutes walk twice a day, EVERY day, rain, shine, Christmas or ‘can’t be arsed’. He’s never alone for more than five hours. He goes lure coursing once a month. He’s crap at it, but loves it.

but they all need lots of attention

I disagree. The only attention Ted needs is walks and people around in general, and a bit of a scratch at bedtime. If you’ve got a dog needing / demanding attention you’re doing it wrong.

Keeping a dog is as difficult as you make it. (By gum, I’ve made it difficult for myself in the past though!)

EDIT: Lovely shot Samuri.

Hi Goon,
Sorry if I sounded a bit aggressive in my post, I like Lurchers and would readily have another myself. They are fantastic, athletic dogs and an absolute pleasure to own. But any potential owners must keep a cose eye on them off the lead.
As for keeping dogs outside, most dogs will live outside, but please respect your dog and give them the best you can, i.e. more food in the cold weather, straw/ blankets for their beds inside the kennel etc. I keep mine outside in the day but bring them in at night, I like the security of having them in also not the worry of freezing my dogs at night when its at its coldest! But thats just me I am soft with them!

p.s. goon
Love the pics a handsome chap he is indeed!

Second what Samuri says,don’t get an active dog if you’re not prepared to walk them plenty.Our Ras has me up & out the house for 5am every morning before work for 30-45 mins.After work I take him out for about an hour.

PS,I still think If you’re having a dog as a pet then you should let him in the house at night.Never have understood why anyone would kick them out at night,as for saying they’ll be healthier,what a load of crap.If you’re house proud don’t get a dog get a goldfish or a budgie …..

PPS,If you are really house proud – Don’t get kids either,esp not 3 of them ! !
😈

Its not to do with being house proud its to do with what I think is best for the dog.

Ted is gorgeous! What’s his top speed?

goon where do you do the coursing?

I might print this out and give to all the problem dog walkers I encounter. Especially the ones with dogs called “Oi” or “Oi Come Here” 😉

Read this as well, from the NFU mag:

Bigger pix here…

Bigger Pix

Check out the in bred illnesses of some of the pedigree breeds. Aren’t the BBC going to cancel coverage of cruffs because of the damage KC breed standard has done to some of them.

No worries Oxboy :O) And I am agreed that any potential owners should know that they can be quite a long way away in a short time. We put in months of work on this with Ted, and it still needs reinforcing in his mind.

cinnamon_girl -> It’s funny you should ask. I wondered myself for a good while and last month got round to buying a small GPS logger to fit to his collar. His record is 34 MPH, chasing his frisbee. I reckon there’s probably 2 – 3 MPH more in there on the lure.

anagallis -> We course near Stapeley, Cheshire. Straight run, no scoring or points, just fun for the dogs. Even with daily walks and runs, Ted is more settled after a morning coursing. I should work him, but it’s not really my thing. (That said, if he was any good, I’d be out occasionally with the local lurcher lads. I’d ‘put up’ with it for Ted’s sake.)

Puppy on its way in 3 weeks time, anyone recommend me a dog training book? Is clicker training all its cracked up to be? I was given that dog whisper fella’s book but so far its just said the same thing over and over for the first 3 chapters, should I keep going with it?

Goon Cheshire is a bit far for me I’m in reading. The guy we are getting ours from works them and shows them, had six or seven all really friendly one was a greyhound bearded collie which he had training for jumping comeptitions but was now 12 years old. When he called him it jumped straight out of its run over a fence that must have been around 7foot tall!

I love the way you know whats best for a dog and where they sleep, yet ask for a book on training. hmmmm.

Stick with the Dog Whisperer – it all works. Find local training classes and enrol – great fo training (better than a book) and great socialization for the little one.

Don’t buy a harness for the dog – it gives them something to pull against and does not cure anything.

I dont think having an opinion on where I think a dog should sleep and asking if anyone has tips on a dog training book is mutually exclusive, but never mind.

ton – is that your dog? if so, (s)he’s awesome.

If not, still looks pretty decent…

jimmy, it is mate.
she is a beauty too.
good as gold, needed no training.

I’ve been toying with the idea of geting a Jack Russell pup (after a lifetime of cats).

Anyone had/has one and any advice for novice pooch owner please?

All i’ll say is crate train your dog, my dog never pooped inside. Which is good, as you dont want to slip on a poop when you get up in the morning!