Your Dog — November 2017

Your Dog November 2016 57

▲

“These dogs are fast,

furtive, intelligent, and

quick to react.”

http://www.yourdog.co.uk Your Dog November 2017 57

Once a Lurcher begins to run,

there is rarely any stopping him.

Lurchers are generally

healthy dogs.

Y DDogN b 2016 57

▲

“These dogs are fasst,

furtive, intelligent, aand

quick to react.”

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Once a Lurcher begins to run,

there is rarely any stopping him.

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too great. But they do need to

run, so you have to fi nd safe

places for them to stretch their

limbs and glory in their speed.

They often like to run away

from you for the sheer joy of

running back, but they are

nimble, so stand your ground

when your Lurcher runs

towards you, as most will jink

around you at the last second,

rather than uproot you.

● Their long bodies and legs

mean they can stretch a long

way, so Lurchers are great for

teaching people to put food

away and close doors. They

are accomplished thieves

and can use their long noses

and paws to undo catches

and bolts.

● While food they may steal is

always desirable — and they

can vacuum a cake off a table

without breaking stride — they

are fastidious eaters with their

own food, and simply will not

eat anything they don’t like.

Those who claim dogs will

not starve themselves never

owned a Lurcher, especially

one with a lot of Deerhound in

him. They will also walk away

from a part-fi lled food bowl

once they have had enough,

which owners of some breeds

fi nd astonishing.

● Lurchers often sleep very

deeply with their eyes open,

so be careful that nobody

intrudes on them until you are

certain they are awake.

● If taken to training

classes, ensure that the

instructor understands that

the Lurcher’s long back and

bony bum makes ‘Sit’ very

uncomfortable, and his deep

chest makes ‘Down’ equally

unpleasant. Nor do Lurchers

want to repeat exercises

— they’ll do something once

to be obliging, and after that,

you can whistle Dixie.

● They fi nd noise actively

unpleasant, so echoing halls

or barking dogs can stress

them to the point of wanting

to run away, or else they shut

down completely. They are,

however, very trainable if

they trust you and can see the

point of whatever you want

them to do.

HEALTH AND GENERAL CARE

Lurchers are generally healthy into old age, but their speed and

enthusiasm for the chase can mean collision injuries, strains, and

rips. Their tails are long and thin-skinned, so take care to see

your dog is in a clear space before you let him run, and be very

careful with doors in the house and car. Deep-chested dogs can

be at risk of bloat, so leave as long as possible between feeding

and exercise.

Sight hound types have a higher red blood cell count than

other dogs, and are also extremely sensitive to anaesthetics

and sedatives, even the most modern ones, so it is important

for veterinary staff to be aware of this. Vets who are Greyhound

specialists are ideal for this type of dog.

DID YOU KNOW?

Most Lurchers have little

body fat and thin fur,

so they will benefit from

a fleece or coat in

cooler weather.

56-58 YD Lurchers CS2(SW) CC.indd 57 22/09/2017 13:17