Dog
Lurcher Champions
You must login to add your Champion Dog to this list.
Breed Description:
The Lurcher has a short coat and a smooth undercoat that thickens in the winter. The legs are long and straight. The chest is deep, providing lung capacity for endurance. The small, wire-haired ears are high set. The small, dark eyes are round and alert. Colors vary widely since the Lurcher is derived from sighthound crosses. There is also a long-haired variety.
Temperament:
A Lurcher is a fun-loving, affectionate, lovable dog who thrives on the leadership of his master. These dogs were bred to hunt rabbit and hare in Ireland and Great Britain by Irish gypsies and tinkers in the 1600's. They have inherited fast agile movements from the sighthound crosses in them. Lurchers have the strong hunting instincts of the sighthounds. This combination also proved to be a good obedient dog which learns commands fast. Good for outdoor-type families, they are usually gentle with people, which makes an amendable companion.
Living Conditions:
The Lurcher is usually not recommended for city life, as they are a very high-energy dog.
Exercise:
The Lurcher needs to go for a walk at least once a day (especially in small living quarters). It will enjoy running free in a safe enclosed area. Having sighthound in it, it is extremely fast and is a natural racer. It will chase and kill small game. Be sure to provide a safe area for this dog to run so it does not get hit by a car should it decide to take off after an animal.
Grooming:
Both the long-haired and short-haired variety of the Lurcher should be combed and brushed regularly. Some Lurchers are constant shedders, while others are average shedders.
Origin:
Lurchers were developed by the Romanichals and Mouchers in England (the Norfolk Lurcher being the typical moucher dog) and other British countries during a period when hunting of game was reserved for the landed classes. The penalties for poaching were extremely severe, and greyhounds (as well as being very difficult to train) were also the dog of the aristocracy, so obviously a different dog was required. They were used for poaching rabbits, hares and other small creatures. It is never bred to a specific standard and is not considered a breed, as the Lurcher is a crossbreed: usually three quarters sighthound but can have any amount of sighthound in them. The most common combinations are the Greyhound/Collie and the Greyhound/Terrier. The name Lurcher a is derived name from the Romany word lur, which means thief. The gypsies considered the short-haired Lurcher the most prized. The Lurcher is still common in its native land. The Collie crosses were often not large enough to do the work the Lurcher was intended for. Gypsies traditionally sneered at any Lurcher that was not predominantly Greyhound, since these "lesser" Lurchers were not as good at hunting and could not stand a full day's work of the hunt. Starting a dog working too young can ruin the dog in one season. It takes about 1 -2 years to get a dog ready to work. Today some breeding is carried out in a more systematic manner, with Lurchers bred to Lurchers to perpetuate the "breed's" prowess at rabbit and hare coursing. Hare coursing is now illegal in Wales, England, and Scotland. It is still legal in Northern Ireland but the two coursing clubs in NI now meet in the Republic, since the all other UK countries outlawed it and the Republic has not. Comments
The standards for all the breeds accepted to the AKC are used here for breed information, and those not part of the AKC are resourced from FCI standard information, where it is written and coded into the club rules for those breeds.
