Blooding

[Macha]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

a lot of the people who race greyhounds where I live "blood" their dogs with sacrificed rabbits or cats

I took my dogs to the track to get them used to the lure and they had no interest in it. they were each tried individually though I think they'd run if experienced dogs led the chase. Anyway, the head man said I'd need to "blood" the dogs to awaken their interest. It doesn't make sense to me; surely some dogs who hunt the real thing would turn up their noses at a mechanical lure.

anyway, I've never had a whippet who didn't naturally run after squirrels and wild rabbits when encountered. Coursing is in their nature. I do know that dogs, and even cats, have to learn to actually kill their prey, but that only matters if you want them to hunt or if they need to hunt in order to eat. Racing only involves the chase.

 

[tanyia]

Hi Macha, Im a big softy and could never let one of my dogs kill for the sake of killing. The nearest any of our girls get to a live kill is a stuffed toy LOL.

But thay soon learn at the track what to do. Good :luck:

 

[Macha]

Hi Macha, Im a big softy and could never let one of my dogs kill for the sake of killing. The nearest any of our girls get to a live kill is a stuffed toy LOL.But thay soon learn at the track what to do. Good  :luck:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

also I don't want my dogs to be a menace to the neighbours' cats and small dogs. I've even been getting them used to walking past gardens where people keep pet rabbits. At one house the rabbit owner sometimes puts the rabbits out in the front garden which only has a 3.5 foot high fence. One of my dogs jumped it once, very easily, but I was beside him and he jumped back out right away when I shouted at him.

 

[John E Greenwood]

Macha............I think that you are a bloody anti , looking for trouble.....please go elsewhere.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Macha, giving your dogs a kill won't turn them into rageing savages.

the odd kill (rabbit/squirrel) normaly keens a dog up.

 

[DavidH]

have you tryed to stop a whippet if it sets a rabbit up i cannot natual hunters and wonderful to watchrunning and turning.sadly my dog willnot any more broken leg.but priory to that she was a joy to watch both in the field and on the track and builds there stamina up naturally

 

[Strike Whippets]

A kill certainly makes "most" dogs keener, but it can make a few look even less at a lure as they know its not live :b just depends on the dog ..........

 

[gary farmer]

Hi Macha, Im a big softy and could never let one of my dogs kill for the sake of killing. The nearest any of our girls get to a live kill is a stuffed toy LOL.But thay soon learn at the track what to do. Good  :luck:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

hi macha Gary here I have hunted for years

and my opinion is that a kill would not do you dog any harm but I have also had dog s that can catch rabbits all day long but dont chase the lure. I think that what the person was trying to say to you is a kill would sike your dog up. If your dog enjoys a kill but won't chase the idea is to give it a kill after chasing the lure, then it would associate the kill with the mechanical lure, in other words trying to trick your dog into thinking there is something at the end of it. If this is not your idea of sport and you have a dog that won't chase but likes it's food the simple alternative is to get a small bag of cooked bacon, tie it to the lure, let the dog smell the bacon and then pull it away 10 yards and let him eat the bacon, if he does that make it 30 yards and so on. Within half an hour you will have the dog chasing the lure, this is a game to the dog and he has an excellent reward at the end. In my opinion a kill is not necessary. Good luck, any more problems let me know.

 

[tanyia]

Hi Macha, Im a big softy and could never let one of my dogs kill for the sake of killing. The nearest any of our girls get to a live kill is a stuffed toy LOL.But thay soon learn at the track what to do. Good  :luck:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

hi macha Gary here I have hunted for years

and my opinion is that a kill would not do you dog any harm but I have also had dog s that can catch rabbits all day long but dont chase the lure. I think that what the person was trying to say to you is a kill would sike your dog up. If your dog enjoys a kill but won't chase the idea is to give it a kill after chasing the lure, then it would associate the kill with the mechanical lure, in other words trying to trick your dog into thinking there is something at the end of it. If this is not your idea of sport and you have a dog that won't chase but likes it's food the simple alternative is to get a small bag of cooked bacon, tie it to the lure, let the dog smell the bacon and then pull it away 10 yards and let him eat the bacon, if he does that make it 30 yards and so on. Within half an hour you will have the dog chasing the lure, this is a game to the dog and he has an excellent reward at the end. In my opinion a kill is not necessary. Good luck, any more problems let me know.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Hi Gary, you put that very well. Ours love a treat on the lure. If our Marleys impact see's a rabbit she will run and chase it, but kiss it when she catches it :b

And she looks really silly carrying her teddy up the track, but thay are all different , its never stoped her chasing the lure.

 

[Fleesh]

Moany Moany would try to kill whether she chased a sure or not. She tried to kill her first rabbit when she was just 6 weeks old (poor Tazzie was impressed as she could get into all the spaces he tried to hide in). I agree that some just have a killer instinct from the off. I have never intentionally gone out to get a kill with the dogs though it's just chance if they happen upon one whilst out.

They get to eat what they kill (within reason) anyway so it doesn't go to waste and there's always someone willing to have the odd rabbit off us (provided is entire and not in two pieces when it arrives - Blaze retrieves but Kerri doesn't believe in sharing).

 

[Karen-Coral]

Yes Gary put that very well-

2 examples here of our bitches behaviour-Time and Fluke-(Fluke is much faster on the track than Time-but that doesn't matter here-I'm looking at their enthusiasm/character which may possibly be conditioned-

A rabbit is set loose on the field-

Time would be their first-instantly striking/ killing and eating the creature

Fluke would sniff and walk away-

Both chase the lure on the track-Time shows more enthusiasm to chase on the bends than on the straight-I believe this chase emulates the natural field environment more than 150 yards-(sand put aside)

Fluke 110% enthusiasm to chase the lure-straights and bends-she knows its not a rabbit-she's not interested in them........Its the chase....to win.....and be rewarded...

Both bitches are rewarded with cooked beef at the end of the race- Fluke prefers this to raw rabbit-she wouldn't eat a kill -Time would eat both

Characters-Time-not competitive-very laid back in nature-will give way to others rather than confront

Fluke-fiercly competitive-pack leader-not afraid to get bumped or to push her way through when necessary

Theres no real answer to this-every dog is naturally different then theres the conditioning side to contend with....hence Pavlovs theory etc....

Karen