lure ragging

[paul bywater]

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when my dog is trialing he is very keen but he wont rag the lure , but he will in the house , does this mean when i take him coursing on the local areas he will just keep on chasing or will he kill it? he hasnt had his first kill yet but im out regulary to try & get him one will getting his first kill improve his racing /keeness? i was at H.O.E last w/end & i was told some whip owners dont let there dogs off the lead, mine would go mental if i didnt!

 

[Mark Roberts]

Hi Paul

The Keeness to rag the lure at the track will come with age, you're pup is still very young at the moment.

as for letting it off the lure, my personal feelings are that whippets are born to run NOT walk on a lead all the time and so free running has got to be the best form of exersise for a sound breed that is bred to run.

hope this helps if you're doing nothing this weekend weve got our open and you're more than welcome to come and have a brew with us.

 

[paul bywater]

thanks for advice mark ,cant make this w/end but will be up soon.

 

[aoife]

when my dog is trialing he is very keen but he wont rag the lure , but he will in the house , does this mean when  i take him coursing on the local areas he will just keep on chasing or will he kill it? he hasnt had his first kill yet but im out regulary to try & get him one will getting his first kill improve his racing /keeness? i was at H.O.E last w/end & i was told some whip owners dont let there dogs off the lead, mine would go mental if i didnt!

what are you actually wanting to do with your dog as your post is a bit confussing, racing, lurecoursing, coursing, lamping/poaching,

if your dog has the instinct and desire to chase it will do it natrually, time will tell what he/ she will excel in, it depends on how keen they are ,some that only lure course will not live course, the object of coursing is not in the kill it's the skill and ability of the dog to turn and course it;s quarry, if you want the kill then you will have to go poaching most hound and lurcher folk leave there dogs until about twelve to eighteen months to get them realy fit. regards tina

 

[Mark Roberts]

if you want the kill then you will have to go poaching

Hi Tina why would he need to poach to kill hares? I regularly run my dogs on hares with the full permission of my loacal farmers?.

 

[NEILPEM]

my older dogs wont rag at home but they are lure mad when racing ,except for my jodie she a bit thick,lol

 

[aoife]

if you want the kill then you will have to go poaching

Hi Tina why would he need to poach to kill hares? I regularly run my dogs on hares with the full permission of my loacal farmers?.

general comment as was not sure what the poster was asking, would not like to think anyone with little experience would go on someones land without perrmission and then get accused of tresspassing with intent to poach , like you have said you have permission, regards tina

 

[paul bywater]

tina i know about poaching ,i have some "lejit" ground to go on,regards the use of my dog i would just like him to be a normal multi purpose whippet ,club racing , & coursing live & lure & a bit of working . im not going to run him to death i just want him to have a go at everything & follow in his moms & sisters footsteps of coursing / working. all i was asking was if his first kill will make rag the lure at the end of the race. but thanks all for help

 

[BeeJay]

all i was asking was if his first kill will make rag the lure at the end of the race. but thanks all for help

Does anyone have a dog that won't chase a mechanical lure because it's not alive? ie a kill or many kills has made the dog disinterested in a moving piece of vet bed.

I've got a deerhound x who clearly thinks that chasing a lure is ridiculous. Just wondering if this has ever happened with whippets.

 

[Vanna]

We've had one. She was a great hunter, and used to organise all the younger dogs into an efficient rabbiting pack. We took her racing, and she ran very well - once! As soon as she saw what she was really chasing, she refused to do it ever again.

 

[dessie]

I've seen dogs at lure coursing just stand at the start as well, even though the lure has gone past them at the rate of knots. They are often just one only pets though and I sometimes wonder if they are actually exercised anywhere where they can have a good run and chase anything.

Some of mine don't really bother to course the lure and will initially start off and then run the whole of the field with nose to the ground trying to pick up a scent (Jamie in particular) and then you get those that have got wise to it and actually hunt it rather than course it by cutting corners and trying to head it off!

Does it actually matter to the dog if it is only a plastic bag or a real animal? Once mine make the final catch and kill, they then release it straight away be it a squirrel, deer etc or plastic bag

 

[John E Greenwood]

I have had lurchers who want to catch the lure as opposed to chase it. I once took one to a circular flapping track (Thornton le Dale), he chased for one circuit, then jumped the barrier, ran accross the middle, jumped the barrier back on to the track and caught the lure as it came round, very embarassing :b :b

I have found with whippets that catching rabbits just makes them keener for the lure. I think your experience of him not ragging at the racing is a question of confidence (the dogs not yours). The more you take him out, and help him hunt, the more confidence he will have in you. Also age, most pups run straight back to their owners after a race, and leave ragging the lure to the older, more dominant dogs. As they get older, and in their minds dominant to the other dogs, they will consider it their perogative to take charge of the lure after a race, especially if they have plenty of confidence in themselves, and in you, as their back up.

Try taking the lure back to the start line after he has trialled, with him off the lead with you. Not only is this helpfull to the other racers, but he has caught the lure for you, and you have accepted it, this will boost his confidence and reassure him that you aprove of his behaviour. When he has killed, and he is 18 or 20 months old, the other racers will be complaining that he is too rough round the lure, I bet you

Dogs which are kept on the lead all the time can't develope any confidence, and have no experiences to reinforce the fact that you will still be there when they have finished the race, so some of them won't even leave the traps, never mind spend precious time ragging the lure when they should be making sure that mummy hasn't run off and left them!!!

How can they develope good heart and lungs onthe lead ??? How can they learn to run on variable surfaces etc ??? ???

I believe that you are doing the right thing working your whippet, he will enjoy it, and in my opinion it will only improve his racing. Just remember, at the moment he is only a juvenile and if the other dogs at the racing club are his pack, how do you think this will affect his behaviour. When he is a big strong adult male with plenty of confidence and experience, how will that affect his behaviour on the racing field. ???

Hunting dogs learn from each other, the easiest way for him to make his first kill would be with another, experienced dog.

 

[John E Greenwood]

Bugger it, I'm going to blather on a bit more

Another big problem when racing, is that the owners get too wound up or anxious, this transmits to the dogs and what does a wound up, anxious dog want to do??? Go to mummy or daddy for reassurence, of course, so try to stay calm, and remember, what ever the outcome of the days competition, you will take the best dog on the field home with you.

My reasons for saying hunting dogs learn from each other are.

1) To train foxhounds they couple the pups to the old hounds,and they have a bit of experience in dog training.

2) Dogs kill different quarry in different ways, eg. turn rabbits over an crush their ribs, shake rats and squirrels, grab foxes by the throat. And I have known a dog try to kill a fox by turning it over, until it has seen an experienced dog kill a fox, then it will adopt the most efficient method.

Hope this helps and reassures you in your dog training

 

[jasper.]

how old is your dog?if it is under 18 months i would keep to rabbits, so you dont make him loose any heart at his ability.have you tried him with a dried out rabbit skin' to tease and chase. i have found it keens a young dog up.

 

[paul bywater]

thanks for advice john/jasper hes now 10 months & very keen & trialing now with other dogs at H.O.E , i take him rabbiting regulary & im going tonight , its natral for them to chase & kill i suppose & icant wait untill he gets his first kill!he went after one the other night but ened up in dense undergroath & come out about 3 mins later wether he got it or not i couldnt tell because it was just going dark & i didnt take my lamp but he was licking his lips! anyway hopefully taking him lure coursing this winter at the northern & progress on to the real thing thanks again all

 

[John E Greenwood]

When he kills, he'll make sure daddy has seen how clever he has been, I bet, good luck, happy hunting.

 

[paul bywater]

hope so john ilove going hunting but sometimes its a bit frustrating! but im just a bit in pationt i seem to have bin training him up for years!

 

[mutley]

NOT BEEN ON THIS PART OF THE FORUM VERY MUCH ,BUT I LIKE THE CRACK I SEE MY NUTTY MATE NEIL COMES ON TOO, WE HAVE A 6 YEAR OLD BITCH CALLED BLUE GOBLIN THAT WILL KILL ANYTHING THAT MOVES NON PED WHIPPET 17 POUND IN WEIGHT, I CAN LEAVE HER OF THE LEAD AT THE TRACK AND SHE WOULDNT MOVE ,YET WHEN RACING SHE RUNS HER HEART OUT BUT WILL NEVER PUT THE LURE IN HER MOUTH ALLWAYS STRAIGHT TO THE MRS, EVEN THOUGH ITS THE RAG SHES AFTER ,IVE HAD DOGS IN THE PAST THAT WOULDNT EVEN CHASE A PLASSTIC LURE AFTER HAVING A KILL, I DONT THINK DOGS MUST BE RAG DAFT TO CHASE AND WIN RACES

 

[John E Greenwood]

YEH, M utley, they're clever enough to know which game they're playing, (unlike some of the owners).