My Dog's Not As Thick As I Thought She Was!

[ILoveKettleChips]

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Hi folks ... I never venture into the specialist realm of 'Coursing', so hello to anyone I haven't come across before.

I have a cracking lurcher bitch who I took on as a pet. She has zero recall and excels herself at disappearing into the ether every chance she gets unless walked in nice safe areas.

Last week we took them out to a nearby field where there are loads of rabbit holes but is usually nice and bunny-free in daylight. She pissed off over the brow of a hill and when her friend returned alone I was a bit worried. Then she reappeared with what I initially thought was a cat in her mouth :unsure: but thankfully turned out to be a rabbit. I was amazed that she'd brought it back and gave it up to me, and even more impressed that when I skinned it she'd left virtually no bruising, and hadn't broken the skin.

I'm now thinking of taking up an offer of some lamping with a gamekeeper I know, but am still really worried about the recall thing, especially since it'll be an unfamiliar area miles from home. Any ideas/comments/similar dilemmas?

 

[nigelmcfc]

Before you go lamping , you need the dog to retrieve to hand and come to the recall . or else you`ll end up 1/ knackered running to catch your dog and the rabbit, and 2/ going home with very little in the way of a catch as your dog will just riot on the scent and run off into the night!! disturbing all the game around the area.

Most dogs get the knack of lamping quite easily though, so if you have a friend with a dog that is a good lamper , take yours with it and let it watch , if you`re confident that she`ll return give her a go

 

[ILoveKettleChips]

Looks like it's some more time spent with a pocket full of cheddar cheese chunks and a sore throat! Might go with Jackie Drake's suggestion of using a catapult and some hazelnuts ... (w00t)

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

 

[Mike from Hereford]

A tried and tested method is to give a small reward every time your dog comes back to you, I use very small chocolate K9 buttons, even for normal exercise/walks. with lots of praise and a Larry Grayson pitch to your voice.Repetition is the answer.The lamping method I reckon is almost instinct, I use a Greyhound X/Whippet which brings the rabbits back almost as fast as the initial course.

 

[nigelmcfc]

My old whippet/greyhound bitch was an excellent lamper too. It was as if it was natural with her. If only my present whippet bitch was as obedient !!! I`ve had to work quite hard with her- she`s a rescue bitch and to start with she was very reserved and a bit nervous, almost stand-offish in her attitude. Bit by bit she`s progressed though, and now is retrieving quite well and her recall is a lot better.

She is the first full whippet I`ve owned after years of wanting one, and her early pace and overall prowess as a working dog are starting to shine through. I hope she continues to progress. It`s been hard work though, not sure what happened to her , but it certainly affected her .