[Ideation]

Was just having a read through some of the posts on here. . .

I've got a bit of a pack at my place haha.

1 Lurcher.
1 Whippet.
1 Cocker Spaniel.
1 Hound.
1 Patterdale Terrier.
1 Jack Russel Terrier.
1 Patterdale x Russel Terrier.

Aye, seven dogs. . . . it's a mad house!

But apart from the Jack Russel, who is a 15 year old retiree, the rest are all worked and kept busy!

I'll try to stick a few photos up later.

[NicandChic]

Fab, look forward to the photos, we've only got 3 (1 lurcher & 2 cockers - mum & son)
Will be adding another cocker when our girl has her next litter, none of ours are worked,all just family pets 
In the future we would love to add a Briard to our gang - once the human kids are bigger.

[Ideation]

What's the lurcher out of interest?

I can see another dog joining my lot in the not too distant future! haha.

Just what I need!

[shygirl]

and I thought 4 dogs was a lot, ha ha,

good to see working dogs 

[Alistair]

I've got 4,
2x border collies
1 German shepherd cross & a saluki x greyhound lurcher,

I thought I was silly having 4, obviously not, must get some more

[NicandChic]

What's the lurcher out of interest?

Apparently collie mum v lurcher dad (bought her off Facebook for £40 riddled with worms & had been weaned onto those little bone biscuits ) were told she was 12 weeks but she was more like 6, needless to say bit of TLC 7 months and ta da 

Edited to add a pretty pic to show she can look girly!

[ZaktheLad]

Nice Lurcher - here's my lurcher Zair.   I also have a whippet x JR terrier and a border collie.

[Bionic]

What's the lurcher out of interest?

Edited to add a pretty pic to show she can look girly!

Of course she looks girly, she has a pink collar 

[Ideation]

N&C - Aye, there is definataly collie in her! Sounds like she had a rough start in life, glad it's better now.

Zak - Nice dog.

My lurcher is collie/grey/saluki/grey/bull/whippet (dam) x collie/whippet/grey (sire)

It always amazes me how many folk have pet lurchers, they do make a real nice dog to have around the house, very laid back. I'd never be without one!

My lot all earn their keep, apart from the retiree whose only 'work' these days is barking at the moon, hot air balloons and any birds who decide to invade 'his' garden. The rest all provide meat for the table in some fashion or other, or help to reduce the local pest / vermin population.

I also get asked to do a lot of pest control for local farms, and now it's spread out to countrywide haha and I find myself up as far as Yorkshire and down as far as Sussex!

[NicandChic]

Funny you should bring up lurchers as pets - yesterday I read a post on a lurcher Facebook group about a woman who's dog ran into a field of sheep and attacked one she said she just stood and screamed, apparently the sheep got up after the attack and walked off, she now thinks she needs to re home the dog as he's not the dog she thought he was!?!?! My blood was boiling after reading her post... she owns a sighthound!!??!! I've no idea if she contacted the farmer, I don't think she did, also makes me angry thinking of that poor sheep, who knows what injuries it may of suffered.

Our Ellie loves to chase/ run & I enjoy nothing more than watching her but its in the safety of our own field, her recall is pretty good but I wouldn't count on it! We have sheep 3ft from our back door which she is use to but the garden in completely secure for our own peace of mind (and it stops the foxes pinching the dogs toys/bones) walking to our field involves going past a gate into the sheep field, I always put Ellie on her lead for the 1 minute walk until we're in our field, she's a sighthound and I'm not going to take the risk. Makes me so angry other owners are so slack when it comes to responsible dog ownership. Rant over 

Must be great fun working your dogs Ideation.

[Ideation]

Yer. . . . we've had a few problems here. Had a few sheep killed.

There is a real fashion for lurchers these days, I see a lot of non working dogs in pet homes. . . and by and large it's good, people rescuing dogs. In the working lurcher world there are a lot of dickheads who have them as a fashion accessory to make them look 'well hard'. Unfortunataly both sets of people, who end up with the dogs for the wrong reason, don't understand the basics of training and dog handling.

With a high drive dog like a lurcher can often be, that will end in tears. . . . or dead / maimed stock.

Having said that its true of most dog breeds. . . . we've also lost sheep locally to other breeds, in fact more so than running dogs, mostly pet dog owners with say a boxer, that never thought about stock breaking!

And like you say there are ways, if the dog is older, or you don't have the facility to install the training, to avoid hassle. . . by keeping your eyes open and using common sense. A lead is also a great tool!

With my lot, stock breaking is one of my main priorities with a puppy, that, and recall. If I can take them places, and they don't chase stock and come back when called. . . thats a great start! I also only take the dogs out 1:1 until about 7 months old, working on building a very strong bond, so i'm the most interesting thing around. As they get older I integrate them into the pack.  Then through their working life they do different tasks, sometimes together, sometimes apart (i.e shooting over the spaniel, lambing with the lurcher, ferreting with the whippet or hunting the whippet, lurcher and terriers in a pack)

I can take my lot out all together, and they will do as I say, ignore sheep, cows, horses, chickens etc. However, if you are a rabbit. . . . or most other edible game. . . . then watch out haha. And I pity the fox that tries to get my chickens. . . .

I can't think of a better way to spend my time than in the woods, with my dogs, watching them do what is natural to them. And if they feed the family and themselves in the process. . . . that's a bonus!

[sokel]

Between us at 3 houses we have quite a few dogs 
2 Irish Wolfhounds
2 German Shepherds
1 Border terrier
2 Mini Dachshunds
2 Poodles
3 Yorkshire terriers
1 Pug
ranging from 18 months - 16 years old
forgot the 2 visiting Chi's

[Ideation]

That's quite some pack!

I have a friend who has around 40!

[Sbom]

I have two JRT's and a lurcher who is just lovely! She is just over one and would love to work her but not sure how to get her started......
She's pretty good with our animals but does tend to have the odd relapse and just runs at them to make them go but always comes back when called, it's a work in progress  . When walked through them on the lead then she barely looks at them and wanders round with the chickens fine, as do both terriers.
Would post a pic but struggle to do it on here.

[sabrina]

If you have the room and time a couple of dogs or more can be a lot of fun. We have the 3 but in the past had 4. As long as you are in charge and they do as they are told there should be no problems. Even a sight hound can be trained not to chase, yes it can be done. I get so mad when people take on a dog then find its not what they thought and get rid.  The world we live in these days.