# Greyhounds/lurchers and deer - any experiences?



## FestiveSpirit (26 December 2009)

Took my horrible pair for a walk today as it has thawed a bit and they have decided they can manage to walk properly again   
	
	
		
		
	


	





We met a very nice lady with a lurcher and brindle greyhound which were also from GRWE, then went off around the wood.  About 3/4's of the way around the circular track we put up a deer - a roe deer I think, but I only caught a glimpse of it - but thankfully I managed to grab both dogs before they saw it  
	
	
		
		
	


	





The ground has a lot of cover in the wood - brambles etc everywhere - and I suspect that Flick would be too much of a wimp to bother chasing anything.

Islay of course was dying to go after it  
	
	
		
		
	


	




  So just wondered what would happen if she did chase it?  Do the dogs generally tend to give up when they realise they arent going to catch the deer?

I must admit I was very surprised to see it, as not only had the lady with the two sighthounds been walking around the wood before me but also a very noisy family with screaming/shouting kids


----------



## mattilda (26 December 2009)

Can't be of any real help but aren't greyhounds sprimters? Would have thought the deer have more stamina. Then again am not a greyhound expert either.


----------



## FestiveSpirit (26 December 2009)

That was my thought on what would probably happen too Mattilda - the deer is far bigger and I agree it will have loads more stamina than a greyhound.  Hopefully Islay would see it the same way


----------



## CAYLA (26 December 2009)

OH said she would have chased and could have easily caught and killed it alone but some not so experienced dogs would literally chase and run along side barking others inc dogs that he has been out with of grey x type have caught pulled them down and killed them, he said they are not very big, and have little defence but can jump very high and turn on a six pence so would prob take a dog with a little hunting skill to get one.
Islay may have been very keen for the chase, she may have thought twice when she got there 
	
	
		
		
	


	








He said the few he saw..... one dog chased and pulled down and another ran and killed swiftly via the throat.

He used to take his dogs to Scotland when he was younger.
Then he said he had heard alot of younger lads he talks to saying their dogs have brought deer down and killed them with terriers and lurchers, but u never know whether they are jsut talking crap 
	
	
		
		
	


	









OH was not really into deer hunting, even though we have a deer hound he used to take them out for rabbits and hares.
OH also said his dads deer hound chased and had no chance catching one, it as way to nifty and got away


----------



## CAYLA (26 December 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Can't be of any real help but aren't greyhounds sprimters? Would have thought the deer have more stamina. Then again am not a greyhound expert either. 

[/ QUOTE ]

He said yeah....they are sprinters but with the speed they can run in a short space of time/sprint they could easily catch one.
My whip would prob beable to catch one/or atleast get to it within secs with her sheer speed, as she is like lightening off the mark, but she cannot turn to save her life nor is she big enough....lol 
	
	
		
		
	


	









He said deer would have advantage over it's familiar turf and know where to run quickly for safety and dog would prob be left high and dry 
	
	
		
		
	


	








Burt in open he said a deer is fast but not as fast as a grey sprinting full pelt.

Im jsut relaying all this


----------



## CAYLA (26 December 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
That was my thought on what would probably happen too Mattilda - the deer is far bigger and I agree it will have loads more stamina than a greyhound.  Hopefully Islay would see it the same way  
	
	
		
		
	


	













[/ QUOTE ]

The ones I have seen over out nature reserve are actually pretty small, not that much bigger then a descent size grey.

We also have a dog that would make it her lifes aim to catch if she saw , she is very aggressive with the chase being a whip x grey x pit/staff type, she is not like lightening but she has immense stamina and can turn very well, and once she has something in sight she will get it at any cost, hence why we get her on the lead sharpich if we see something.
This keennes and extra deterimination is def the staff/pitt or whatever the bull is in her(u have seen pics, she is like a small brick **** house


----------



## FestiveSpirit (26 December 2009)

Ahhh I thought you would know, thanks Cayla  
	
	
		
		
	


	












  There was nowhere really where they would have gone into the open, all of the ground is quite well covered with undergrowth, so hopefully Islay would have had second thoughts like you said if/when she caught up  
	
	
		
		
	


	





I will be making every effort to always grab my two before they can get any opportunity mind you


----------



## FestiveSpirit (26 December 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
That was my thought on what would probably happen too Mattilda - the deer is far bigger and I agree it will have loads more stamina than a greyhound.  Hopefully Islay would see it the same way  
	
	
		
		
	


	













[/ QUOTE ]

The ones I have seen over out nature reserve are actually pretty small, not that much bigger then a descent size grey.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dont forget both of mine are ickle greys, hardly bigger than whippets really  
	
	
		
		
	


	




  Just about Amy size I should think  
	
	
		
		
	


	





Actually I am going to measure them now


----------



## CAYLA (26 December 2009)

OH said........there is only one way to fine out 
	
	
		
		
	


	








.....in his words if he had yours dogs he would be shouting GET Onnnnnnn 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 typical fella....I would be reaching for the lead also.

Amy would def show interest but I think she could be called back and doubt she would do anything when she got there.

However Tia our whip x grey x staffy, would have been off and she would have pulled down killed and prob half eaten by the time we got there.....she is a very powerful/strong well built dog in a small package, she is prob the size of flick my bigger whippey, but muscled like the hulk 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 and has a high pain threshold.
Hence why she had to stay with me.......no so good when she was randomly trying to eat dogs in the park and carried off someones j.r.t 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 she is good now though, she sets off, but as soon as I shout she stops dead and returns. 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 but still had the look of murder in her eyes


----------



## FestiveSpirit (26 December 2009)

Oh dear - I giggled at the JRT thing even though I know it is very bad to say so  
	
	
		
		
	


	




























 - like you say, Tia couldnt be put with just anyone  
	
	
		
		
	


	








  (do you name all your dogs after people from the forum BTW?  
	
	
		
		
	


	




)

How did you train her to stop when she is off chasing?  I'm gonna leave Islay with you for a bit I reckon


----------



## Bosworth (26 December 2009)

MY bedlington Whippet put up a Roe on our land. She Kept up with it with ease as it went twice round a 7 acre field looking for a way out. My lurcher followed it over the fence into the woods and kept with it for as far as I could see. She finally came back with much calling she would have kept going for ages - the cross with a terrier brings much stamina to the whippet speed But she would be useless at bringing it down as just to small in the jaw. She was bred by a pest controller and he bred small lurchers for rabbits and rats. and large lurchers bedlington/deerhound/ greyhounds for culling deer. And they were agile enough to twist and turn with a deer. Ours is a phenomenal rabbit killer - she gets several every day in teh summer. and she will rat at speed.


----------



## FestiveSpirit (26 December 2009)

Ah well that reassures me, thanks Bosworth  
	
	
		
		
	


	




  I have to say my two are RUBBISH at catching rabbits, they have had one between them in the year and a half I have had them, Islay is great at chasing but then has no idea what to do when she gets it  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 and Flick just doesnt have the speed or any idea about how to catch it  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Plus we dont seem to come across many on our walks!

I think on reflection the deer would be safe with mine around


----------



## CAYLA (26 December 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Oh dear - I giggled at the JRT thing even though I know it is very bad to say so  
	
	
		
		
	


	




























 - like you say, Tia couldnt be put with just anyone  
	
	
		
		
	


	








  (do you name all your dogs after people from the forum BTW?  
	
	
		
		
	


	




)

How did you train her to stop when she is off chasing?  I'm gonna leave Islay with you for a bit I reckon  
	
	
		
		
	


	













[/ QUOTE ]

Sent her too meeeeeeeeeeeee 
	
	
		
		
	


	









Im have been very firm with her, as u are aware I could not allow her to go round feeding on peoples pets at random, so she was given a jolly good few reprimands which she now does not want to be repeated so she will now freeze at my big gob or OH's 
	
	
		
		
	


	








 also cheese(she is greedy as hell) 
	
	
		
		
	


	




It was not easy though.....she is a natural born murderer


----------



## CAYLA (26 December 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
Oh dear - I giggled at the JRT thing even though I know it is very bad to say so  
	
	
		
		
	


	




























 - like you say, Tia couldnt be put with just anyone  
	
	
		
		
	


	








  (do you name all your dogs after people from the forum BTW?  
	
	
		
		
	


	




)

How did you train her to stop when she is off chasing?  I'm gonna leave Islay with you for a bit I reckon  
	
	
		
		
	


	













[/ QUOTE ]

why?.......How many people on the forum are called, blue, bubba, bray
 rufus,kai, bud, flick and regan 
	
	
		
		
	


	





I never gave amy her name.....she was given it by my mam I think.....cos she looks sweet 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 Awwwwww 
	
	
		
		
	


	




She suits it though.


----------



## FestiveSpirit (26 December 2009)

_.....toootles off to change user name to Blue, Flick, Regan etc etc etc......_


----------



## FinnishLapphund (26 December 2009)

Norwegian Buhunds (medium sized spitz, mine was 40 and 42 centimetres high) are probably faster sprinters than what they look, if my two got the chance they would easily catch up with a roe deer, if it was less than about 100 or so metres away from us when they spotted it. However they "only" tried to herd it/make it stop and would at most try to pinch at their "ankle" area.  


Swedish roe deers are no endurance runners, I would say they're somewhere between sprinters and middle distance runners and as Cayla have said, they depend on their ability to jump over obstacles in their way and make quick turns to get away. 
Besides they are not always easily scared, unless they have their fawns with them, f.ex. mother have seen roe deers in our garden when out smoking and unless they see our dogs (touch wood, our Finnish Lapphunds haven't ran after anything yet), they only stare back at my mother for a long while before her shouting at them to go away has had any effect.


----------



## Spot_the_Risk (26 December 2009)

My lurcher cannot resist deer, and when he is after one (which obviously we don't encourage, he just sees them before we do!) he comes back after about 5 minutes of us hollering, generally panting like mad and pumped right up - he's never come back with blood on him so they obviously get away!  His sister, (nearly a pure bred whippet, she would have been about 21") used to work in tandem with another big lurcher, one went for the throat and the other the hind quarters - they were a very efficient killing team, and in the end she was re homed as the pair of them were becoming a liability.

Splotchy, I would think your two are more than capable of bringing down a deer, it's just if they have the drive to do so - hopefully not!


----------



## RobinHood (26 December 2009)

My bedlington whippet chases deer but so far they've had too much of a head start and he's given up. He's only 9 months old though and he's getter faster all the time so in the future he might be luckier. He's already outrunning our 18 month old whippet beldington collie saluki cross and he's been catching rabbits since he was 4 months old so it wouldn't suprise me if he caught a deer. The pair of them were not content with turkey for dinner yesterday and proceeded to catch and eat pigeons underneath bognor pier, lovely  
	
	
		
		
	


	




.


----------



## FestiveSpirit (26 December 2009)

How brilliant that you should reply, I saw one of your posts in Soapbox earlier today and immediately spied your lovely lovely dogs in your sig  
	
	
		
		
	


	




  More pics would be fab of course  
	
	
		
		
	


	





This thread has made me realise actually how inept my dogs have been at catching things  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 - my two whippets seemed to catch most, and it was 21 years ago when I got the first one  
	
	
		
		
	


	




 - perhaps I am just over-stressing about these things


----------



## Bearsmum (26 December 2009)

Had a bit of a fright this morning as the Munsterlander I'm baby sitting for Christmas spotted two roe deer and set off. Thankfully he gave up and came back - long before my Cocker spaniel did I might add though, but at least she knew where she was, he'd never been to the yard before. 
He did bring me a nice fresh bunny later on though and was most pleased with himself when he dumped it at me feet! Bless.

JDx


----------



## SouthWestWhippet (27 December 2009)

Our family whippets have brought down a deer in the past 
	
	
		
		
	


	









They were in a pack of about six though. 

I have a nasty feeling my two have had a deer also aw they ran off one day at the yard and came back covered in blood. We found a deer corpse in the top field the next day but it could have been killed by something else and mine just found it. 

Horrid thing to happen.


----------

