Lurchers: 10 Cool Things You Should Know


Cross bred dogs like lurchers are an interesting breed that’s gained plenty of popularity over the years with dog owners. These dogs are cross bred between either a collie or a terrier and a sighthounds like greyhounds, whippets, salukis or deerhounds.

Let’s take look at 10 cool things you should know about lurchers.

1. How High Can Lurchers Jump?

A lurcher is a result of breeding a greyhound with a working dog. Lurchers have a reputation for being fast, intelligent, and competitive, making them very popular among hunters and farmers. As a mix of two incredible breeds, you might be wondering what physical feats can your lurcher accomplish.

So, how high can lurchers jump? A lurcher can jump vertically up to 5 feet high. Lurchers have strong and well-built bodies that not only make them fast runners but also great jumpers. You can train your lurcher to participate in doggie sports such as jumping obstacles.

A lurcher’s ability to jump can be a nuisance if it jumps over the fence, and you have to go after them every time. Therefore, you should build a tall fence, more than 6 feet tall, to keep your lurcher from getting into trouble.

Lurchers are great workers, but they also make great pets. Taking care of a lurcher is not hard, but it does not mean it is easy; they develop like other dogs but with a few differences. Read on to find out more interesting facts about lurchers.

2. What Age Are Lurchers Fully Grown?

When choosing a pet dog, there are many things you have to consider before making the final decision. One of them is their maturity age. You need to know when your pet will reach maturity to make sound decisions on issues such as breeding and immunization.

Lurchers are fully grown between 12 months and 18 months. Since lurchers are a crossbreed of a sighthound and working dogs such as the terrier, the growth of your lurcher will differ depending on the genetics of the parents. Large lurchers tend to mature later compared to smaller lurchers. A fully grown lurcher’s height is between 20 and 23 inches tall.

Exercise is very important for lurchers, especially when they are still developing. Lurchers require at least one hour of exercise each day. The exercise can involve walks, running, and mental stimulation.

If you do not get your lurcher to exercise enough, it will develop behavioral issues that might be difficult to eliminate when it gets to adulthood. Exercises also help keep away arthritis, an illness that often affects dogs that get little to no exercise.

You also need to train your lurcher. The perfect time to start is when your dog is between 9 months to 13 months old. Lurchers are bred to work as hunting dogs, and you need to find ways to control your dog’s strong urge to chase small animals.

Lurchers are fast learners and will quickly obey commands such as “down,” “sit,” and “come.” You can also train your lurcher to stop bad behavior such as pulling on the lead, lunging, aggression, chasing, and constant barking.

3. Why Do Lurchers Whine?

Dogs have good communication skills compared to other pets, and they can use both sounds and body language to communicate with you or other dogs. One of the sounds a lurcher will make is whining, a high pitch sound that is very difficult to ignore. Here are some of the reasons why lurchers whine.

One reason why your lurcher is whining is stress and it is often accompanied by pacing, cowering, panting, and ignoring calls, among others. When your lurcher is uncomfortable, it will whine to capture your attention. Therefore, when you are training your dog, and it starts to whine, you need to stop the session and choose another alternative method of training it.

Fear, separation, and confusion can cause stress; hence, you need to eliminate anything that will make your dog start to whine. If you do not remove the stress-causing element, your lurcher will start to bark and become aggressive.

Lurchers will also whine when they want attention. Dogs love the company of their owners, and each time you leave them alone, and they wait in anticipation for your return, they will become anxious.

Adult lurchers can stay alone for a while, but puppies may start whining as soon as you leave them alone. Whining is a way of calling you back, and if you do not return, your lurcher puppy might start barking and scratching the door.

You need to stop your lurcher puppy from whining every time you leave, or else, it will continue this bad behavior when it is an adult. Ignore the puppy and give it attention when it calms down.

Pain can also make your dog whine. You might notice that your lurcher keeps whining when it stands up, walk, or run. Lurchers love to chase and run after small animals, in the process, they can injure their legs or back while chasing. You need to take your lurcher to the vet immediately for treatment because the longer you wait, the more your pet suffers.

4. Why Do Lurchers Cry?

Lurchers have different ways of communicating with their owners, and one of them is crying. Crying means something wrong with your lurcher, but you are concerned with knowing the exact thing that is making your lurcher cry.

Pain is one of the reasons why your lurcher could be crying. If you accidentally step on your lurcher’s leg or tail, it will jump up and cry for a few seconds. However, acute pain can cause your lurcher to cry for a long time, for example, if it gets severely injured.

Arthritis can also cause your lurcher to cry whenever it walks or runs. Arthritis is very common among dogs; therefore, when your lurcher starts to get old, take it to the vet regularly for checkups.

Dogs love attention and cannot be left alone for a long time. If you leave your lurcher alone for a long time, it will start to develop separation anxiety. Most lurchers will cry, but some will take it up a notch and destroy some of your furniture. You need to train your lurcher to get used to being left alone for long periods. You can install a camera in your home, which always lets you see and interact with your dog remotely. Even talking to your dog through an electronic device can help it calm down.

5. Can You Let Lurchers Off the Lead?

One way of spending time with your dog is taking it for a walk, and you can either do it on the lead or off the lead. Taking a dog for a walk off the lead means the dog is free to roam, and you might be wondering if you can do it with your lurcher.

You can let your lurcher off the lead if it is well trained. The main reason why most people take their dogs for a walk on the lead is to control their behavior. The dog cannot run into someone else’s yard if it is on a leash. Lurchers love to chase small animals, and if you have not trained your dog to obey commands, it will start chasing the small animals as soon as it sees them.

Your ability to control your dog will determine if you can let it off the lead. You cannot let your lurcher off the lead if it has a history of lunging at other dogs or pedestrians because you will get in trouble with the law if your dog attacks other animals or pedestrians.

You can also let your lurcher off the lead if you are taking it for a walk in a safe zone. If there are no distractions such as cats, rabbits, or other pedestrians, you can let your lurchers off the lead. You should train your lurcher to be good off the lead, especially when it is young.

Train your lurcher to ignore distractions, and if your lurcher chases everything it sees on the road, you will never enjoy the walks. Ensure your lurcher understands boundaries, where they can and cannot go. You should also put back your lurcher on the lead if you are walking in an area with dangerous dogs.

6. How Do I Stop My Lurcher from Pulling?

Pulling on the lead is one bad behavior some dogs engage in when taking a walk. It is uncomfortable, and your shoulder feels sore after every walk. However, there are ways you can make your lurcher stop pulling on the lead.

You should pick one walking method and stick to it. If you want to teach your lurcher not to pull on the lead, you need to be consistent with the method you use to walk it. If you want your dog to walk a few steps ahead of you, use that and maintain it. Sticking to one method of walking trains your dog on which position to take every time you go for a walk.

If you have a big family and several people usually take your lurcher for a walk, explain to them the need to maintain the same walking method.

You should also take your lurcher for a walk in a non-exciting area or during off-peak hours when most people are indoors. Lurchers are social and energetic dogs and will run after other dogs, cats, and even people.

If your lurcher is yet to learn lead manners properly, it will keep pulling on the lead because of too many distractions. Once your lurcher learns good lead manners, you can slowly start walking it during peak hours or at the park where there are some distractions.

7. Do Lurchers Get Cold and Need a Coat?

During the winter, human beings have the option of wearing coats and jackets to keep warm. Animals, on the other side, rely on their fur to keep them warm. You still have to walk your lurcher during the winter, and you might be looking for ways to keep it warm.

Lurchers do get cold when the temperature drops because they do not have thick furs. Lurchers are more sensitive to cold weather compared to other dogs, such as the Siberian husky. Therefore, observe your lurcher when taking it outside when it is cold, and, if it starts to shiver, it needs an extra layer for warmth.

You can go to the pet store and buy a coat for your lurcher or order one online. If you live in a cold house, you can cover your lurcher when sleeping with a blanket.

However, not all dogs like to wear apparel. Some will try to remove the coat and be visibly uncomfortable if you force them to wear a coat. If your lurcher does not like wearing coats, find other ways of keeping it warm. You should also choose a coat that fits your dog well.

Your lurcher should be able to run, walk, sit and go to the bathroom while still wearing the coat. The coat need not be heavy. There are light dog sweaters and coats designed to provide extra warmth and do a better job than the bulky-looking coats.

8. Why Do Lurchers Lean on You?

Lurchers are social dogs and make great pets for active people looking for a cheerful companion. When your lurcher bonds with you, it will lean on you from time to time. Here are some of the reasons why your lurcher is leaning on you.

Your lurcher will lean on you to show affection. When you are sitting on the couch or standing, your lurcher might approach you and lean against your legs. In such a case, your lurcher is showing you that it likes you and has accepted you as a member of its pack.

Your lurcher might lean on you a lot; therefore, it is up to you to either encourage it or make it stop. If you try to stop your lurcher from leaning on you, it will find other ways of expressing its affection.

Sometimes, leaning can mean your lurcher is experiencing separation anxiety. Some dogs have a hard time separating from their owners, and whenever you come back home, your dog will lean on you at any chance it gets.

Check for other signs of separation anxiety such as whining, crying, following you everywhere, and scratching doors whenever you leave the room. If your lurcher shows all these signs of separation anxiety, you need to take it to a vet for treatment or an animal behaviorist for training.

9. Why Do Lurchers Have Thick Collars?

Lurchers are hunting dogs and will lunge and chase any small animal moving in front of them. When shopping for a collar for your lurcher, you will notice the collars on display meant for lurchers and sighthounds are thicker than those of other dogs.

The reason why lurchers have a thick collar is the size of their neck and head. Lurchers have long necks, and because they can sprint at any time to chase an animal, the thick collar protects your dog from getting choked.

Normal dog collars are thin and pose a real danger to the lurcher because if your lurcher pulls on its leash, the thin collar will cut off its air supply and also damage its throat. The thick sighthound colors are also padded, ensuring your lurcher will not get hurt even if it pulls on the leash.

Lurchers have thick collars to restrain them from chasing small animals. If you put a normal dog collar on your lurcher’s neck, it can easily remove it because of its small neck and head. The thick collar fits your lurcher perfectly, and, it cannot remove it easily.

Another reason your lurcher has a thick collar is that lurchers have short and delicate fur coats, and a normal dog collar can cause the fur around the neck to wear out. The thick collars prevent damage to the skin and hairless patches around your lurcher’s neck.

10. Should You Be Able To See a Lurcher’s Ribs?

A responsible dog owner will want the best for their pet. Most owners feed their dogs healthy food, physically and mentally exercise them, and take them to the vet for regular checkups. One way of knowing if your lurcher is healthy is by monitoring its weight.

You should only see at least two ribs, and if you see more than that, your lurcher is probably underweight. The average weight varies depending on breeding, but your dog should not exceed 70 pounds.

If you cannot see any rib on your dog, your dog could be gaining excess weight. Lurchers are lean dogs, and their bodies are meant for running; therefore, the excess weight will make them inefficient if they are working dogs.

You should provide your lurcher with the correct diet to properly control its weight. You should avoid feeding your lurcher commercial tinned dog food. Try to give your lurcher food it would eat if it were in the wild. You should also avoid giving your dog too many treats since it may develop a bad appetite and gain excess weight. If your lurcher is underweight and does not want to eat its food, take it to a vet for observation and treatment.

Finally

Lurchers make great pets, but you need to be ready to take care of them. Lurchers need more exercise than other dogs; therefore, if you are not using it for hunting or farming, you need to provide other ways to stretch out their legs and muscles. Lurchers are also fast learners, which means you can train your dog to stop bad behaviors such as pulling on the lead.

Bal Kang

Bal Kang is an owner of several pets including reptiles, cats and dogs. An avid writer, who loves to share her insights into caring for pets.

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