Hunting with greyhounds

[tav611]

Hi guys and gals.
I was just wondering if it is legal to hunt rabbits with greyhounds. I have not really done this Any input would be appreciated and also your thoughts on using greyhounds for this thanks.

[ROEBUCK]

my father bred running dogs back in britain
you are better of with a greyhound cross for hunting like a 1/4 collie 3/4 greyhound.
Gives the dog stamina and intelagence.
Greyhounds dont have much stamina ! if purebred
if your after rabbits in wooded areas your better of with a whippet.as they can turn better in short bursts.
remember running dogs are sighthounds so you have to flush the rabbit for them .

[Winchester _Chick]

The other HUGE problem with greyhounds is that their skin tears off of them like tissue paper! They cannot run anywhere with thick bush. I saw one years ago deglove its paw on a blackberry vine. I think that unless you are in a grassy meadow they would not be any good. Looking into a Lurcher would be a much better bet. I do not think it is legal to hunt any live animal with a dog in Canada anymore??? But i could be totally wrong?

[Schutzen]

I understand that in Arizona they hunted Coyotes with Greyhounds!
Now that would be something to try with a good dog.

[brad ferris]

I do not think it is legal to hunt any live animal with a dog in Canada anymore??? But i could be totally wrong?

yep you are totally wrong . better pick up a copy of the bc hunting and trapping synopsis

[ROEBUCK]

I understand that in Arizona they hunted Coyotes with Greyhounds!
Now that would be something to try with a good dog.

I cant see a greyhound catching a coyote and then sucessfully killing it !
as previously posted there not that tough of a dog !

maybe a greyhound cross with a shephard or simmilar lurcher
"definition of a lurcher" = greyhound or simmilar running dog, crossed with other dog to improve dog for a specific hunting discipline, like deer hunting or hare hunting or rabbit hunting

[500grhollowpoint]

My dog hunts rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and gophers every time he sees them, and eats them.

[MOOSE MILK]

If you want to shoot the rabbits you can't beat a Beagle Hound. Rabbits make a large circle to try and run over their tracks again to try and fool the dogs. Depends on what type of rabbit you are hunting a Cotton Tail makes a smaller circle than a Jack rabbit and Hares seem to run all over the place but eventually end up comming back to where they were jumped.
Beagles are scenthounds and can pick up trails that are a couple of days old if conditions are right. How you hunt with them is you walk through the field or bush untill you cut a track and the dog will start to toung (or bark in laymans terms), and you can listen to the dogs and you will begen to see or hear the direction the dog is going and you anticipate where the rabbit will try to loose the dog by doubling back on his track. Usuallly along a fence line or creek bed or some other type of terain that will offer some protection to the rabbit.
The one thing you will have to do is deer proof your dog. It should be easy these days with the electric collers etc.
It is a blast hunting rabbits this way, great fun!!!

[Barracuda]

Greyhounds ,lurchers and longdogs are used alot in aus on boar to bunnies . I think youll find the straight greys used in the us on yote are a bit different to track dogs and trade off a bit of topspeed for stamina and a harder dog .

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/26/sports/26greyhounds.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwPRbsQlLsE

[wsm]

i dont think it would require the speed of a grey hound to catch a coyote. IMO ridgebacks would as effective if not better

[Barracuda]

a coyote is built like a whippit under all that fur and they can really move quickly , considerably faster then your average dog .
Unless you could find real hunting stock (99%here are not) a ridgeback would be as useless as tits on a nun for hunting

[wsm]

my pooch has caught and killed a # of coyotes . and the speed of the coyote is the least of the problem. and i find your comment amusing ( a ridgeback would be as useless as tits on a nun for hunting) given what that dog was actually meant for . now granted my dog is not a ridge back but i have seen ridegback work in a hunting environment. i was impressed

[Ridgeback Fan]

A buddy of mine had up to 15 greyhounds or various crosses 30-40 years ago. He used them exclusively for hunting coyotes, primarily in southern Alberta but also in BC. The bigger dogs, wolfhounds and wolfhound crosses, he called "throaters." I understand this means they weren't quite as fast as the greyhounds, but could handle business when they caught up to a coyote that the greyhounds had cornered (he didn't get too many quality hides I'm told). His dogs (the greyhounds that is) came from hunting bloodlines brought to southern Alberta in the late 1800's. I'm told these dogs looked and behaved substantially different from racing hounds. He actually bought a couple of bitches from a racing line in California as pups, but they wouldn't or couldn't hunt, although they were faster than his dogs. He crossed them with hunting males and the pups were OK.

I thought he was bullshitting me on this until he showed me the pictures.

As for Ridgebacks running down a coyote, I told him how fast I had clocked my dog and he said he didn't think the success rate would be very high. Also, my experience and research suggests that the hunting / homestead protection instincts are steadily being bred out of Ridgebacks. I love him, but my dog is a good example. Try to find a breeder who is breeding Ridgebacks for anything but show and you will have a tough time.

[wsm]

i know a guy that uses 8 ridgebacks for hunting . he gets his dogs from a breeder in the US

[Ridgeback Fan]

i know a guy that uses 8 ridgebacks for hunting . he gets his dogs from a breeder in the US

My dog has lots of life in him, but I would be interested in knowing more about your buddy, what kind of hunting he's doing and who his breeder is. PM me if this is the kind of information you can share, but I'll understand if I don't hear from you.

[Barracuda]

The key with any dog be they labs or ridgebacks is is the bloodline .
hunting stock ridgebacks are used and do very well the world over but the majority in this neck of the woods have been breed for the show ring or only pet stock and have had alot of the prey drive bred out of them.
If you dont know any better then i suppose it would never even cross your mind and you will be happy but if you do you will seek the best stock you can find for the purpose your engaged in.

Like i said unless its from hunting stock your gonna have a tough time getting the good results from a dog that was bred for the task.

Hog hunters are gonna be your best bet for finding a working RR