THE SELECTION BOX OF LURCHERS.

Selection for working ability is the most important ingredient in any dog intended for work ; that is my contention. …..We've all been told numerous times that the only lurcher worth owning is the collie cross. This advice is frequently followed by, what I call " The Simpletons Formula " , which is :- cross any greyhound with any collie and " Hey-presto " a whole litter of superlative lurchers is guaranteed. All will inherit the greyhound's Speed coupled with the collie's brain . What more could you ask ? By now , the countryside should be devoid of rabbits all swept up by these mass-produced canine equivalents of Albert Einstien combined with Linford Christy . But oh no it's not ! Why not ?

There is no allowance in this Novices Formula that nature might not hear him correctly and do its normal thing ; like couple the greyhound's brain with the collie's speed , which is precisely what will happen to a percentage of any litter produced to "The Simpletons Formula". Hence its name!

A season of "Hunters Frustration" will soon see our "Mr. Try-Again-Alex", back at the drawing board. If, he perceives the problem as lack of speed; in goes another dose of greyhound, after all, the three-quarter cross is traditional.

Next season finds him lamping his second-rate damn-nigh greyhound, devoid of brain and plagued with broken toes. As his vets' bills compete with the national debt, he concludes that shortage of brain must be the problem. So, off he trots back to the collie with his original half-cross dam, for the appropriately named "Reverse-cross".

The following season, finds him at four o'clock in the morning, shivering in horizontal sleet for twenty minutes per squatter, whilst his dam-nigh collie "claps" giving the sitting rabbit "eye", with very little inclination to chase and no instinct to "grab-bite". It's the final straw!

Summer time, finds him with newly acquired Bedlington-cross in tow, holding forth in the beer tent at the local show, about the worthlessness of all collie-crosses. "---and I should know, I've tried 'em all!" Now, it's the determination of the terrier, with the speed of the greyhound, what more could you ask? Whatever you do don't mention brains. And two years latter, when his Deerhound-cross is in tow, don't mention determination either - unless you fancy a lecture on crocodile cross alligators.

Before I get myself lynched, there are strains of collie, bedlington and deerhound lurchers, which produce reasonable workers generation after generation, and sustain their loyal bands of enthusiasts, who wouldn't entertain any other cross. So, how's that then? How they differ from our "Mr. Chameleon" is by adding that secret ingredient called "SELECTION FOR WORK", in their choice of rootstock and every generation thereafter.

Let's return to "Mr. Indiscriminate's" choice of greyhound. "Hardly Ever" (an appropriately named greyhound) won The Waterloo Cup, the comment being at the time, "What a professional trainer to nurse the dog through the final, despite nearly every toe broken." This was after a couple of dozen public courses on ideal going. But, if you are diligent enough to research his pedigree, you will discover an ancestor called " Hollystone Elf" who also won The Waterloo Cup, the comment being at the time, "What a brave dog to win the final despite nearly every toe broken.

Now, since both of "Mr. Indiscriminate's" greyhounds happen to have descended from Hollystone elf through Hardly Ever, we can start to understand the origins of his blistering pace and huge vets' bills. Fragile toes is just one of thousands of differences between success and failure in lurcher breeding, but there is one panacea for them all: a dose of SELLECTIVITY.

Forget mathematical formulas found in lurcher breeding manuals, they are the products of theories concocted in the pub, it's selection for what happens in the fields that matters. Experience in the field is the ONLY "school-master" worth paying heed to, and the dogs will teach you (up the fields) far more than any self-appointed expert. Selection is a long, hard earned process of refinement generation after generation and depends also upon having a clear vision of what can be achieved. Selection is also only as effective as the man applying it. There is no easy, simple, magical formula for instant success in breeding consistently good working lurchers.

The wise buy in from a really knowledgeable and experienced lurcher keeper, who has produced a high percentage of good workers over a number of years from a consistent strain. The "Novice" thinks he'll breed his own from scratch. A lurcher's worth is either proportional to it's breeders experience and knowledge, or is the product of luck. Two people can breed collie-crosses; one whole litters excel at work, whilst the other's (as soon as conceived) are destined for the dogs' home!

Lucky accidents are the worst scenario, because statistically they are bound to crop up if you breed lots, and on the backs of a few of these chancers sustain their reputations as puppy-farmers.

But, remember, "One swallow does not make a summer". There are good and bad crosses from collies, bedlingtons and deerhounds, the choice of individual and strain is more important than breed of origin. The good ones are either the products of luck or selection. Personally, I will rely on the latter and if I want to play the Lottery, I'll simply buy a ticket!

Jeff.