I'm planning my next dog (won't be for a while yet so doing lots of research) and am looking at greyhound x border collie lurchers. I already have a border collie and he is off lead in all places it is safe for him to be off lead. One of the main places we walk during the week is a park with lots of other on and off lead dogs of all sizes, bikes, children and joggers. Is it really unrealistic to think that a lurcher could be trained to be safe off lead in the situation above, recalling when called? I would be looking at having a puppy/young dog.
As long as you work hard - and I've seen how hard you've worked with Teg (he's amazing!) then you shouldn't have much trouble with a lurcher - the chase instinct may be stronger though and if you look for a young dog make sure it hasn't been worked before otherwise the chase instinct will be stronger. It also depends on how many generations the collie x grey is, the hound may be stronger if it is first generation but so could the collie - it's really pot luck and hard work that determines it in the end.. Does that help at all?
I think it depends on the dog, and the owner too, I have a Saluki Greyhound mix who I've managed a successfull recall of a chase of a prey item, and a Greyhound GSD mix who is as stubborn as a mule sometimes but hiding normally helps, he's stubborn, but he's a baby, and if he thinks he's on his own he runs straight back to where he last saw you, but there are some who could can go off lead almost everywhere, and some who can't, it all depends.
Pharaoh is a Greyhound/saluki/pharaoh hound mix, he was one of a litter of puppies abandoned by their mother that the dog warden asked me to help with so I went to the farm, met his mother father and grandfather (the Pharaoh hound) and took two puppies and part hand reared them. I knew nothing about any of the breeds in the mix. Pharaoh was let offlead with my other two dogs, a Samoyed and a rescue lancashire heeler, from as soon as he completed his injections. It never crossed my mind not to and he always returned. Having the other dogs helped I think. I have and still can get him to recall from a chase, or mid run... But he can still be stubborn when grazing.. He just loves to eat grass, always has and when he has found a good and tasty patch, nothing will call him away! Though he will keep an eye on me and pelt after me if I am going too far away or out of sight.
