Hiya,
Haven't been around for ages, so I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year. Murphy is nearly a year old now and I haven't dared let him meet a bunny yet, but recently when we've been walking he has shown an interest in chasing squirrels and if he sees something low to the ground like a log he charges towards it. I guess he wants to chase bunnies and catch them, but I don't know the best way to go about it. I want to keep his good recall, but I would like to see him doing what he is bred for. Also, if he does catch a bunny is he likely to bring it back dead or alive, and if it is alive what is the best way to kill it? Can I then take the rabbit home to cook?

Sorry for all the questions but I know you guys have experience.

Jess

hi jesse welcome back to total lurcher,

i find with mine, they bring rabbits back dead when the pups as they tend to be abit over entusiastic in catching them. i would personally recommend a days ferreting to bring him on a little. if the rabbit is alive ther are several methods of dispatching them. i prefer the method below

By far, says I, the most efficient way of dispatching a rabbit it to put your
left hand (for the right handed) around the back of its neck with the thumb
and forefinger under the jaw on either side. Take the hind legs with the
right hand just above the foot. Push down with the left hand while making a sharp
pull up with the right hand, much as you would start a chainsaw. Done
properly it instantly dislocates the neck and kills the rabbit.

as for eating the rabbits caught by the dog, yeah i would eat them altho sometimes the meat gets abit brused, but that can be solved with putting it in some cold water for a while.

hope this helps,

I am recently new to lamping as well been doing it 4 2 years but if i were in your shoes i would start him on the lamp in a small field preferably with stone walls all around and if you can get them a cupl of live rabbits in a bag and put them down for him. if he is watching the lamp he will soon see the moving thing. then if he catches it knock the lamp off and call him then shine the light at your feet.hes not likely to run off in the dark and shouldnt go too far, he probably wont bring it back alive but coax and praise him. the main thing about young dogs is confidence.

Personally i would never run a young unexperienced dog on live quarry on the lamp in a field surrounded by dry stone walling, especially if it doesnt know the lay of the land, thats just asking for very nasty injuries if not death.

If you can't trust the dog to come back then you haven't put enough training in on recall.

All the rabbits we get Jess are taken home and skinned and gutted for the dogs, they have them raw. Rabbits are a fantastic meal for a dog.

As for bringing it back alive he might and he might not, if he does you need to know how to dispatch the rabbit quickly and efficiently so you dont prolong the suffering of the animal, i good dog man/woman always shows respect for what they hunt.

You could always bring Murphy down here to get him started he could run with our lurchers, we always bring on a young dog with a more experienced one.

what is your take on starting a young lurcher on the lamp?

Hi Jess.

If you'd like to get Murphy started on the lamp I would suggest finding someone who has experience and working dogs who would take you and young Murphy out to have a look at how it's done for starters.

Murphy has good recall as far as I know ( Unlike mine) so he should be good at bringing his catch back to you with no problems.

Jaspa does OK and sometimes brings them back and sometimes wanders around for a while but he really hates dropping a live one.. unless he happens to spot something more interesting to chase Meg chases really well but has yet to pick one up so will be needing a lot more practice.

Whatever you do when you take him out at night.. be sure you know who owns the land, have permission and know the land well. Barbed wire, dykes, livestock and fencing !!

I would take mad dog up on the offer

Good luck....and let us know how you get on.

Tracey x

hi jess,
i know this is quite an old post and all of the feedback is gr8 that you have had so far i thought id just share how i have learnt to get me dog started though. i learnt the hard with with my oldest dog tyson he showed interest at 8month getting his first fox i thought it was great however hes 10 now and knackered basically , i started him way too early but first dog = loads of excitement etc just knacks them up l8r on.
i got my bull x buster and took it really slow, all i did was lead walk him on roads till he was a year then at about 14 month got my lamp and as it was getting dark started by getin a dummy with a fur wrapped round it and throw it whilst he was on the lead then slip him off as i shone the lamp on it yeah seems a bit stupid but after a week you'd turn the lamp on and he'd be watching the beam not looking the other way anymore and when you slipped him he'd go with the light . After a week /week and a half i took him over the fields and as it got dark got the dummy out so he pretty much thought id throw it he'd get it and id praise, him instead i slipped the dummy away into my poachers pocket and switched the lamp on looking for a bunny in the middle of the field. As the lamp caught the eyes he was allready pulling cause he'd followd the beam and i slipped him only this time the bunny ran lol he gave chase but missed it i did this twice more then threw the dummy as i didnt want to dishearted him so i was ending the night on a high and he got the praise. the next few times out i just did the same and after 3 nights of misses but getting the dummy he caught his first bunny, since then i have never looked back and he has turned out to be one hell of a rabbiting dog daytime and night and im sure its all because i took my time and enterd him slowly ending every session on a good note for both him and me.
If your dog is just a year he'l b ready for this next season yeah? so if i was you i would crack on with retrieving to hand over obsticles too, and get a dummy bunny to get him slowly started and i reckon by early season when u enter it proper itl be a demon well it worked for me also the question about wether he'l kill it or not mine tends to totally knack the first of the night but settles into it aftrer that bringing them back live to hand, i can never be bothered grabbing its neck etc i just stand on the back of its head /neck grab the back legs and pull you'l feel the neck stretch and crack then swing it up empty its bladder and into the bag it goes and off you go again takes seconds specially when youre hands are numb! if you dont know what i mean by my description of dispatching it let me know and il post you some pics of what im talking about k? hope this helps u a little more though??
i have added a vidoe now its of my daughter doing her first rabbit lol if she can dio it with a little help am sure youl have no probz. enjoy