May 24
07:00
2023
When a lurcher yaps… in pursuit of prey
By Penny Taylor.
IT is the most heinous of sins: opening up, or yapping when in pursuit of prey, and one that lurcher owners fear more than just about any other fault in a working dog, who should above all be a silent hunter capable of both the sneaky attack and the open chase, all without uttering a sound.
There are several reasons why making any sort of noise when barrelling after that fleeing quarry is condemned in the lurcher, not least the historical association between the lurcher as a poaching dog and its need to remain unseen and unheard.
The main reason, however, which applies these days when hunting rabbits by day or night, is that to alert the rest of the colony to the presence of a predator would seriously diminish our haul.
