Lurcher
Other names	Didycoy dog the Poacher's dog
Origin	Great Britain and Ireland
Traits Coat Any Colour Any Litter size variable
Dog (domestic dog)

Lurcher, illustration from The Sportsman's Cabinet by William Taplin, 1803; engraved from a painting by Philip Reinagle

A lurcher is a cross-bred dog resulting from mating a Greyhound or other sighthound with a dog of another type, commonly a herding dog or a terrier. The lurcher was for hundreds of years strongly associated with poaching; in modern times it is kept as a hunting dog or companion dog.

History

Lurcher is an old English term for a cross-bred dog - specifically the result of mating a sighthound with a dog of another type, typically a working breed. The term 'lurcher' was first used with this meaning in 1668; it is considered to be derived from the verb 'lurch', apparently a variant form of 'lurk', and meaning 'lurk' or 'steal'.^{[1] [2] [3]}

In England from 1389, the right to keep a dog of any kind used in hunting - specifically stated in the Act of Parliament: None shall hunt but they which have sufficient living in the Anglo-Norman and English of the time: null leverer, ne lerce, nautre chien pur chacer,[1] translated as, no "Greyhound, Hound nor other Dog to hunt; – was limited by law to those qualified, which meant anyone who had lands or holdings or income worth more than 10 pounds per annum; in other words: royalty, nobility, the gentry and the wealthy. ^[4] This law, though repeatedly modified, remained in force until 1831.^[5]

In the nineteenth century, the word was used to describe some rough-haired regional Greyhounds, which were banned from competition by Coursing Clubs such as Swaffham and Newmarket, due to the perception that they cut "turns" to kill instead of working the hare to gain points.^[6]

Description

Due to the short fur and slender build of some lurchers, it is common for owners to use accessories such as neck warmers to keep them warm.^[7]

A lurcher is a cross, generally between a sighthound and a working dog breed. Generally, the aim of the cross is to produce a sighthound with more intelligence, a canny animal suitable for poaching rabbits, hares and game birds. Over time, poachers and hunters discovered that the crossing of certain breeds with sighthounds produced a dog better suited to this purpose, given the lurcher's combination of speed and intelligence.^[8]

Use

Lurchers were traditionally bred in England to assist poachers in hunting rabbits and hares. Around the world they are kept as sporting dogs and family pets,^[9] or to compete in sports such as lure coursing and dog racing. In the USA they may compete in lure coursing events through the AKC and the UKC.^[10][11] Cross-breeds are not recognized by any major kennel club. In Canada, where the Canadian Kennel Club prohibits crossbreeding, and in the USA they can be registered with the North American Lurcher and Longdog Association.^[12]