TO SEE A SALUKI CROSS ANTICIPATE THE RUNNING OF A HARE, TO SEE A SALUKI CROSS BOXING HIS HARE  AND STRIKING AT JUST THE RIGHT MOMENT, THIS IS WHAT MAKES SINGLE-HANDED COURSING GREAT. SOME WOULD CALL IT COURSING SENSE, SOME WOULD CALL IT INTELLIGENCE, ME, I KNOW WHAT I THINK: THE  SALUKI IS AN INTELLIGENT DOG.

WHY IS IT THAT IF A SALUKI IS INTELLIGENT, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO TRAIN TO A STANDARD THAT WOULD NOT STRAIN A STREET CUR? VERY DIFFICULT BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE, AS AN INCIDENT THAT I

SAW AT A SHOW  WILL  PROVE. A FRIEND OF MINE OWNS A PUREBRED SALUKI OF DESERT BREEDING THAT HE  HAS TRAINED TO A HIGH STANDARD.   AT ONE SHOW IN THE  NORTHWEST A FEW YEARS BACK, HE WAS ACCOSTED BY A KNOWN  PERSONALITY OF THE LURCHER WORLD. " A PURE SALUKI IS IT? " HE WAS ASKED, WHEN HE REPLIED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE  THE WELL KNOWN PERSONALITY STATED "OF COURSE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LET IT OFF THE LEAD, WILL YOU?" AS A REPLY, THE OWNER OF THE SALUKI REMOVED THE DOGS  COLLAR, TOLD THE DOG TO SIT AND STAY, AND THEN  PROCEEDED TO WALK  AWAY, WITH THE SAID SALUKI IN COMPLETE CONTROL, THIS IN A CROWD OF  HUNDREDS OF  PEOPLE.  NOT A GREAT FEAT OF TRAINING PERHAPS BUT IT SHOWS THAT A SALUKI CAN BE TRAINED IF YOU HAVE THE  ABILITY AND TIME.

WHY IS A SALUKI  DIFFICULT TO TRAIN? A CLUE MAY BE IN THE ORIGIN OF THE OF THE BREED. MOST OF THE DOGS BRED IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE  DESCEND FROM THE GREY  WOLF (CANIS LUPUS), THIS IS A  PACK  ANIMAL AND AS SUCH CONFORMS TO A STRICT SET OF RULES WITH-IN  THE  PACK SYSTEM. THE PACK LEADER CONTROLS THE  PACK AND ANY MEMBER OF THE  PACK WILL DO THEIR BEST TO WORK WITH-IN THE  SYSTEM. A PACK MEMBER IS COMPLETELY UNDER THE  CONTROL OF THE LEADER AND IN A SENSE IS TRAINED TO ACT AND PERFORM UNDER THIS CONTROL. MAN HAS USED THIS

TRAINABILITY TO HIS OWN  ENDS.  A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS IS THE WORKING COLLIE. THE WORKING

COLLIE WORKS AS PART OF A PACK, HERDING THE SHEEP TOWARDS THE  PACK LEADER, HIS MASTER. THIS STYLE OF HUNTING IS SEEN IN THE AFRICAN WILD DOG, WHERE   A MEMBER OF THE WILD DOG PACK WORKS IN A SIMILAR MANNER, CONTROLLING THE  PREY AND HERDING IT TOWARDS THE REST OF THE  PACK.

IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE SALUKI IS DESCENDED FROM THE DESERT WOLF, (A SUB SPECIES?) THIS WOLF IS A LONER AND AS SUCH IT DOES NOT HAVE TO CONFORM TO A SET OF RULES CONTROLLED BY A  PACK LEADER. THE DESERT WOLF  HAS TO THINK FOR ITSELF. THE ABILITY TO THINK FOR ITSELF IS THE VERY ABILITY THAT MAKES THE SALUKI THE GREAT SINGLE-HANDED DOG THAT IT IS, OR CAN BE.

SO COULD IT BE THAT THE SALUKI DOES NOT HAVE LESS INTELLIGENCE BUT LESS PACK INSTINCT, THAT  IT HAS MORE SELF-RELIANCE?

ONE OTHER PROBLEM WITH THE SALUKI IS CONNECTED TO ITS ABILITY TO LAY OFF ITS HARE,

SOMETIMES, THE SALUKI WILL LAY OFF FOR TO LONG! WE  HAVE ALL HEARD THE  STATEMENT THAT " HE WILL NOT PICK-UP", THERE  ARE TWO ASPECTS TO THIS, FIRST OF ALL, MANY  DOGS DO NOT GET ENOUGH WORK AND TO LEARN TO USE ITS MOUTH  PROPERLY, IT MUST HAVE PLENTY OF WORK. ONE OF THE

REASONS THAT SOME LURCHER MEN ALWAYS HAVE  DECENT DOGS IS THE FACT THAT THEY GIVE THEIR DOGS PLENTY OF WORK. PLENTY OF WORK WILL NOT MAKE A GOOD DOG OUT OF A BAD ONE BUT IT WILL HELP TO GET THE BEST OUT OF IT. AS IN ALL THINGS, PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT. THE OTHER

REASON FOR LAYING OFF FOR TOO LONG IS THE FACT THAT THE SALUKI COMES FROM A DESERT 

ENVIRONMENT. IN THE DESERT A SALUKI HAS THE TIME TO LAY OFF AND PICK HIS MOMENT, THERE  ARE NO HEDGES OR DYKES IN THE DESERT, NO FIELD DRAINS IN WHICH TO SOUGH. THE FACT THAT THE

SALUKI DOES TAKE  HIS TIME IS THE REASON THAT, IN ENGLAND, THE  SALUKI IS NOT ALWAYS THE BEST CHOICE  FOR COURSING. WE DO NOT COURSE IN THE DESERT.  THAT THERE  ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS TO THIS, I AM WELL AWARE, BUT AS A GENERAL RULE, THE SALUKI  NEEDS SOMETHING MORE, SOME MORE, POWER? SPEED? MAYBE  WE CAN PUT IT DOWN TO THE  NEED TO CATCH THE HARE, AS QUICKLY AS

POSSIBLE. IN ENGLAND WE DO NOT HAVE AS MUCH TIME AS THEY  DO IN THE  DESERT. IN THE FENS THE

SALUKI DOES HAVE SOME MORE TIME AND CAN SHOW HIS ABILITY TO A GREATER EXTENT. IN SOME OF THE  HEDGE  RIDDEN FARMS OF  NORTHERN ENGLAND A FASTER BRED TYPE OF DOG CAN SOMETIMES HAVE THE HARE IN THE BAG, WHILST THE SALUKI IS THINKING ABOUT IT, HENCE THE

SALUKI / GREYHOUND.

THE SALUKI / GREYHOUND

SO, IS THE SALUKI / GREYHOUND THE BEST TYPE OF DOG FOR, TO USE AN AMERICAN TERM, OPEN FIELD COURSING? HE IS CERTAINLY HARD TO BEAT. EVERY YEAR WE (THE ASSOCIATION OF LURCHER CLUBS) HOLD THE BRITISH SINGLE-HANDED COURSING CHAMPIONSHIP, THIS BRINGS TOGETHER SOME OF THE BEST COURSING LONGDOGS IN THE COUNTRY. SOME OF THE BEST BUT NOT ALL, I'VE NO DOUBT THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF TOP CLASS DOGS THAT ARE NOT ENTERED IN ANY COMPETITION, DUE TO THE FACT THAT MANY LURCHERMEN ARE LONERS, AND WHO IS TO SAY THAT THEY ARE WRONG. GOOD LUCK TO THEM, TO EACH HIS OWN. NEVER THE  LESS, AT THE BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP I WOULD SAY THAT NINTY PERCENT OF THE DOGS ENTERED ARE SALUKI / GREYHOUNDS. IN MATCH RUNNING, A MUCH  DISCUSSED AND CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT, AGAIN I WOULD SUGGEST THAT OVER NINTY PERCENT OF DOG USED ARE SALUKI / GREYHOUNDS. WITH THE SALUKI / GREYHOUND YOU HAVE THE BEST OF BOTH  WORLDS. A DOG WITH THE SPEED AND POWER TO GET TO THE HARE QUICKLY AND A DOG WITH THE STAMINA TO STAY WITH THE HARE AND CONTROL IT IN A LONG AND PROTRACTED COURSE. THAT IS THE THEORY AND

SOMETIMES THE FACT. THE SALUKI/GREYHOUND MAY NOT HAVE THE ALL ROUND ABILITY OF THE

TRADITIONAL LURCHER; WITH THE ODD EXCEPTION HE IS A COURSING DOG PURE AND SIMPLE BUT WHAT A COURSING DOG HE CAN BE.

GOOD COURSING, WHATEVER TYPE OF  DOG YOU  USE!