Hello, Does anyone know whether GSDs / Greyhounds are purposely cross-bred, and if so, what for? Thorn is a rescue GSD crossed with a Greyhound. I was doing a bit of research on what these dogs might be used for as we are trying to imagine from his character what he did in his former life. He loves to run and it has taken us 4 months to stop him howling and trying to eat cats on walks. He was v thin when the Dogs Home picked him up and was v scared of people, esp men. I am wondering whether he may have been a working dog who escaped - hare coursing or something? Or maybe racing? Or guarding? His face is very badly scarred - looks like from dog fights, but I am not sure.
They use that cross for speed and a bit of obedience, some use Collies and thats more the norm, but GSD's are used as well. If he is a bit scarred he may well be a working Lurcher, are you sure somebody isnt missing him? Any pics? Dawn.
He's the one in my icon. A real beauty! He runs like a horse. He was v scared of people, so I do think he was a working dog. He didn't seem to have been inside a house before either - he was fascinated by the TV / radio, etc. I can't imagine him being used for herding sheep or anything as he was way too nervous when we got him and unpredictable (fear aggression towards men and dogs), but definitely for killing vermin or something like that. If someone is missing him, he's happy where he is now - he's my baby
This cross is used to produce a fairly large lurcher with brains, speed and stamina, but collies are most popular for this purpose, if he was not used to the house, and has scars on his face then he was definately used for working. I.e catching rabbits, deer and scars on face means fox killing. He may have been stolen from his original owners if he was a good worker or he may not have made the grade for what he was bred for and dumped. Sad fact but that's what happens to lurchers who are no good, and end up in the wrong hands.
How do you know he is a GSD x Greyhound did you see him with his parents as a young puppy ? A friend of mine had a Lab x GSD(parents & whole litter seen)half of the litter ooked like GSDs & the other half looked like labs My Rjj was called a lab x by an experienced local lab breeder(had them for years bred several champions etc) & he's a smooth coated BC There are two lurchers that come to our dog training club & they look like your dog but are collie x greyhound !
Fox killing would tie in with Thorn's reactions to other dogs - particularly the smaller ones. At home, he lives with Benjy and loves her to bits, if they are on lead he is fine as we have trained him to 'leave', but when one is running about, and especially when one runs towards us, he gets wound up and ready for a serious fight. The one fight he did have was with a Rottie and he went straight for the neck, which would indicate not playing or 'talking dog' to establish dominance, but going for a swift kill. We are working with a good behaviourist to solve this and in the meantime he stays on lead and muzzled around off lead dogs - he just has no concept of proper 'pet' dog greeting behaviour. We were told he was a GSD cross by the Dogs Home - I think from his markings and the size of his truly gigantic jaw - bigger than a Collie's I think. We worked out the greyhound bit from his weird shaped back legs ('knees' are very low down), his incredible speed and gracefulness, and propensity to stay very thin and his mournful and long facial features. He is broad in the chest too. The behaviourist wrote down he was a 'mongrel' (sounds awful!) so we can't be sure. I have only ever seen border collies and the Lassie type, who seem too small to be part of Thorn's makeup - when he is standing he can rest his nose on the kitchen worktop by tilting his head back (my surfaces have never been clearer or cleaner!)
I was away to say he has possibly been used for working as in hunting and lamping but some good replies before me. I have heard of these crosses before and the work these dogs are used for.
My mum has a similar cross, mum was gsd X greyhound, but dad was a ridgie, she looks very similar to your boy tho, do u have any bigger pics? This is my mums dog sadie (never been worked tho)...
If the dog is aggressive to other dogs, it does NOT explain him being used for Fox killing at all!!! Any working dog that is nasty towards others is of no use at all and would not be tolerated, please do not assume that the scars are from that. Maybe this is just a dog aggressive dog that has been in a few scraps due to his aggressive tendancies. A pic would be good if you could. Dawn.
Don't have any other pics I'm afraid. No longer have picture phone to upload. We're still working on the dog/dog meeting thing - going to see the behaviourist again in August to meet stooge dogs. I can't believe he's ever met that many other dogs really, based on his inability to understand 'play' from Benjy - the first month or so he used to run away from her and hide if she got too feisty. If he was a worker, or bred to be a worker, I doubt he would have been that good at it as he is so fearful, which makes him aggressive, towards many stimuli. (Thorn's on meds at the mo whilst we sensitise him to people etc.) It's so hard to theorise his past... best just to look to the future now, I think, as it's getting brighter all the time.
