Are lurchers playful?

[hillyhilly]

A few people have commented, and I've just read an interview in one of the Sunday supplements stating that their sight hound ( whippet in this case) is not at all playful and rather more disdainful.
We would want our dog to be playful and cheerful eg pleased to see you, enthusiastic about going for a walk etc. - do your sight hounds behave like this?

Mum had two lurchers one just wanted to be cuddled did not play and only needed 20 min mad dash

Her other one loved to play all /frisbee /tug and generally hang out with my kids and loved going out

We had a greyhound x collie and he was loving and playful. And we had a bedlington x greyhound and he was disdainful sometimes, he was quite feline actually. I love lurchers, best dogs I have ever owned.

OMG, my greyhound goes nuts at the sight of his lead or if I wave a toy/rope/tug of war toy in front of him!

Also, nobody seems to have told him that he is not a retriever - he will run after a ball and bring it back forever - it's usually me who terminates the game because he runs SO fast and pants so hard that I worry his heart may explode…

He is very happy to see me come home, but not that bothered about welcoming anybody else in the family - but then again I am the main purveyor of food and walks.

Tbh, I think it depends more on the individual dog than just the breed.
And with a lurcher if you've got a bit of collie in there, or something, you have every chance of having the interactive enthusiastic dog you are looking for.

Thanks all, really hope we get the happy enthusiastic sort; as we also need it to live happily with cats and children it's a bit of a tall order but I'm sure we'll get there.

I had a Lurcher. Big shaggy yellow thing. Very playful - balls, tuggy and everything. Dead clever too. Wonderful dog.

Are you likely to rescue a lurcher?
Most rescues foster their dogs first and know a lot about them before they go to their permanent home.
One of the advantages of offering an adult dog a home - much more is known about their personalities.
Ours never raced because he was 'too playful' aka 'absolutely bonkers'

Getting a cat safe AND enthusiastic one will be interesting

Good luck!

Yep, I'm hoping to rescue, ideally a young adult/ old puppy.
I've spoken to some rescues, EGLR seemed best for us, but we need to wait until after the summer hols as were away a lot this summer.
I while away the days til I can actually properly look for our dog, reading about everybody else's here and asking daft questions

I've got whippets and they're super playful and generally really fun, enthusiastic unless it's raining and characterful little dogs.

DWhippet3 in particular loves toys and whenever something exciting is going to happen (food/walk/training/whatever) often runs around with one in his mouth growling and rooing around it like a mad thing

We've got a greyhound. She is very affectionate and playful, just shy at first with people she doesn't know. She is also very cat like in her ability to sleep for hours in a day, which is useful if you are busy and haven't got time to tire them out. They don't appear to have a 'busy' brain, like a terrier for instance.
She loves our cat but would chase one that ran from her. She came from a racing kennel and was horrified by sofa's and beds at first but soon cottoned on to the comfort factor. Very sweet, biddable dog. Just be careful at first with cuddling them too much if they are not used to it, they can snap to warn you off, because it's all new to them. Ours did this a couple of times at first until we got used to her and her to us but she never followed through and connected. This was only twice in the first
two months, nothing since and it's been five years now.

Both of my lurchers love to play with balls or tuggie toys. They lurve going for a walk, and are super pleased to see you. DDog1 does the best grins when you come in

One of my old dogs was a lurcher - huge hairy blonde bundle who loved to play, was so much fun.

I've got two greyhounds and have had another two as well . Of all of them , our new boy is 4 , but acts like a puppy all the time ! He is hopeless to get a lead on as he runs round and round the kitchen , out into the garden , then back into the kitchen , crash lands on the sofa , then runs up and down the hallway before he screeches to a halt into your kneecaps , grinning wildly with his tail wagging . We think it's enthusiasm . Show him a ball and he does the same . He's enthusiastic about EVERYTHING . He's getting a bit better , as he's learning he doesn't get his lead on till his standing still and behaving , but he then bounces down the road grinning instead . We're actually thinking of trying him with agility or some form of structured training , because we think he'd love it .

The other one, who is older and wiser , gets waggy at walk and dinner time , and dives in and snatches the ball away from new boy while he's busy bouncing , but mainly regards his antics with a raised eyebrow from the comfort of the sofa .

My lurcher, deerhound x Saluki is just wonderful. She can sleep all day or walk /run all day depending on what we are doing.
She loves to play but is quite sensitive - chasing a ball, chasing and running with the children she is happy with. Rough and tumble type games such as rolling round with the children or tugging games she doesn't like.
She is waiting by the front door for me whenever I get home with a wagging tail and lots of kisses. She loves a cuddle on the sofa and she adores the children.
Best. Dog. Ever!