Lurcher as a second dog?

[MumEra]

Hello! So we have been matched by a rescue centre to an absolutely gorgeous lurcher. She is quite small for a lurcher (one of my criteria was not too big as I’m a short arse), I’m guessing whippet x some sort of terrier. She is 4, same age as our existing dog.

We already have a spaniel who is a pretty chilled out boy that I’ve never known have an issue with any other dog. He’s also not particularly territorial about food or toys or anything, but loves a play hence why we’ve looked into getting a second.

We haven’t met her yet but arrangements are being made - so just wanted to ask if anyone has any experience getting a lurcher when there’s already a dog at home and how it went?

We also have a preschooler so obviously it’s all pending how she feels about her as well (Rescue have kid tested her and she lived with young kids previously).

Lurchers are the best family ddog ime. We have 2 and ds9 declares them his best friends...

I've had 2 rescue lurchers and fostered a few more. They are such gorgeous dogs and have always fit right in, even the ones that were only with us a few weeks.

Depending on their history (worked? kept outside?) they can sometimes take a while to get used to home comforts and I've had a couple that were a bit confused by how non-lurcher dogs play but they always come around eventually!

They're so loyal and loving. We've got a little velcro lurcher with us at the moment. She's just so happy to finally be allowed to be close to people. She adores the children and keeps watch of them. We were on the beach yesterday and she took it upon herself to herd them away from the sea any time she felt they were too close!

Lurchers are the best dogs...gentle, loving, affectionate, funny and, in my experience of owning and fostering lurchers, they are great with people and other dogs.

This one previously worked and lived outside..
Tranformed very very quickly..

I don’t want to be a downer…

But even the most chilled and relaxed dogs with no history of issues can react very badly to a new dog permanently in their house. Especially when the incoming dog is older (ie. Not a puppy) .

I took a three year old Dalmatian a few years ago when I had an existing dog (cocker) at home. Cocker had never shown any previous aggression/poor behaviour - loved everyone and pined when my other do. Absolutely fine in all the meet and greets outside the home and in the home. Then after the first night (when she realised he wasn’t going) she turned into a nutcase. Tried to fly at him the next morning when I let them out in the garden together (kept them separate overnight and she was on the lead the next morning as I was cautious). They’re fine now but it took a lot of work - we’re talking months, not weeks. Ironically…both loved my puppy I got within minutes. No aggression in sight.

So PLEASE do not assume your existing dog will be 100% even if they seem chill now.

Lurcher are lovely dogs and will make a great addition though!

We had 3 adult ddogs already when we got the rescue one. 2 big breed apparently aggressive breeds... Absolute besties all of them.

Thank you for the comments everybody! I'm loving the photos, such beautiful dogs.

And thank you @Devilshands for your honesty too, the last thing I want to do is put my boy out and spoil his beautiful temperament so if that means we have to go slowly and do some worth with them then so be it.

I'm very excited for everyone to meet each other as a first step. She is described as the sweetest and most gentle natured girl, same as my spaniel so she seems perfect.

A word of warning... Lurchers are cold arses and love a jumper...

This made me chuckle because I just got up off the sofa to make a drink and came back to my spaniel cuddled up to my hot water bottle. Il have to get another.

-6 last week.

We have a rescue lurcher and she’s just the best! Can highly recommend them. Funny, loving and affectionate.
There are so many in rescues and it breaks my heart thinking how many people have dumped or abandoned them. Hope it all goes well OP.

Met her this morning and it's safe to say I've fallen in love. She is the loveliest, gentlest lamb and seems like she Will be the perfect fit. Unfazed by DD and current dog in the house, but they had a lovely play in the garden together. We all went for a little walk and she was a dream.

She seems so perfect. Anything I need to be wary of?! I came away with no anxieties at all about taking her which is so unlike me I'm wondering if she might be too good to be true!

I'm glad the meeting went well!

Sometimes there can be issues that don't show until they feel more settled but that's a normal part of adopting a dog in my experience. Or just owning a dog even from a puppy!

But it won't be anything you can't work through if she's testing well already in my opinion.

Thank you @Pongers that's good to know

Can't wait for the pics op...

She sounds lovely. Just be aware her prey drive might be totally different to your spaniel. My lurcher can't go off lead in an unenclosed place because whilst she stays near most of the time, if she saw a deer or rabbit, she'd be off and wouldn't stop for cars or barbed wire. It's not something that can be trained out of her like gun dogs. We've had her 5 years now (got her at 15months) and have just had to accept that isn't possible if we want to keep her (and others, as she could cause an accident) safe.

Thanks @Maraudingmarauders , yes the rescue have told us we likely won’t be able to let her off the lead, but once we discovered how beautifully she walks on lead we decided it won’t be an issue at all - unlike my spaniel who is a total bastard on lead so is mostly off 😂

We’ve found a local secure field that we can hire out so we’re planning to do that on weekends as well - like you say I’d much rather be safe than sorry!

Hi everyone, I have another thread that I’ve updated on but I just wanted to update the original for the lurcher lovers who are interested ❤️

She is home, she is gorgeous and we are totally in love with her. She has the sweetest most gentle temperament and just seems to have slotted right into our family amazingly. Is it ridiculous to feel like she already loves and trusts us too?!

I have had a few wobbles about her rough style of play with my other dog but they’ve definitely found their level now and are getting along great. We haven’t left them completely alone yet and probably won’t for a little while but I’m confident we will get there at some point.

She is an absolute scrounger though and I keep catching her trying to snaffle things off the worktops, she pinched a little plate of cheese and crackers DH had made for himself and left while he went to the loo the other day 😂

She seems to like other dogs although will bark at some, but I think it’s more of a hello bark than anything else as she happily greets dogs that approach with a sniff and waggy tail.

Thanking everyone for the advice and supportive comments, and we are definitely happy with our choice to get a lurcher as our second dog.

Can't see any pics......

She sounds like our little greyhound girl. We kept waiting for some issues to show once she’d settled in but they never did. She and our existing dog got on like a house on fire. Took a bit of time to get used to the cats but that’s always expected.

I’ve always found rescued sighthounds to be scavengers for anything that resembles food when they’re fresh out of kennels but then they get fussier and fussier and that’s when you know they’ve forgotten all about their kennel upbringing.