help with crossbreed.What is he....

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pink panther

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Hi we recently took in an unwanted dog and was told by his previous owner that he is a cross between a Staghound and german shepherd.Looking at him we can see the hound but we doubt the german shepherd....Any suggestions would be great....In this photo he is standing with my husband who is just under 6 ft, giving you a look at how big he is....He can certainly run like a hound and is very interested in rabbits....Big friendly giant he is and i am so glad that we got him, i just wish we were more sure of his breed....thanks for your help in advance.:hail:
here i a pic....

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Romy

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He definitely looks like a staghound to me. Staghounds do have greyhound in their makeup, to varying degrees. He's a beautiful dog! I don't know about the shepherd part, but it could be he's only 1/4 or something like that.
 
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pink panther

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hi romy. He looks like a stag hound we were very unsure about the german shepherd...He is a lovely dog...he is great with the kids and just lies about relaxing most of the time, but he loves his walks....We only got him last wed and he has turned out to be a great dog..Thanks for your input.Will try to get some better pics....
 
pitbullpony

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If you were talking about this breed; http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/staghound.htm
Why can't he be a representative of that breed? He very much resembles this dog in type
barring the colouring; why can't he just be pure? As pure as two breeds crossed are?
Both the greyhound and deerhound are large dogs, his colour pattern and coat remind me of a greyhound; only his head seems a bit off.

There is nothing about that dog to suggest GSD.
 
Shannerson

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Was the previous owner guessing or did they know for sure? Can sure see that sight hound in him. What a handsome dog! His head looks a little "sheperdy" but hard to tell since it is so small. Good luck. What a great rescue!
 
noludoru

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Pitbullpony, his coloring is exactly the same as the staghound in the pic.

With the way genetics roll, he could possibly be 1/4 shepherd. I highly doubt it, and definitely not half.

The staghounds I've seen pictures of have greatly varied in type, so he could be a rather coarse one, but I doubt he's crossed with something as slim as a Grey if he is definitely staghoung. My suggestion is that you go to the AKC's breed list and check out the hounds. See which ones make a little lightbulb click in your head, he may be crossed with something more common. :)
 
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pink panther

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the previous owner got him from a dog rehoming centre as a puppy and that is what they told her.He is a lovely dog, we are just unsure aboaut what breed. I would like to say staghound and leave out the GSD. He runs like a hound and is lazy to the point of sleeping all day. This is the first hound we have had,but he certainly has all the right things to be put into the hound class. All we have to do now is rename him. His last owner told us he ignored her at all times and we would like to give him a fresh start with a new name. Any good suggestions would be great..Thanks for all your input...the PINK PANTHER....
 
Romy

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His build and head looks identical to the staghound we are fostering, maybe they are brothers. :p Is he a wirehair too? Staghounds aren't necessarily made from a straight greyhound X something else. There are some old old lines out there that are working staghound lines from back to George Washington, and they vary a lot in type because the people who breed them only care about their performance, not their looks.

I doubt he really has any shepherd in that case. For some reason many rescues and shelters label mixes as a "pit mix" if it has a smooth coat and a square head, or a "shepherd mix" if it has anything else.
 
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pink panther

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Romy said:
His build and head looks identical to the staghound we are fostering, maybe they are brothers. :p Is he a wirehair too? Staghounds aren't necessarily made from a straight greyhound X something else. There are some old old lines out there that are working staghound lines from back to George Washington, and they vary a lot in type because the people who breed them only care about their performance, not their looks.

I doubt he really has any shepherd in that case. For some reason many rescues and shelters label mixes as a "pit mix" if it has a smooth coat and a square head, or a "shepherd mix" if it has anything else.
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Hi romy, No he does not have the wirey hair of a staghound, he is short smoothe, and shiny.I keep looking into his mix on the net and the colouring and short hair may suggest some kind of beagle type dog...I am no expert on hounds i am more of an english bull terrier lady or rottie,boxer..I am doing my home work but it does not help if i have nowhere to start looking. All the pics of staghounds i have seen have been wirey haired not smoothe...and they have been grey in colour.
He is at the vet tomorrow for a check up and claw clipping as i dont think that he got out too much on solid ground just fields...We have noticed that one of his eyes is red, and has been since we got him last wednesday..But apart from them, he seems fine. What is the normal wieght for a dog like him.I know thet can get some weight, and i would like to know that i am feeding him the right amount of food...We give him 800g with mixer in the morn and then the same at night...He not a greedy dog though, takes his time so i think that we must be getting it right, but hopefully the ve will be able to help in the morn,.Will let you know what he says....thanks for your help...Pink
 
Romy

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Okay, I feel dumb but I just now noticed that you're in Scotland.

I don't know how many staghounds might be in the UK, at least the kind we have over here in the states. Your guy is probably what folks over there would call a lurcher, a sighthound mixed with something else. People breed them as hunting dogs, mainly because in the old days it was against the law for "common people" to own a purebred wolfhound, greyhound, etc. since it was illegal for common folks to hunt. The gypsies would steal greys and breed them with collies, terriers, whatever they thought would make a good cross so that they could have a hunting dog for poaching and not be executed for it.

As far as I know, different breed crosses are made for different purposes, like whippet X terrier, greyhound X collie, greyhound X saluki, etc. Here are some links to lurcher organizations in the UK. Seamus (our dog) has the build of a greyhound bearded collie cross, but I don't think that's what he is because of the wire hair. You might try contacting some of these folks, they'll probably have a good idea of what breeds were used to make your dog.

http://www.users.daelnet.co.uk/lurchers/ (this is slow site! be warned)

http://www.lurcher.org.uk/

http://www.houndsandhomesinwales.moonfruit.com/whatisalurcher/4516944440

Keep us updated with him! Lurchers are great dogs all around.
 
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pink panther

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Romy said:
Okay, I feel dumb but I just now noticed that you're in Scotland.

I don't know how many staghounds might be in the UK, at least the kind we have over here in the states. Your guy is probably what folks over there would call a lurcher, a sighthound mixed with something else. People breed them as hunting dogs, mainly because in the old days it was against the law for "common people" to own a purebred wolfhound, greyhound, etc. since it was illegal for common folks to hunt. The gypsies would steal greys and breed them with collies, terriers, whatever they thought would make a good cross so that they could have a hunting dog for poaching and not be executed for it.

As far as I know, different breed crosses are made for different purposes, like whippet X terrier, greyhound X collie, greyhound X saluki, etc. Here are some links to lurcher organizations in the UK. Seamus (our dog) has the build of a greyhound bearded collie cross, but I don't think that's what he is because of the wire hair. You might try contacting some of these folks, they'll probably have a good idea of what breeds were used to make your dog.

http://www.users.daelnet.co.uk/lurchers/ (this is slow site! be warned)

http://www.lurcher.org.uk/

http://www.houndsandhomesinwales.moonfruit.com/whatisalurcher/4516944440

Keep us updated with him! Lurchers are great dogs all around.
Click to expand...
hi. your not dumb, and i know what you meanabout the crossbreeding in the uk. Well the vet has said that there is no GSD but he is cross with a big hound as he is bigger than most of the lurchers, whippets and staghounds we have in the uk...But he got the all clear and weighs in a 41k or 7 stone..He is an ideal wieght and the vet is real pleased with him...Although when we left the vet the car would not start and had to have it towed back, so the dogs fine now just got to get the car to the garage...Will let you know what i find out.......thanks again pink panther
 
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