Bedlington Whippet Mix

The Bedlington Whippet mix is an intelligent, high energy, trainable, medium sized lurcher.

The lurcher is not a recognized breed but more a type of dog, popular especially in Great Britain and in Ireland. These dogs are born from a cross between a sighthound and any other breed, often a terrier or a shepherd dog.

They connect the speed of a sighthound with the working skills of other breeds. The result of this cross are fast, versatile working dogs mainly used for hunting.

In the UK events are dedicated to lurchers, they can be shown and raced.

The Bedlington is an elegant terrier that curiously looks a lot like a lamb. But this meek appearance is deceptive because it hides an active dog capable of hunting and killing rodents and vermin with great zeal.

In both the whippet and Bedlington we find arched loins, elegant lines, elastic gait and a similar size.

There is still an open and very controversial debate about the relation between the two breeds and it is debatable which breed comes from which but, looking at dogs of these two breeds, it seems obvious that there is an affinity between them.

The Bedlington Whippet lurcher is a double duty dog, capable of doing both the work of a whippet and that of a terrier but without achieving the whippet's speed or the terrier's hunting capabilities.

Although these dogs are often handsome, they were bred for work and their main requirements are their hunting skills. They must be fast, sturdy and brave to work  efficiently.

The coat is often rough and offers a better protection than the smooth whippet coat.

Some breeders, especially in UK dedicate their efforts to the creation of these active dogs. Here are some link to interesting websites about this kind of lurcher dogs.

Beddywhippets

Redhunta