Breed dogs for ferreting, rabbiting and lurcher work? Advertise here
Buyers and trainers use this page to find breeders whose lines do this work. List your kennel free, tick the industries your dogs work in, and advertise litters and stud dogs from proven working lines.
No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.
- Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
- Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
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- Sponsored articles about your breed or industry, written and published by our team.
- Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.
Is it free to advertise here?
Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.
Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?
In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.
Is my listing already here?
We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.
About ferreting, rabbiting and lurcher work
Ferreting with nets and a dog is one of the oldest ways of controlling rabbits on farmland, and the lurcher is the dog most closely tied to it. If you are looking for lurcher puppies, a ferreting dog or rabbiting dog, or working lurcher breeders, this page explains the work, the law and who breeds these dogs in the UK. Canine Breeder is a directory: we do not sell or certify working dogs, and a listing is not a guarantee of ability.
What this work involves
Ferrets are entered into a rabbit bury, and the rabbits bolt into purse nets pegged over the holes. A good ferreting dog marks which buries are occupied, waits quietly while the ferrets work, and catches any rabbit that slips the nets above ground. It must be steady with ferrets, quiet at the bury, quick off the mark and willing to retrieve to hand.
All of this happens on land where the owner or occupier has given permission. Rabbit control is lawful; using dogs to chase and catch hares is not.
Who trains and supplies these dogs in the UK
Lurchers are crossbreeds. Private breeders cross a sighthound, usually a Greyhound, Whippet or Saluki, with a working breed such as a collie or terrier, or breed lurcher to lurcher. The lurcher is not a recognised breed, so there is no RKC registration or breed standard; you rely on the breeder’s knowledge of the parents, and owners train their own dogs.
- The National Working Terrier Federation is the umbrella body for working terrier clubs, and publishes a Code of Conduct that its member clubs endorse.
- The Fell and Moorland Working Terrier Club, one of its member clubs, aims to encourage terrier and lurcher shows, which its areas hold in the summer: a good place to meet working lurcher breeders and see their dogs.
- BASC (the British Association for Shooting and Conservation) publishes advice on pest control and working dogs.
Breeds and lines
- Lurcher: a type rather than a breed, so size, speed and coat depend on the cross.
- Whippet: an RKC-recognised Hound group breed, used on its own for rabbiting and as the sighthound parent of smaller lurchers.
- Bedlington Terrier x Whippet: the classic small rabbiting lurcher, often called a Bedlington whippet lurcher; quick, agile and handy around ferrets.
- Greyhound x Collie: a larger cross that combines speed with the collie’s trainability.
What to ask a breeder
- What is the cross, and what are both parents like at work? Can I see them?
- Which health tests have the parents had? A collie parent should have eye examinations and DNA tests such as CEA; a Bedlington parent should have the DNA test for copper toxicosis.
- How have the pups been socialised with ferrets, livestock, cats and other dogs?
- What work do you expect this pup to do? Responsible breeders sell for lawful rabbiting and walk away from buyers who talk about hares.
- Will the pup be microchipped and registered to you before it leaves?
Legal and welfare notes
- Rabbits in England and Wales. The Hunting Act 2004 exempts hunting rabbits on land that belongs to the hunter or which the occupier has given permission to use. The exemption sets no limit on the number of dogs.
- Hares. Hare coursing is illegal, and no Hunting Act exemption allows dogs to chase and catch hares. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 added offences in England and Wales of trespassing with intent to search for or pursue hares with dogs and of being equipped to do so, raised the penalties for game poaching offences to include imprisonment, and lets courts order offenders to pay the costs of seizing and kennelling their dogs and disqualify them from owning or keeping dogs.
- Scotland. Under the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023, rabbits count as wild mammals (only rats and mice are excluded). Using dogs to search for, stalk or flush them above ground is allowed only within the Act’s exceptions, such as preventing serious damage to livestock, woodland or crops: no more than two dogs unless the Scottish Ministers or NatureScot grant a licence, the landowner’s permission, and the other conditions in section 3, which include that the animal is shot or killed by a bird of prey as soon as reasonably possible. Check the Act before working a lurcher in Scotland.
- Livestock. Sighthounds chase. Under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953, if a dog attacks or worries livestock on agricultural land, its owner, and anyone else in charge of it, can be guilty of an offence. In England and Wales the offence has also covered roads and paths since March 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is it legal to go rabbiting with a lurcher?
In England and Wales, yes, on land you own or have permission to use. Scotland’s 2023 Act sets tighter conditions. Hare coursing is illegal throughout Great Britain.
What is a Bedlington whippet lurcher?
A cross between a Bedlington Terrier and a Whippet, or a dog bred from such crosses. It is a small, fast, agile lurcher with a terrier’s persistence, and a traditional choice for ferreting.
Do lurchers make good pets?
Many do. Lurchers are often gentle and calm indoors, but most have a strong chase instinct, so recall training and care around livestock, cats and small pets are essential.
If you breed lurchers or whippets from lines used for ferreting and rabbiting, list your kennel on Canine Breeder and tell buyers about the cross, the parents’ work and your health testing.