A longdog is a type of lurcher, a crossbreed between two sighthounds. "A longdog is a dog or a crossbreed arrived at by blending two different breeds of sight hound."[1]. A lurcher is a mixed breed dog: ""The lurcher is an intentional cross between a long dog and a herding dog, or the offspring of parents so bred".[2] Lurchers were originally kept to catch rabbits when driven from their burrows; In the early 1950s, myxomatosis wiped out most of the rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) but did not affect the hares (Lepus europaeus).[3] Faster dogs were needed for coursing, or running down the hares (the hare can run at speeds up to 72 km/h / 45 mph.) The longdog lurchers were developed, mixing various types to get a dog with the preferred style of coursing. Coursing with purebred Greyhounds is still considered an "elite" sport.[4]
The Longdog differs from the Lurcher in that there is no cross to a working or terrier breed. The Longdog is an attempt to create a better coursing dog, and is not expected to have the working qualities of a good Lurcher, although a few come close.
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Longdog 
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