# Lure Coursing



## BeeKay

(Hope I'm posting this in the right thread)
So I will be getting a very high energy dog next year (if everything goes according to plan.) I've seen some posts about agility but not many on lure coursing. I was wondering if any members do lure coursing with their dogs and how you got them into it?


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## CptJack

I know Laurelin does it with her dog, Hank. 

My impression of it is that it's basically a situation where the dog either gets it and does it or doesn't get it and doesn't do it. There are also some limitations on what breeds can compete in which events, and there are parts of the country where it's more common than others.


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## ChaosIsAWeim

AKC's coursing ability is open to any breed/mix, traditional coursing and open field coursing to my knowledge is only open to approved hounds. 

I have done coursing ability with one of my dogs, she goes absolutely bonkers for it. Yeah it is a sport that a dog really has to like it to do it, I mean they are chasing a plastic bag, some dogs would just say the hell with that. Really basically all I did was take my dog down to the course early while they were practising and watched her demeanor. They had runs going on during weim nationals one year and I just thought it was cool, I think almost all the weims that weekend got their title.


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## BeeKay

CptJack said:


> I know Laurelin does it with her dog, Hank.
> 
> My impression of it is that it's basically a situation where the dog either gets it and does it or doesn't get it and doesn't do it. There are also some limitations on what breeds can compete in which events, and there are parts of the country where it's more common than others.


Yea I was trying to find a place in SoCal but the only one I came across is the place I met my breeder at. It was really cool to see how excited all the dogs get cause they knew exactly what was going on. They seemed like they enjoyed it so much. I really want to do that with my dog when he's old enough.


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## CptJack

There are a couple of events that offer it here, that I keep meaning to get my terrier out to. He loves chasing things. I think he might get the point and have fun. My BC *might*. My other dogs would be of the '??? you want me to chase a plastic bag why? no.' variety.


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## animalcraker

Where in SoCal are you and what breed? I've only been to one formal lure coursing event. It was a sighthound only race thru ASFA at Prado dam. We're planning on eventually running my youngest once she finishes her CH.


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## BeeKay

animalcraker said:


> Where in SoCal are you and what breed? I've only been to one formal lure coursing event. It was a sighthound only race thru ASFA at Prado dam. We're planning on eventually running my youngest once she finishes her CH.


Yes I'm in SoCal. I just put a deposit on a pharaoh hound a couple months ago. I've been to the Prado park in Chino, CA. That is where I met my breeder. It was just PH lure coursing for the western specialty. I don't think a pup can lure course until after a year old tho, right? How do you get them started in it?


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## Laurelin

I lure course! Well we do CAT type courses though Hank has seen a sighthound course in practice. Yeah basically you just line them up and let them run. Generally they're either into it or not though I know some people try to build drive for the lure. My dog was a nut for it from the get go. In fact he is almost too nutty because he doesn't want to come back at the end of the run. He wants to keep going lol. That is the only difficulty we've run into is his recall vanishes around 'prey' and he gets absolutely jacked by the 'bunny'. If he even goes in the field where he's coursed before he spends a lot of time trying to find the bunny. And he's only coursed there 3 times. 

EDIT: I have also been to sighthound events, including a nationals (because my agility club hosted it). It's really neat both the CAT and the actual coursing.


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## animalcraker

For ASFA you can run at 11 months. Their website is actually quite helpful in explaining everything that happens at a lure coursing event. There's a few vendors at the local conformation dog shows that sells flirt poles so you can start "playing" with your puppy and getting them excited about chasing a lure. Or you can try to find a feed or tack shop that sells lunge whips.

Here's Pearl playing with her flirt pole, she's about 6 months old in that picture. Just be careful with what "toy" you use on the flirt pole. Not everything is as sturdy as it seems, I've chased Pearl and Barbie around many times trying to get back the rest of the toy that they ripped in half. And if you use plastic bags be aware that plastic bags may never be safe in your house again. Barbie was never drawn to the plastic bag and therefore never cared for lure coursing, but Pearl kills every plastic bag she finds. She loves to shred them into small bits and toss them about the house.


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## Laurelin

I know when we started with Hank we just started right on a full CAT course (he Q'd both times!). Some of the hound people told me they start with the lunge whip and then move to the puppy bump (super short 'course' for puppies/tiny dogs). 

It was obvious from the second Hank saw the machines that he was going to run. He is possibly the nuttiest dog there or at the least definitely close to it. He can't be around the course at all while it's going. Even 50' away or more he lunges and screams. 

I will add that plastic bags are fine in my house but in agility once the Rhodesian ridgeback owner was trying to ramp her dog up for agility and pulled out a lunge whip and bag and Hank LOST IT. 
Slamming in his crate, screaming. Once I got him back out his brain was on overdrive. My main problem is Hank doesn't focus after the chase. He gets soooo pumped that his recall is out the window and trying to reel him back in is near impossible. He's figured out the game and when the game is over and he wants to keep going. Right now we're kind of breaking and maybe when he's older he will get some semblance of self control? I dunno. He LOVES it so I'd like to keep playing but I'm afraid of encouraging too many run aways and delays of trials because no one can catch him at the end.


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## BeeKay

animalcraker said:


> For ASFA you can run at 11 months. Their website is actually quite helpful in explaining everything that happens at a lure coursing event. There's a few vendors at the local conformation dog shows that sells flirt poles so you can start "playing" with your puppy and getting them excited about chasing a lure. Or you can try to find a feed or tack shop that sells lunge whips.
> 
> Here's Pearl playing with her flirt pole, she's about 6 months old in that picture. Just be careful with what "toy" you use on the flirt pole. Not everything is as sturdy as it seems, I've chased Pearl and Barbie around many times trying to get back the rest of the toy that they ripped in half. And if you use plastic bags be aware that plastic bags may never be safe in your house again. Barbie was never drawn to the plastic bag and therefore never cared for lure coursing, but Pearl kills every plastic bag she finds. She loves to shred them into small bits and toss them about the house.



So with the flirt pole are you just kind of swinging it around to see if they'll chase it?


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## animalcraker

Yup. It's basically like a giant cat toy for them. Its also nice for when you don't have a large area available for them to free run or need to get out some excess energy. I especially like to take it with me to out of town dog shows, I'll hook Pearl up to a long line and let her run around a quite area of the parking lot, helps to make sure everyone sleeps through the night.


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## BeeKay

animalcraker said:


> Yup. It's basically like a giant cat toy for them. Its also nice for when you don't have a large area available for them to free run or need to get out some excess energy. I especially like to take it with me to out of town dog shows, I'll hook Pearl up to a long line and let her run around a quite area of the parking lot, helps to make sure everyone sleeps through the night.


What age did you start?


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## animalcraker

With the flirt pole I started playing with her at 4 months old, but I would only do 5 mins at a time a few times a week, just enough to brun off the extra excitement so we could focus on training afterwards. I also have some actual cat toys that I use as flirts for confirmation training, I use it like carrying a carrot in front of a horses' nose, works great to teach them to move with their head up. Most of the people I know don't do heavy lure course training until their 18-24 months old. The 2 big reasons are: to let them finish their conformation Ch first, an excusal from the field is also held against you for showing. If your dog, or other dogs on the field, have bad manners you could potentially be eliminated from showing. The second reason is to allow the dogs to fully grow and mature before putting strain on thier bodies.


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## BeeKay

animalcraker said:


> With the flirt pole I started playing with her at 4 months old, but I would only do 5 mins at a time a few times a week, just enough to brun off the extra excitement so we could focus on training afterwards. I also have some actual cat toys that I use as flirts for confirmation training, I use it like carrying a carrot in front of a horses' nose, works great to teach them to move with their head up. Most of the people I know don't do heavy lure course training until their 18-24 months old. The 2 big reasons are: to let them finish their conformation Ch first, an excusal from the field is also held against you for showing. If your dog, or other dogs on the field, have bad manners you could potentially be eliminated from showing. The second reason is to allow the dogs to fully grow and mature before putting strain on thier bodies.


Thank you very much! I see you are also in SoCal have you been to lure at Prado park in Chino??


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## Laurelin

Has anyone had any luck with this (was suggested to me by a sighthound breeder friend for a dog that wants to continue running)

What she said worked for one of her dogs was to muzzle him and that during the run he would be so focused on the prey that he would not notice the muzzle but after the run he would start trying to paw the muzzle off and then she could catch him. Cause right now my issue is that Hank is un-catchable.


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## Laurelin

Hank and I went coursing and he was actually catchable at the end! The last run he even started attacking the bag which was a very welcome change. Cross your fingers we can get our final Q for our CA in November.


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## BeeKay

Laurelin said:


> Hank and I went coursing and he was actually catchable at the end! The last run he even started attacking the bag which was a very welcome change. Cross your fingers we can get our final Q for our CA in November.


Yay Hank!! 

Did you use the muzzle? The coursing event I went to there were a few people that had muzzles on their dogs.


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## Laurelin

Nope but since it was a fun run I did get to keep his harness on him so that made it easier. Luckily he went after the bag so maybe he'll decide the bag is worth killing and it'll be easier to grab him.


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## Laurelin

Yay Hank got his last Q for his title!


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## Sibe

Laurelin said:


> Yay Hank got his last Q for his title!


 Congrats!!! Denali has done 2, so needs one more for a title. Girl LOVES coursing. Runs with her mouth open ready to grab the rabbit. At the end she gets a quick bite on each bag lol.

She SCREAMS while we're waiting for her turn. Makes noises I didn't know she could make.














































To answer OP, I got connected with sighthound people via facebook. Heard about a fun run so went to that. Denali loved it, I grabbed a schedule of events, joined a couple FB groups and got the premiums for the AKC CATs, have done a couple other fun runs since too.


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## ChaosIsAWeim

Sibe said:


> Congrats!!! Denali has done 2, so needs one more for a title. Girl LOVES coursing. Runs with her mouth open ready to grab the rabbit. At the end she gets a quick bite on each bag lol.
> 
> She SCREAMS while we're waiting for her turn. Makes noises I didn't know she could make.


BB does the same thing, she has about pulled me down a few times waiting for her turn.


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## Laurelin

Hank's start line cracks me up. Boy wants to gooooooo.


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## Laurelin

Hank picked up two more Qs and is now halfway to his CAA. I think we have found his passion. Lol and I'm becoming an addict as well. May need a real hound one day.


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## Jen2010

Pepper got to try lure coursing at the pet show in town a couple of weeks ago and she LOVED it! Unfortunately I can't find any place to do it around here that isn't breed specific.


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## Wirehairedvizslalove

A local dog training academy just recently set up a lure course, and everyone is welcome to bring their dogs - just need to register for it $5 per round. McGee is going to loose his mind over this! I think he will do well and he is FAST! I can't wait to go!


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs

We tried a lure coursing fun run with the girls today!











I don't think they liked it.


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## SnarkHunter66

ForTheLoveOfDogs said:


> We tried a lure coursing fun run with the girls today!
> I don't think they liked it.


How cruel of you to make them have fun!  Riley is the only dog I have who loves lure coursing (everyone else would rather chase a real bunny). He has his CA title but finding CATs within a couple of hours drive is hard to do.


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## Sibe

Really nice short courses, great way to introduce it!


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## Terriermon

The fun runs at dog festivals, etc are the best way to try it! Short, and fun. That is, if the lure operator is competent...which is hit or miss...if they are not you spend a lot of time waiting while they untangle it or slowly plod off to get more gas for the motor


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## CptJack

Yeah, I don't think Molly liked it, either:


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## Sibe

Go Molly!!!


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## ForTheLoveOfDogs

CptJack said:


> Yeah, I don't think Molly liked it, either:


Did she catch that bag?! Haha. She looks like she had some serious fun!


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## CptJack

ForTheLoveOfDogs said:


> Did she catch that bag?! Haha. She looks like she had some serious fun!


She absolutely caught the bag 

She had a really awesome time. So did I. There's something about the balance between all the detailed training in agility and this where it's just pure GO and instinct and play that I love. This isn't an official anything, just a friend with a farm and equipment but it means it's likely to be a pretty regular thing in her life, which makes me happy. And not just because she's a puddle of tired, now, or that it's super cheap. 

I think next time I'm taking Thud so he can chase Molly while Molly chases the bag (...this is only allowed because they live together, the person is a friend and, it's how they play anyway). And let Jack give it a try.


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## CptJack

Oh, I will say I REALLY got a kick out of the different 'end run' behaviors of the dogs. Some wouldn't come back/be caught (either continuing to 'hunt' or just being wild) a lot attacked the bag and shredded it, one dog went to the machine and barked at it (Smartdog). Molly mostly just stood on it and then walked away/back to us. Even that time she got ahead and caught it, she ran about 20 feet, spit it out and stood on it then came back. Not moving? Don't care. Really made it easy on US.


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