All about Dog Lure Coursing
Luring is a fast paced sport for dogs that imitates the sport of hare hunting. Most people consider lure coursing a more humane sport because the dogs chase a mechanically operated fake lure instead of hunting down a real hare. This sport usually uses sighthounds because they have a natural sight chasing ability and tremendous speed, but many clubs now offer luring for just about any breed.
Dog lure coursing takes place on a pre-designed course, usually an open field anywhere from 600 yards to 1000 yards long. The course is designed with at least 4 turns and several straight runs. The main component of the course is the lure machine. This is most often composed of an electric starter motor that is controlled by a remote operator. While these machines differ in build, the most important factor for a lure machine is its ability to move the lure at least 40 mph. Course designers use several pulley systems and high test fishing line attached to the lure machine to pull the artificial lure around the course at high speeds for the dogs to chase. The lure itself is designed to mimic running prey and is made from fur strips, rabbit skins, cloth or even white trash bags. Sometimes more than one artificial lure is used to reduce contention among the chasing dogs. Luring competition involves releasing fast moving sighthounds and judging them as they chase the artificial lure around the course.
The typical dogs used in competition luring are a range of about 13 breeds referred to as sighthounds. These dogs were bred to use sight rather than smell to located prey and are extremely fast runners. The sighthound breeds used for luring are Greyhounds, Basenjis, Afghan hounds, Borzois, Irish Wolfhounds, Ibizan hounds, Salukis, Scottish Deerhounds, Pharaoh hounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Whippets. Some clubs and luring organizations have courses that allow any breed to run, but competitions are usually limited to these purebred sighthound breeds.
Most types of purebred sighthounds will not require any formal training to participate in luring as they have a natural instinct to spot and chase prey. Maintaining the health and physical conditioning of the dog is important however to prevent the dogs being injured. Conditioning requires building up the dog’s cardio workouts slowly over time until they are in excellent shape and can run the course effectively.
Luring competitions are becoming increasingly popular all over North America. They are put on by local clubs or luring organizations. Most require that their participants possess paperwork showing they are registered purebred sighthounds and that they are well practiced in the sport. A luring dog must also be at least 1 year old as the stresses of the sport could injure dogs that are still in their growing stages. Competitions may be run as breed specific groups, or if there are not enough particular dogs of a certain breed, different breeds may run together as long as they are scored separately by the judges. Typically the dogs run in groups of twos or threes and wear light fitting race blankets called course blankets to identify them to the judges. Each dog will run the course twice and have their scores added together. Judges award points differently based on which organization is sponsoring the event, but will judge the dogs on the categories of agility, speed, endurance and follow. Different levels of luring titles may be awarded from the American Kennel Club (AKC) or the American Sighthound Field Association (ASFA). Sometimes dogs will become ‘lure wise’ and attempt to catch the lure by cutting it off on the turns rather than using speed and follow to chase it down. This results in fewer points.
Based on the fact that many dogs have a natural ability to chase moving objects and the simplicity of the course, many non-sighthound dog owners are choosing luring as a fun and energetic sport for their dogs. Clubs that offer courses for other breeds can provide a fun and safe way for dogs to receive exercise and socialization.
