# Lure coursing anyone?



## Michelle (Nov 16, 2009)

I found a place that does lure coursing about an hour away and I am going to bring Yuki and see how he does! He has such high prey drive to chase anything and everything that moves so I think he will really enjoy it.

But I'm curious...do you think it will make him behave worse on our walks since he will finally be able to chase the "rabbit"?

What should I expect our first time lure coursing?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I know tons of people love lure coursing and there are some PF people who have done it with their dogs. When Lily and Peeves were about 3 years old we went to a fun coursing day for all breeds. After hanging around for a while and watching some dogs take bad spills and one dog get carried off the course badly hurting we left without trying it. I can't say whether I think it would encourage a dog with strong prey drive to pull on leash since coursing is off lead. I don't think it would affect my dogs' leash manners however.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I used the search function here on PF once to look up lure coursing since I had never heard of it. It seems that some courses are better laid out and may be safer or less stressful on the dog's joints. Do a little research and go watch first to see whether it is a fun activity for your dog.

Like you, I was concerned that it might encourage my dog's prey drive. I'm not sure what the answer is. My dog takes several different classes and she has learned for example that when she is in an obedience class, and there is agility equipment - that she behaves appropriate for obedience. And when we are in agility class in that same building - she behaves appropriate for agility and doesn't heel next to me as we move around. She also wears different harnesses or leads and collars so she knows different behavior is expected. I suspect with lure coursing you could teach your dog that is a special place with a special activity unrelated to normal walking on a leash.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

Lure coursing is so much fun for dogs who like it! I have had whippets who loved it and a couple who thought it was terminally boring. My standard poodle loved it and really ran extremely well. Too bad she could not compete in trials.

I don't think it will increase Yuki's prey drive, but the fact that he likes to chase will make it an excellent game for him.

Years ago when I was breeding and showing whippets as well as poodles, we went to a lot of lure coursing. Only once did I see an accident - a greyhound flipped a stick up and got a rip in her forechest - it was not too serious, but it did require stitches. That said, greyhounds and whippets have very thin skin that is easily injured. I wonder if the injuries Catherine mentioned were to dogs who were structurally not well suited to coursing. Most poodles are quite agile and are able to handle sudden turns easily.

So go watch and try it out - it may be just what Yuki wants to do.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Johanna, the worst injured dog was a whippet! Since it was a sight hound it should have been well suited. I will say the sight hound club folks had everyone who wanted to try a run did have the handlers move the dogs at different paces to evaluate their gait and structure as best as possible, but none of them were veterinarians. At any rate it scared us a bit and since we didn't want to risk either dog's long term fitness we opted out.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

What kind of injury was it, Catherine? Did the dog slip on wet grass? I have some awesome photos of whippets making such sharp turns they are almost parallel to the ground! So a dog who is not in great condition or who has poor structure could, I guess, get hurt. I don't think it happens often.

I ran dogs in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Texas. I've only been to one lure coursing event here - it was just a demo and anyone could run. The whippet we had at the time started off quite well (we were running just one dog at a time), but when he got to the far side of the field he realized he was too far from his mama and he came back and leapt into Joanne's lap and refused to particpate further. My standard poodle, on the other hand, thought it was the greatest game ever and ran very, very well. She gained the admiration of the sighthound folks.

So my take is that accidents are not common and many dogs absolutely love it. One of my whippets would be asleep in her crate in the van until I made the next to last turn on the way to the coursing field we used - then she would leap up and begin barking in excitement!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Johanna, it was quite a while ago and I don't remember the details. I know the dog had to be carried and since it was October I am sure the grass was dry.


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## kchen95 (Jan 6, 2016)

I attended and competed in quite a few lure coursing events - including the Whippet Nationals - when I was still living in the US several years ago. The Whippets were my cousin's dogs - brother/sister from the same litter and still alive and healthy at 15+ years today. I'd never seen a dog get severely injured, but looking back, I must say that I'm SURPRISED that not more dogs get hurt. I mean, with the break-neck speed at which those Whippets were sprinting, I would think any misstep here and there would spell disaster - e.g. one dog accidentally bumping the other at top speed, the legs getting cut or caught by the line that transports the plastic bag lure, or a violent sharp turn that twists a leg too far, the way it happens to many professional human athletes in intense sporting competition. But, having said that, I attended and participated in well over 50 trials, and did not witness a single serious episode among all the dogs that I saw.

Kevin


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