One of the most fun activities I do with my dogs is lure coursing. It is a sighthound sport and only sighthounds are allowed to compete but most clubs will allow other breeds to practice during breaks in the competition and afterward. I have seen lots of other breeds running and some of them are quite good at it even though they don't have the speed of the sighthounds.

3 dogs compete a time. They chase plastic bags on a pully system that mimic the way a rabbit would run with turns and changes of direction. The courses are 600 to 1000+ yardsThe dogs wear pink, blue or yellow jackets so they can be seen at a distance by the judges. They are judged on agility, speed, enthusiasm, and stamina. Here are few photos of my dog JD coursing.

Catching the plastic bag at the end.

For information on events in your area you can go to the American Sighthound Field Association Site:

http://www.asfa.org/

Or AKC

http://www.akc.org/events/lure_coursing/

 

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Joanne Johnson
South Carolina
Cesar Millan Ambassador
http://www.GreyhoundCrossroads.com

http://www.sessionswithcesar.com Enter promo code 282334AA

AWESOME photos, Joanne!  Absolutely beautiful dog!!!

 

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Tammy Hartwig
Cesar Millan Ambassador

I would so love Cody (whippet) to get a chance to do that!  He would love it. There is noone near by that does this though :(

You have lovely dogs btw.

 

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Meet your horses halfway, they are waiting for you. ~ Ed Littlefox

I do have to drive 2 to 3 hours to get to the closest lure coursing competitions although when JD was younger and more  competitive we drove to Colorado and to Iowa to the Championships. If you ever get a chance to go to one it will be worth a long drive to see your whippet really run. Whippets are so good at Lure Coursing and you never see them as happy and enthusiastic or see them run as fast as when they are chasing that lure. It is what the sighthounds were bred to do and most really love it.

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Joanne Johnson
South Carolina
Cesar Millan Ambassador
http://www.GreyhoundCrossroads.com

http://www.sessionswithcesar.com Enter promo code 282334AA

I have a "rescue" whippet.  He is a FAST guy, and I know he would really enjoy lure coursing.  However, the information I have found indicates that to participate in lure coursing, a dog must have papers, e.g., AKC certification.  Since my whippet is a rescue, the only papers I got were his vaccination records!  Does anyone know how my dog can participate in lure coursing without the AKC papers?  Is it feasible to build my own lure course?  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

Yes you can participate in lure coursing even if you don't have papers by getting an AKC PAL/ILP. Here is the info on how to do that.

http://www.akc.org/reg/ilpex.cfm

Not hard at all. The dog does have to be spayed or neutered before they can get it. Most groups will let you practice and run for fun though even if you don't have papers, you just can't enter the competition without them.

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Joanne Johnson
South Carolina
Cesar Millan Ambassador
http://www.GreyhoundCrossroads.com

http://www.sessionswithcesar.com Enter promo code 282334AA

I have a friend that has sighthounds and to watch them do this is amazng. Two Years ago Thier lure coursing team was asked to do the half time show at the football game so I went to help. It was sooo cool to watch them, my fav's to watch were the afghans in a full show coat, beautiful. A couple of weeks later our CFL team sent a thank you note and also stated that the concession sales were the lowest they had for half time sales in a long time. Gotta watch the doggies run.