Lure Coursing…What’s It All About?
Developed in the early 1970s by sight hound lovers who enjoyed hunting jackrabbits in the open field, lure coursing is a great physical sport to challenge your dog. Based on the open hunting grounds these sighthound owners enjoy with their dogs, it is a safer, more controlled sport that mimics the physical requirements of their dogs in the open field but allows them to test their hounds’ functional abilities.
Lure coursing provided a great way for their sighthounds to practice coursing skills and show off the skills that had been bred into them over hundreds of years.
A plastic bag is attached to a nylon string course and is propelled around the course by a hand controlled motor. The plastic bag is meant to simulate escaping game.
Now, many dog owners use this as a great sport to bond with their dog! This is a great sport for dogs that are fit and love to run and have a strong prey drive. We don’t recommend it for any dogs that show signs of stress through lack of fitness.
Is Lure Coursing just for sighthounds?
Lure coursing is a great sport for any fit dog! While there are dedicated competition streams for sighthound breeds, this sport is also open to any breed. As long as your dog is fit, loves to chase and loves to run you can enjoy this sport.
We should note that your dog should be at least over one years old before they can compete in this sport. Dogs who love this sport usually put in 110% effort, so you want to make sure your dogs joints are fully formed before they begin lure coursing.
How to Train for Lure Coursing
First off, check out if there is a club close by. Learning from others who love the sport is a quick way to learn. Most local clubs don’t require any prior experience.
You can test your dog’s enthusiasm for chasing by buying a flirt pole or making one yourself. These are a great toy to engage your pup to chase. If your dog loves playing with a flirt pole, then they will probably love lure coursing!
The next step is to get your dog into shape. Are they normally asleep on the lounge? Then you will want to make sure you are building daily sessions into your routine for exercise. This will help to avoid injuries when you start luring. Make sure to keep the exercise sessions short so that you don’t overwork your dog.
Make Yourself A DIY Lure Course At Home
Making your own lure course at home can be a great way to practice. All you need is a plastic bag and some fishing line. Attach the plastic bag (or even a small toy your dog absolutely loves) to the fishing line, then have your dog chase the bag/toy.
While you practice, you will work as the lure operator by pulling the line. Let your dog chase after the bag/toy and allow them to grab it. Letyour dog enjoy the win by letting them play with the toy for a minute, then repeat!
This is also a great opportunity to build up your dogs recall. You can even add a cue to signal to your dog when to chase the lure. This will help down the road if you decide to go to competition trials.
How to Get Started With Lure Coursing
Once you’ve had some training and have found a local club, a good idea is to go out and observe a trial. You will meet others who love the sport and have good tips and tricks to help you practice at home.
Bring your ear plugs! Dogs at these events will often get so excited they just cannot help but yell as they start to chase. It is their favourite thing to do!
Most local clubs will let you bring your dog to observe as well. Make sure to keep them on leash at all times and tell the officials there that you are new. There will often be a time set aside for beginners or dog owners who want to trial their dog in the sport to have a run. They will show you the ropes and help you to learn what the rules are at a lure course competition.
Generally dogs will practice on at least 2 different occasions before they’re able to compete with other
dogs.
Practice your recall until you can pretty much guarantee your dog will come back to you. After the course it’s your responsibility to get your dog back amongst all the distractions.
Lure Coursing Gear & Supplies
Always check in with your local coursing club to fund out what equipment you need to compete. As a dog sport there isn’t a lot of gear required and usually just the following are required:
- Plenty of water on hand for your dog
- Slip lead
- Colourful bandana or coat to distinguish your dog
- Muzzle if it’s required or if your dog has shown aggression
- Leashes and collars
- Exercise pen or crate for your dog
- Chair for yourself while you watch the days events
- Cooler for your drinks
What kind of titles can we get in lure coursing if we compete?
In Australia the following titles from the Australian National Kennel Council (AKC) can be attained:
- Singles Field Champion (sFCH)
- Singles Lure Courser of Merit (sLCM)
- Singles Lure Courser Excellent (sLCX) Field Champion (FCH)
- Lure Courser of Merit (LCM)
- Lure Courser Excellent (LCX)
- Veteran Field Champion (vFCH)
- Veteran Lure Courser of Merit (vLCM)
- Veteran Lure Courser Excellent (vLCX)] are the (ANKC website)
In the US the following lure coursing titles can be obtained from the American Kennel Club (AKC)
- (JC) Junior Courser
- (QC) Qualified Courser
- (SC) Senior Courser
- (MC) Master Courser
- (FC) Field Champion
- (DC) Dual Champion
Where Can I Find Out More About Lure Coursing?
Official Lure Coursing Major Clubs
- American Kennel Club (AKC)
- American Sighthound Field Association (ASFA)
- Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI)
- Canadian Kennel Club (CKC)
- The Saluki Club of America (SCOA)
- The National Greyhound Association (NGA)
Australian Dog Clubs who run Lure Coursing trials
- Hound Club of Victoria
- American Staffordshire Club of Victoria
- Saluki Club of Victoria
- Geelong Obedience & Agility Club
- Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of Victoria
- White Swiss Shepherd Dog Association of Victoria
- Belgian Shepherd Club of Victoria
United States Lure Coursing Clubs
Afghan Hound Club of America, Inc.
Website: https://afghanhoundclubofamerica.org
Website: www.afghanhoundclubaustin.org
Afghan Hound Club of Greater Houston
Afghan Hound Club of Greater Phoenix
Afghan Hound Club of Greater Portland
Afghan Hound Club of Northern New Jersey
Alaska Hound Group Association
Website: akhoundgroup.com
Website: www.americanwhippetclub.net
Arizona Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
Website: www.arizonaridgebacks.org
Website: www.azwhippets.com/
Arizona White Mountain Kennel Club
Website: awmkc.org
Website: http://www.basenji.org
Basenji Club of Northern California
Website: www.norcalbasenjis.org/
Basenji Club of Southeastern Wisconsin
Website: https://basenjiclubwi.org
Bay Area Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
Website: www.barrc.org/
Big Apple Sighthound Association
Website: www.borzoiclubofamerica.org
Website: www.borzoiclubofcalifornia.org
Borzoi Club of Delaware Valley
Borzoi Club of Greater New York
Website: www.geocities.com/borzoiclub
Borzoi Club of Northern California
Website: www.borzoiclubofnortherncalifornia.org/
California Coursing Association
Website: http://socalcoursing.org/california-coursing-club/
Carolina Lure Coursing Society
Website: www.carolinacoursing.com
Website: www.cascadecoursing.org/
Website: www.cascadewhippetclub.com
Central Arizona Saluki Association
Central Leatherstocking Area Sighthound Society
Central Ohio Area Coursing Hound Club
Chesapeake Bay Area Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
Website: http://www.cbarrc.org/
Website: www.chintiminikennelclub.com
Cirneco dell’Etna Club of America
Website: www.cirneco.org
Colorado Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
Website: www.coloradorhodesianridgebackclub.org
Website: www.azbasenjis.org
Coursing Hounds Association of Mid-Potomac
Website: CHAMPLURECOURSING2.ORG
Cuyahoga Valley Hound Association
Website: www.CuyahogaValleyHoundAssoc.org
Dallas/Fort Worth Coursing Club
Del Valle Dog Club of Livermore
Website: www.dvdc.org/
Desert Fun Bunch Sighthound Club
Website: www.desertfunbunch.org/
Website: www.evergreenbasenjiclub.org
Website: www.fivevalleykennelclub.org
Website: www.fbkc.org
Gazehound Association of the Smoky Mountains
Website: www.gasm.club
Gazehounds of New England Lure Coursing Club
Website: www.gazehoundsofnewengland.org
Greater Clarksburg WV Kennel Club, Inc.
Website: www.gkkc.org/
Greater Ocala-Gainesville Lure Coursing Association
Greater Twin Cities Afghan Hound Club, Inc.
Website: www.gtcahc.com
Greater Valley Forge Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
Website: www.gvfrrc.org
Greyhound Association of North Georgia
Website: www.gangcoursing.org
Website: www.greyhoundclubofamericainc.org
Greyhound Club of Northern California
Hound Association of Central Florida
Houston Area Hound Association
Website: http://www.houstonareahounds.com.
Hudson River Valley Hound Association
Ibizan Hound Club of the United States
Website: www.ihcus.org
Inland Gazehound Fanciers of Greater Spokane
Irish Wolfhound Association of the Garden State
Irish Wolfhound Association of the West Coast
Website: www.iwawc.com/
Irish Wolfhound Club of America
Website: www.iwclubofamerica.org
Irish Wolfhound Club of Puget Sound
Italian Greyhound Club of America, Inc.
Website: www.italiangreyhound.org
Jersey Rag Racers Whippet Association
Lake Country Lure Coursers (NY)
Website: http://newmexico-sighthounds.jigsy.com/
Maury County Kennel Club of Tennessee
Metropolitan Atlanta Whippet Association
Website: http://www.atlantawhippet.com
Michigan Gazehound Association
Mid-Atlantic Basenji Club of Maryland
Mid-Atlantic Hound Association of Central North Carolina
Website: www.mahahounds.com
Mid-Atlantic Italian Greyhound Club of Central Maryland
Midwest Coursing Club of Wisconsin
Minnesota Coursing Association
Monterey Bay Coursing Association
Website: www.nashvilledog.org
Website: www.nashvillekennelclub.org/
New England Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
Website: www.nerrc.org
North Georgia Hound Association
Website: http://www.northgeorgiahounds.com
Website: http://ntxsalukiclub.com/
Northcoast Coursing Club of Ohio
Northern California Irish Wolfhound Club
Website: www.nciwc.org
Northern California Whippet Club
Northern California Whippet Fanciers Association
Website: ncwfa.com/
Northwest Arkansas Kennel Club, Inc.
Northwest Coursing Club of Washington
Northwest Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
Website: www.nutmeg-ahc.org
OKI Gazehound Association of Ohio
Oklahoma Racing and Coursing Association
Orange Coast Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
Website: www.ocrrc.com
Website: www.ph-club.org
Website: www.pocatellokennelclub.org
Raisin River Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Michigan
Website: www.raisinriver.org
Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States, Inc.
Website: www.rrcus.org
Website: www.roanokekennelclub.com
Website: https://rockymountainborzoi.club/
Rocky Mountain Hound Association of Colorado
Website: http://www.rmhounds.org
Rocky Mountain Irish Wolfhound Association
Website: WWW.RMIWA.ORG
Website: www.salukiclub.org
Saluki Club of Greater San Francisco
Website: www.sanangelessalukiclub.org
San Diego Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
Scottish Deerhound Club of America, Inc.
Website: www.deerhound.org
Sighthound Club of the MidSouth
Website: www.scmidsouth.com
Sighthound Organization of Tidewater
Southern California Ibizan Hound Club
Website: http://socalcoursing.org/
Southern California Whippet Association
Website: www.sokc.org
St. Louis Area Sighthound Club
Sunshine State Coursing Club of Central Florida
Sunshine State Rhodesian Ridgeback Club
Suwannee Valley Kennel Club of Florida
Tortoise and Hare Lurecoursers Club
Trinity Valley Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Texas
Upper Chesapeake Bay Saluki Club
Utah Sighthound Racing and Coursing Club
Website: www.utahsighthounds.org
Western Washington Hound Association
Western Washington Whippet Association
Website: www.wichitakennelclub.com
Willamette Valley Basenji Club
Website: www.basenji-club.com
Website: www.willamettesaluki.com
Windchasers Lure Coursing Club of Indiana
Other Helpful Resources About Lure Coursing:
https://www.dogsaustralia.org.au/training-dog-sports/lure-coursing/
https://www.fci.be/en/Sighthound-Races-Coursing-69.html
Video Resources For Learning Lure Coursing
Share this:
About The Author
Poppy Hill
I’m Poppy Hill, and I'm a dog lover. My favorite thing to do is learn about new sports that you can do with your dog! Join me as we explore different topics like agility, flyball, disc dog (or frisbee), freestyle, obedience and rally - the list goes on! What are some of your favorite things to do with your pup?