Lure Coursing

[Guest RocketDog]

We are LGRA fans here, haven't done actual coursing yet though. I like to describe it as a 'doggie drag race' since it's a straight, short, all-for-nothing sprint - perfect for a greyhound! Mine go absolutely berserk if they see or hear the lure before it's their turn, and we learned the hard way not to leave them un-muzzled in the car if they can even hear the lure after Rocket literally ate the inside panel off one of our doors. They really do get that amped up for it! The dogs always come home happy and exhausted, and apart from grass stains and road rash we've only had one signifigant injury (Rocket dislocated a toe, we just had it amputated this past week). It's FUN, but it can be stressful for you the first time just holding your dog in-between runs, since they get so incredibly worked up. I always pack a few extra premier martingales and plenty of extra leashes just in case something happens, plus it's handy to have a leash for the 'slipper' and the 'catcher' so you're not stuck dragging a dog by the collar all the way back to the starting line after their run.

Edited April 7, 2010 by RocketDog

[Guest Nina]

hello,

 

I am thinking about taking my greyhound Leyton to lure coursing. On the 18th of April we have in Slovenia 2nd National COURSING

 

I have read about lure coursing on a few different sites, forums,... And I found this web site, which tells you how to prepare your ex-racer to coursing:

My link

 

I was really happy to read this and to read your experience and opinions about it.

 

I am quite interested in it and I hope my hound will enjoy it.

 

Today I posted a question on forum of Slovenian association Slovenian Sighthound World if anyone is going to lure coursing and I was shocked!!! A few people literally went mad about me even thinking about it.

 

These are reasons why:

- adopted galgos and ex-racers should never ever in their life compete once again

-coursing is a competition and it encourages their hunting instinct and their wish to compete

-only healthy hounds can compete (I Agree), because we don`t know if our ex racers had any injuries

-they have been abused and they can still suffer about it, they still didn`t forget about it

-they are not trained corectly for lure coursing

-the basic principle of adopting a greyhound/galgo is that we must not do anything that remembers them about their past, they must not do anything that they have done when they were competing (so, I guess, no more running?????)

-after they do coursing they need 6 days so that the amount of adrenalin falls to its normal level

-for galgos lure coursing is absurdity, because galgos are much more smarter and they don`t just run straight after the lure, but they find the fastest and shortest way to catch it. Lure coursing is not for galgos, because it is not natural and galgos are made for natural style of hunting.

-hounds get crazy when they see lure coursing

-the essence of life with a hound is that we try to minimize their hunting instinct, we must not encourage it.

-lure coursing does not make hound happy (oh my god!!!)

-things which are predicted, planned and required from greyhound, does not make them happy and satisfied

 

 

 

Huh...

 

I would be really happy if someone who takes his hounds to lure coursing or someone who knows a lot about coursing, answer me if all this reasons are true/not true and why.

 

I was really shocked when I read answers to my question, because my opinion is that lure coursing makes hounds happy.

 

nina

Edited April 9, 2010 by Nina

[gazehund]

Duck and DD ran at SL at the same times so they do know each other.

Pooh, she was at Mobile and B'ham

 

and Ducker might give DD a run for his money in straight line.

 

I didn't realize they were only 2 days apart in age. Duck will be 5 on the 17th, Dodger on the 19th of April. Let the games begin!

Edited April 9, 2010 by gazehund

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

I love coursing!

 

 

My girls love it too

[Sighthounds4me]

hello,

 

I am thinking about taking my greyhound Leyton to lure coursing. On the 18th of April we have in Slovenia 2nd National COURSING

 

I have read about lure coursing on a few different sites, forums,... And I found this web site, which tells you how to prepare your ex-racer to coursing:

My link

 

I was really happy to read this and to read your experience and opinions about it.

 

I am quite interested in it and I hope my hound will enjoy it.

 

Today I posted a question on forum of Slovenian association Slovenian Sighthound World if anyone is going to lure coursing and I was shocked!!! A few people literally went mad about me even thinking about it.

 

These are reasons why:

- adopted galgos and ex-racers should never ever in their life compete once again

-coursing is a competition and it encourages their hunting instinct and their wish to compete

-only healthy hounds can compete (I Agree), because we don`t know if our ex racers had any injuries

-they have been abused and they can still suffer about it, they still didn`t forget about it

-they are not trained corectly for lure coursing

-the basic principle of adopting a greyhound/galgo is that we must not do anything that remembers them about their past, they must not do anything that they have done when they were competing (so, I guess, no more running?????)

-after they do coursing they need 6 days so that the amount of adrenalin falls to its normal level

-for galgos lure coursing is absurdity, because galgos are much more smarter and they don`t just run straight after the lure, but they find the fastest and shortest way to catch it. Lure coursing is not for galgos, because it is not natural and galgos are made for natural style of hunting.

-hounds get crazy when they see lure coursing

-the essence of life with a hound is that we try to minimize their hunting instinct, we must not encourage it.

-lure coursing does not make hound happy (oh my god!!!)

-things which are predicted, planned and required from greyhound, does not make them happy and satisfied

 

 

 

Huh...

 

I would be really happy if someone who takes his hounds to lure coursing or someone who knows a lot about coursing, answer me if all this reasons are true/not true and why.

 

I was really shocked when I read answers to my question, because my opinion is that lure coursing makes hounds happy.

 

nina

 

Nina, I agree with you! These dogs (and I refer to sighthounds in general) are RUNNING dogs. You can't take that out of them, and they will run whether you want them to or not. But some of these reasons are simply absurd!

 

For example: Not reminding them of their racing history. That is a very broad statement, and while it may be true for some, it probably isn't true for all. (However, I am not terribly familiar with Galgos, so my perception may be a little different on that).

"-coursing is a competition and it encourages their hunting instinct and their wish to compete": Well, then, by that logic, no one should own more than one sighthound at all - they all run, and race each other, even on my backyard. That is competition, and we can't encourage that!

 

SIX DAYS for adrenaline levels to get back to normal?!?! NO! Adrenaline levels are back to normal once a dog relaxes after running! that is a matter of hours!

 

Not trained properly for lure coursing. Maybe, but that's why we as owners would need to do that before coursing them!

 

"-hounds get crazy when they see lure coursing": And that's a reason NOT to course them?! That makes me believe they enjoy it, and why wouldn't we want our dogs to be happy?

 

"-the essence of life with a hound is that we try to minimize their hunting instinct, we must not encourage it.": Why? In the right setting, yes. That's why we keep them on leash, for example. But all dogs were bred to do something, and I believe that to be happy, they should be able to do what they were bred to do! Just because we as owners don't WANT them to chase small things that move quickly, does not mean we should supress that urge. If we dislike it that much, we should not own sighthounds!

 

"-lure coursing does not make hound happy (oh my god!!!)

-things which are predicted, planned and required from greyhound, does not make them happy and satisfied" These people have never seen a hound course, have they? They do not care if the course is planned. In fact, I doubt they know. Dogs don't think spatially like humans. They have no concept of planning like that! And they seem pretty damn happy to run, or they would not do it, even in our backyards!

[dmdsmoxie]

hello,

 

I am thinking about taking my greyhound Leyton to lure coursing. On the 18th of April we have in Slovenia 2nd National COURSING

 

I have read about lure coursing on a few different sites, forums,... And I found this web site, which tells you how to prepare your ex-racer to coursing:

My link

 

I was really happy to read this and to read your experience and opinions about it.

 

I am quite interested in it and I hope my hound will enjoy it.

 

Today I posted a question on forum of Slovenian association Slovenian Sighthound World if anyone is going to lure coursing and I was shocked!!! A few people literally went mad about me even thinking about it.

 

These are reasons why:

- adopted galgos and ex-racers should never ever in their life compete once again

-coursing is a competition and it encourages their hunting instinct and their wish to compete

-only healthy hounds can compete (I Agree), because we don`t know if our ex racers had any injuries

-they have been abused and they can still suffer about it, they still didn`t forget about it

-they are not trained corectly for lure coursing

-the basic principle of adopting a greyhound/galgo is that we must not do anything that remembers them about their past, they must not do anything that they have done when they were competing (so, I guess, no more running?????)

-after they do coursing they need 6 days so that the amount of adrenalin falls to its normal level

-for galgos lure coursing is absurdity, because galgos are much more smarter and they don`t just run straight after the lure, but they find the fastest and shortest way to catch it. Lure coursing is not for galgos, because it is not natural and galgos are made for natural style of hunting.

-hounds get crazy when they see lure coursing

-the essence of life with a hound is that we try to minimize their hunting instinct, we must not encourage it.

-lure coursing does not make hound happy (oh my god!!!)

-things which are predicted, planned and required from greyhound, does not make them happy and satisfied

 

 

 

Huh...

 

I would be really happy if someone who takes his hounds to lure coursing or someone who knows a lot about coursing, answer me if all this reasons are true/not true and why.

 

I was really shocked when I read answers to my question, because my opinion is that lure coursing makes hounds happy.

 

nina

 

 

Some people are anti racing no matter what kind of racing.

 

Dick

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Wow those are really out there.

 

1) My hounds that lure course the best are also the most cat safe

2) All my hounds are off leash trained and instantly come to me at the finish of the course.

3) They LOVE it!

4) They love racing, too.

5) Yes they go mad when they see the lure. That's kind of the point.

6) Injuries are minimal- knock on wood but in 15 years of on again off again active lure coursing, I've never had a dog get hurt. Not even minor stuff- and I run my 13 year old dog still because he loves it.

[Guest Nina]

Thanks for your opinion and I do agree with you all.

 

Reasons against lure coursing were for me absurdity too.

 

Have a nice Sunday!

[Guest KennelMom]

Wow...what a load of garbage. I'll try to respond point by point to give you my POV. Of course, as Dick said, some people are just anti, no matter what. I can only talk from an American perspective...and even if you were to try to argue with these people, you'll never get through a mind that is determined to be closed.

 

These are reasons why:

- adopted galgos and ex-racers should never ever in their life compete once again

......Good luck with that. They do it ON THEIR OWN. In my back yard. At play group. Lure coursing. Notto mention, when my dogs are lure coursing, they don't know they "competing" from the human's perspective (for placements, ribbons, titles, etc...). They just know they love what they're doing. Dog version of competing and human version of competing are completely different. And they can co-exist

 

-coursing is a competition and it encourages their hunting instinct and their wish to compete

.....Well, no duh. And there's nothing wrong with this. It's nurturing their souls and what their genes drive them to do. Believe me, if a dog doesn't want to run....it won't. That's on a race track and on a lure coursing field and in your back yard. I believe in embracing my dogs' nature and providing them with safe, constructive outlets. I don't believe in forcing my perception of what their nature should be on them.

 

-only healthy hounds can compete (I Agree), because we don`t know if our ex racers had any injuries

.....True in some cases, not all. Many of us DO know our dog's histories. And, even if we don't...a thorough vet exam and careful monitoring while training/conditioning will tell you a lot.

 

-they have been abused and they can still suffer about it, they still didn`t forget about it

.......Not all dogs are abused. And, dogs live in the moment. Humans live in the past. Dogs who can't "get past" their past usually can't do so becuase the humans in their life keep them tied to it.

 

-they are not trained corectly for lure coursing

....So, train them. My dogs also weren't house broken when they retired but I don't make them live outside. I taught them how to live properly in a house!

 

-the basic principle of adopting a greyhound/galgo is that we must not do anything that remembers them about their past, they must not do anything that they have done when they were competing (so, I guess, no more running?????)

.....Why? This makes no sense. Dogs who do well enough to actually race do so because they are good. Because they want to do it. They don't have little jockeys on their backs taking them around the track. They do it because they are choosing to. Having owned a race dog who decided she didn't want to go through the first turn, I can assure you that dogs who don't want to run, won't (she's retired and living in her forever home now).

 

-after they do coursing they need 6 days so that the amount of adrenalin falls to its normal level

.......What? I had to LOL at this one. Yes, they do need a recovery time. Just as any athlete would after a competition. Do these people not exercise themselves because they will need to recover? It's non-sensical. Sighthounds are bred to run. They've been doing it for thousands of years. They can handle it. I promise.

 

-for galgos lure coursing is absurdity, because galgos are much more smarter and they don`t just run straight after the lure, but they find the fastest and shortest way to catch it. Lure coursing is not for galgos, because it is not natural and galgos are made for natural style of hunting.

.......Well, I can't answer for galgos b/c we don't have them over here like they do in Europe. But as for runnign straight after the lure and finding the fastest/shortest way to catch it...uh...that's pretty much the game of lure coursing. There ARE dogs who figure out "the game" and will start to cheat. Doesn't mean they don't love playing the game though...it's just frustating as heck for the owner!

 

-hounds get crazy when they see lure coursing

.....In the beginning, dogs go crazy. Over time, they learn that it's a game and they'll get their turn. Dogs that used to be "marlins" on a leash at their first few trials will learn to stand quietly to watch other courses in progress. It's just a little training and desensitization.

 

-the essence of life with a hound is that we try to minimize their hunting instinct, we must not encourage it.

......huh? We can dress them up in bows and sweaters all day long. At the end of the day, dogs are hunters. They are predators. Minimize instinct? Pssh...harness it. Train it. Control it. Sure. But suppressing the tru nature of a dog is, IMO, a form of cruelty. Like telling a human artist not to paint or an athlete not to run.

 

-lure coursing does not make hound happy (oh my god!!!)

......Anyone who can watch a dog lure coursing and doesn't think they enjoy it has not got a clue about dogs and I'm not sure they'd have anything relevant to say about them at all!

 

-things which are predicted, planned and required from greyhound, does not make them happy and satisfied

.......I'm not sure I'm getting what you are trying to say. I'll just say this. When I pull the lure coursing bag out of the closet, the dogs are glued to my side the rest of the day and night. When I get up at 5am and put my lure coursing shoes on, dogs who normally choose not to do first turnout are zooming out the back door with tails wagging, hoping they are going to get to go "chase the bunny." They will relax in the van until we pull on ot the coursing field, then they're up with tails wagging!! They know. And they love it. I'd say it makes them very happy ans satisfied! And, if I had a dog who didn't like it...I wouldn't take them. I feel that way about most things. Some of my dogs don't like meet-n-greets. They don't have to do them. Some don't like hiking. They don't have to go with me.

Edited April 10, 2010 by KennelMom

[onrushpam]

Lure coursing is a lot of fun for hounds and humans. But, as Heather said, it's not for the occassional weekend warrior. Dogs must be fit and to be fit must run often. You can't run a dog a couple of times a year and expect them to do well and avoid injury.

 

We aren't running any dogs these days... all ours are too old or have injuries or don't want to chase plastic. But, there was a time when we went lure coursing 2-3 weekends each month. I always hate to see people bring dogs out just to run in our local trials and never anywhere else. 2-3 times a year just means those dogs are likely to get hurt.

 

We still go to lure coursing trials every few weeks... just to help and hang out with our friends. We enjoy it, even though we're not running any dogs. Most of those trials are 4-5 hours away from us.

 

I honestly don't like LGRA... the run is too short and I don't like the mash-up at then end when they all pile on the lure. But, some peole love it and feel there is less chance of injury.

 

I do enjoy NOTRA, but it's harder to find those meetings.

 

If you're going to lure course, you must be ready/willing/able to pay the vet bills. We've probably had the worst luck of anybody I've ever known in lure coursing... two injuries that cost a total of $10,000. They happened many years apart. But still, we had to be able to handle vet bills in the thousands. You must also be willing to drive long hours to/from trials and/or work very hard to keep your dogs fit in between.

[Guest Nina]

KennelMom and Onrushpam thank you very much for your opinions too. You both have experience about lure coursing and these opinions are the ones which I respect and accept.

Thats why I don`t like people who just judge and have no grounwork of it.

 

Later when I asked on forum of our adoption group, if anybody is going to coursing, our adoption group posted that they do not support lure coursing and they will never ever organize it. Based on what??? They just claim that they won`t encourage hunting instinct on retired racers. :wacko:

 

What bothers me the most is, that they said that without asking any of members and supporters. Why cannot we just talk about it? Why they don`t allow any other opinion than theirs? Why don` we just try it once and then will see and know if lure coursing is really such a bad thing for our dogs?

 

 

I will wait till September when another coursing will be organized in Slovenia, I want for my hound to be in really good form.

[Guest eaglflyt]

We are considering lure coursing in the not-too-distant future. Our girl runs daily in her 1/3 acre turnout. She usually runs several laps ... maybe 4 or 5, at least once daily. She does this all on her own because she just loves to run! Is this sufficient to consider her to be in lure coursing shape? Is there a distance or target heart rate zone we should be working to be in, but not over? When it gets really hot (Oklahoma summer hot), she doesn't run unless it's late at night. Actually, she goes out to potty and wilts. Do you find it a problem to lure course in summer months?

 

Do you prefer to wrap dew claws for injury prevention?

 

Also, a friend that lure courses her hound said the standard course is 770 yards. Is that a normal course length? It seems a bit long to me, longer than the distance 660 yd. racetrack races.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Guest eaglflyt]

OK, I just looked at the recommended book, *Sighthounds Afield *. I'm sure it will answer all my questions. I'm ordering it from Amazon today. Thanks for the recommendation!

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

It is a good book!

[Guest KennelMom]

770 is about average. I expect somewhere in the 800-900 range...longer for the bigger trials. And they'll run it at least twice in one day....More if there are ties/run offs or if your dog runs for best in breed or best in field. Echo ran over 8000 yards in two days one year at the ASFA International Invitational. 4-5 laps around 1/3 of an acre isn't going to be enough conditioning. We do a lot of fast paced walking/jogging and sprints a couple times a week in a multi-acre field in addition to whatever they do in our one acre fenced yard.

[Guest eaglflyt]

OK. I'll prepare myself for more. We live on a farm, so there's lots of space and we're reworking some of the fencing to make a larger area that's dog safe fencing.

 

Somehow, I'm having a hard time comprehending 8,000 yds in 2 days. Do they run even in very warm weather? I guess cooling coats and wading pools and lots of water with electrolytes is necessary. I'm just remembering reading in *Care of the Racing & Retired Greyhound* and concerned about exertional rhabdomyolysis. In our area there is worry about even participating in a slow moving parade in summer with your hound. I'm sure you probably hydrate your pups well before coursing, but I'm still amazed when it's compared to dog racing and their preferred schedules and rest breaks between.

 

Do you do anything special to toughen their pads for that amount of running? Also, how do you schedule your hound's feedings on coursing days?

Edited April 20, 2010 by eaglflyt

[Guest LindsaySF]

I do LGRA, not lure coursing. I don't think Teagan would have the endurance or turning ability for coursing, but I don't know. No clue about Rogan, though he does have age on his side (he is 2.5, Teagan is 5.5). The nearly 1,000 yard courses seem like a lot to me.

 

Everyone is different, but I won't run my hounds in really warm weather. Anything above 80F or so and I'm out. When the temps are above 70 I hose down the dogs both before and after running. Cool coats can actually hold in heat, I prefer to hose them and allow the water to evaporate. Lots of hosing on the underside and chest.

 

I feed each dog about 1/3 can of dog food 3-4 hours before a meet. I use canned food because I want them to have the extra moisture. Some people I know just feed a few treats to keep their sugar level up, no kibble or anything else that morning. The night before I give a normal sized meal. They have unlimited access to water at the meet (I keep them in an ex-pen when I'm out helping on the field).

 

As for rests between races, at the larger meets your dog will have a longer rest period between races because more dogs means more races. (In LGRA each dog runs 3 races per meet). The race secretary tries to schedule the races so the dogs have enough resting time. In very small meets there might not be enough rest time, depends on how fast your dog recovers, if that's the case I'll pull a dog after the first race or two, not worth the risk.

 

 

 

~Lindsay~

Edited April 21, 2010 by LindsaySF

[Guest KennelMom]

We don't really have any events in the summer time here b/c it gets too hot and the ground is too hard. The ASFA II is a special event and the courses tend to be right around 1000 yards. Echo ran for Best of Breed (won on Sunday) and then ran twice for Best in Event...that was right around 5000 yards in that one day. She was in amazing shape and the weather was really nice (not too warm). If the dog has the heart (desire) and you've done the proper conditioning to support it, they can run that far. Don't get me wrong, she was t.i.r.e.d. at the end of that last run...she certainly left it all on the field that day. I will never, ever forget that last run as long as I live....and I still get choked up just thinking about it. It was the culmination of months of hard work on both of our parts. I'm not sure I own another dog that could have or would have done it. And, she did it again last year at the I.I. in Oklahoma, winning Best of Breed again on Sunday (the only greyhound to have done that twice). /dog brag

 

With the average field trial, I pretty much just run them twice and they're done. And, of course, the courses are a lot shorter. I don't do too many two day trials anymore...my schedule is just too hectic the last couple years and my dogs are getting older so one day is plenty for us.

 

I definitely prefer to run my dogs in cooler weather. They run better and I think they enjoy it more.

 

I would never use a "cool coat" on my dogs. They can be dangerous because they trap heat against the dogs body rather than letting it evaporate into the air. Nature gave them a pretty good cooling system, so I just hose down their chest, bellies, ears and feet and put make sure they have shade and cool water. I don't mess with electrolyte supplements or any of that. A properly conditioned dog shouldn't need it. Dogs don't sweat like people do...cool, clean water should be all they need.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

My hounds, including the 13 year old Whippet, have no problem running the course as many times per day as needed. I would not, however, run in the summer with the exception of JC runs in the morning before the trial. But, that's as much because *I* hate being hot as anything else.

 

I run my dogs hard just about every single day, so they are in top form.

[Guest Swifthounds]

We don't really have any events in the summer time here b/c it gets too hot and the ground is too hard. The ASFA II is a special event and the courses tend to be right around 1000 yards. Echo ran for Best of Breed (won on Sunday) and then ran twice for Best in Event...that was right around 5000 yards in that one day. She was in amazing shape and the weather was really nice (not too warm). If the dog has the heart (desire) and you've done the proper conditioning to support it, they can run that far. Don't get me wrong, she was t.i.r.e.d. at the end of that last run...she certainly left it all on the field that day. I will never, ever forget that last run as long as I live....and I still get choked up just thinking about it. It was the culmination of months of hard work on both of our parts. I'm not sure I own another dog that could have or would have done it. And, she did it again last year at the I.I. in Oklahoma, winning Best of Breed again on Sunday (the only greyhound to have done that twice). /dog brag

 

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

 

Posts like this really make me wish I had a young dog (unbelievably, my babyhound is now 4) and the time to devote to serious conditioning and coursing. I do love my seniors. I loved them as adolescent racing flunkies. I loved them as strong, hard running hounds, and I gotta admit their senior years have brought a lot of laughs and a lot of fun of a different variety.

 

Eh, some day I'll have some nice big property of my own. Then the only obstacle will be where to obtain a dog for lure coursing that would adopt to a raw feeding, minimal vaccine, serious dog person like myself. I might not own enough fancy collars for some adoption groups. Getting Cupid from her racing owner might have spoiled me.

[Guest FastDogsOwnMe]

Sophia started her coursing and NOTRA career at age 4+ and got a placement and points towards her title in her first trial

[Guest IrishGH]

Our GHs have compete ASFA & AKC Lure Coursing, LGRA and NOTRA events over the years, mainly NOTRA in recent years. Normally they are feed twice a day, but on race days they are fed 1/2 morning rations early (3-4 hours prior) before racing, 1 1/2+ for their evening meal. They each have access to water and have a water bucket in their crate while resting between races. After each race they are walked to cool down, if we hose the hounds we start at the feet moving up the legs to chest & belly area in warmer wx. I NEVER put the hose on the top of their back!

When Lure Coursing I prefer longer more open courses to short boxie ones as I feel they are better for GHs. A good example is the ASFA GH Lure Coursing Specialty courses which have been just over 1000 yards using a drag lure, very good set-up.(JMO)

LGRA distance is a set 200 yards, NOTRA distance can vary from 220 yards to 440 yards. Our GHs generally run 330 yards races but I'd prefer the 350 meter distance(400 yds)races.

 

Pat

[Guest eaglflyt]

I have not done lure-coursing yet, but plan to later this month with my 'zoi puppy.

 

BUT, the best advice I ever got, about lure-coursing is, get the book Sighthounds Afield By Denise Como. It's huge, it's involved, but it has a TON of very important information, from conditioning, to first aid, and more.

 

 

My book arrived today! I've been reading almost continuously since it arrived. THANKS for the recommendation. The book is packed with wonderful information.

[PrairieProf]

I'm planning to take Beth to a lure coursing event to do a practice run on May 8! I met the president of the state coursing association this weekend and she was very encouraging. I'm excited and nervous! Beth loves to zig and zag and weave while running, so I think she might have some aptitude. I'm concerned about the conditioning aspect though Beth is within a pound or so of her racing weight and reasonably fit (frequent runs and daily brisk walks), but it will be just one 650 yard run that we do so I think that's probably OK. She just turned four and has two littermates who are still racing. I'm glad to know about the book, will get it if we decide it's something we're going to continue with -- I've been reading this thread and lots of online info.

[Sundrop]

Our boy finished his racing career last spring and we've taken him lure coursing twice since then at a local adoption group event. He LOVED it and was a natural - he smoked all the other pups and his speed was clocked (he's very zippy). We heard lots of, "Why on earth did they end his racing career?!" Hah!

 

We let him run the course 3x the first time and he was sore the next couple of days - we let him run twice the next time and he seemed better afterwards. My husband is also a runner and takes our boy for a 1-mile "warm-up" jog 3-4x per week, so he's still in great shape. We've talked a lot about getting him involved in more serious lure coursing since he seems to enjoy it and he's great at it. I'll pick up the book mentioned - thanks for the recommendation!