Lure Coursing 101: How to Get Your Dog Started

Although most dog sports are newer, having been developed within the last few hundred years or so, some are much older. Lure coursing is quite possibly the oldest dog sport documented throughout known human history. Best of all, it’s easy to get your dog started in this ancient dog sport. 

What is Lure Coursing

In lure coursing, dogs chase an artificial lure, usually a plastic bag, moved by a system of pulleys. The machine pulls the lure over a course that includes several quick turns that make dogs think on their feet so they can “catch” the lure — even though they’re not supposed to catch it, some dogs manage to do just that. 

Dogs run courses of 600 to 1,000 yards long — no, it is not CAT or FCAT, which we’ll explain in a minute. Lure coursing capitalizes on dogs’ natural desire to chase moving targets and there are three dogs per race. In lure coursing, it’s possible for a single dog to run up to six heats. However, most handlers pull their dogs out before they’ve run that many because it is hard on their bodies.

Each dog can earn a total of 50 points per judge, per run. Judges score dogs on overall ability, follow, speed, agility, and endurance. As the field trial progresses, dogs with higher scores go on to the next race while others are eliminated. 

Adding to the confusion, people also often refer CAT/FCAT as lure coursing, even though they are different sports. CAT, short for Coursing Ability Test, and FCAT, short for Fast Coursing Ability Test is a simplified version of lure coursing. In CAT and FCAT, your dog will never run a 600-yard course. These courses are only 100 yards, without the turns present in lure coursing. 

CAT and FCAT are much simpler, terrific options if you are just dipping your toes into the sport. 

Lure Coursing’s Ancient Origins

Dogs’ natural prey drive makes them perfect hunting partners and our human ancestors knew it. Their innate ability to work with handlers as a team and their trainability inspired people to breed them for specific purposes.

Lure coursing may well be the world’s oldest dog sport. There is evidence that lure coursing is over 4,000 years old — written on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs in the Valley of Kings.

In addition to the Ancient Egyptians, the Greeks practiced lure coursing as early as 400 B.C., as did many other cultures. If the number of long, lean, sighthound breeds is any indication, dozens of cultures loved what sighthounds could do!

Which Dog Breeds Are Best in Lure Coursing

Lure coursing’s design is particularly suited to sighthounds, and most organizations are exclusive to those breeds. However, some also allow mixed breeds. As a general rule, dogs with strong prey drives who are also long and lean do the best in lure coursing. However, Rhodesian ridgebacks are also sighthounds and compete in lure coursing.

Here are some of the breeds you might find in a lure coursing field trial — if you have one of these dogs, getting started should be a piece of cake!

• Greyhound
• Saluki
• Borzoi
• Pharaoh hound
• Italian greyhound
• Basenji
• Ibizan hound
• Sloughi
• Whippet
• Irish wolfhound
• Afghan hound
• Azawakh

How to Get Your Dog Started in Lure Coursing

Before beginning any sport, make sure your dog is healthy. A quick vet check can rule out most issues and give you advice on ensuring a healthy start to the competition. Lure coursing is physically intense, so

Dogs don’t need a lot of specialized training for success in lure coursing. Because the sport relies on their natural instinct to hunt and chase, the most important training is solid recall and social skills. 

Your dog will be racing alongside two other dogs, so they need to be comfortable with that — and non-aggressive. Some otherwise well-behaved dogs get so excited that they lash out at other racers. Those dogs must be muzzled while they run.

To help strengthen their chasing drive, flirt poles and lots of fetch games make the biggest difference. You can even attach a plastic bag to the end of the flirt pole to simulate the lure.

Where to Find Lure Coursing Events

There are several sanctioning bodies for lure coursing, and local clubs will be your best bet to get started. They have the information and resources to help you get off to a great start. 

While most organizations have similar rules and scoring, there are differences. Before you sign up for an event, be sure you understand the rules of that sanctioning body. Each one typically has local groups that can help you get your dog’s lure coursing career off and running. 

Here are a few lure coursing sanctioning organizations:

• American Sighthound Field Association (ASFA)
• American Kennel Club (AKC)
• Federation Cynologique (FCI)
• United Kennel Club (UKC)

Other Dog Sports You Can Try

Lure coursing is one of many dog sports. While sighthounds are best suited to the game, others enjoy it too! Yet, if lure coursing isn’t your thing, here are more dog sports and activities to check out:

• Agility
• Flyball
• Canicross
• Dock Diving
• Rally Obedience
• Trick Dog Training

Keep in mind that many people in dog sports participate in more than one. Some agility families also attend dock diving events with their dogs, and many dog owners also teach their dogs tricks. 

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Sue Thatcher/Shutterstock.com