The Definitive Guide To Lure Coursing (Second Edition): Running and Participating in Dog Lure Coursing Title Events and Fun Runs
What is this sport that causes otherwise rational people to travel for hours through the pre-dawn gloom and stand around in fields miles from a source of hot coffee so their dogs can spend 45 seconds to 3 minutes running at full speed? Lure Coursing!
Lure Coursing is a wild and crazy sport consisting almost entirely of a dog chasing a bag on a string; it is one of the most exciting and beneficial activities you and your dog can participate in. Defined as a “fun dog chase sport,” lure coursing taps into your dog’s prey drive to release his or her inner beast – they chase, run down, and catch the lure (prey), in most cases a plastic bag or something fluffy like a toy. Once the line and lure start moving, both humans and dogs become fully engaged – the dogs completely consumed by their biological imperative to hunt, and the humans by their naturally-competitive nature and rallying their dog to “win.” From the most extensively groomed conformation show dog to the shaggiest mongrel of “doubtful” pedigree, all dogs can, and most dogs will, run the lure.
So how do you get started and what do you need to know? The Definitive Guide to Lure Coursing, 2nd Edition, builds on the information contained in the original Field Training Manual by Pat Bennett, and provides detailed information you’ll need for running dogs safely on the field. It is written for novices, for veterans with lots of experience, for those who already have their own equipment, for those who don’t, and for event holders and crew members. It includes all the details of why dogs run, how they run, choosing and using equipment, potential injuries and basic first aid, safety, and much, much more. It evaluates many types of lure coursing equipment on the market today and compares some of the different manufacturers’ systems. All the concepts and information in this Guide apply to all coursing equipment and events, for both sighthound-only and all-breed coursing, and other similar title events. The Definitive Guide also lays the basic foundation for our Principles of Lure Coursing Professional Certification Training Course, a comprehensive 256 page training curriculum that builds on the information presented in this Guide and takes the student beyond theory and into the field to become a competent and confident Professional Lure Event Operator. The Definitive Guide will
walk you through getting started; it’s also a wonderful reference book and a must-have for your crew.
