The Most Dog Friendly Community Online
Join Dog Forum to Discuss Breeds, Training, Food and More

What Is?

BeeJay

New Member
Registered
Messages
5,124
Reaction score
13
Points
0

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register
A course? For a dog to win a course what does that mean?
 
To me it means that they are focused, alert, agile(good at taking sharp turns) and fast, is that what you meant Beejay or did you mean what is a course?

In which case a course is series of straights and turns which a lure goes round at speed and the dogs have to keep to it as tight as poss, for this they get points and the best one wins,

You will probably get a better explaination from the more experienced people :thumbsup:
 
now then, are we talking lure coursing, or the now BANNED hare coursing? two different activities with slightly different rules.
 
Lure coursing is a performance event developed in the early 70's by Lyle Gillette and other sighthound fanciers who hunted rabbits an hares in the open field, which risked the harm caused by barbed wire fencing. They invented lure coursing as a safer, more controlled sport for sighthounds that would recreate the physical requirements of open field coursing, allowing them to continue testing the functional abilities of their sighthounds. The hounds chase plastic bags on a course laid out to simulate escaping game.

The Course

The hounds will run the course twice, a preliminary run and a final run. Scores from both runs are added for a combined total score. Hounds are awarded placements and points based on where they finished and the number of hounds they competed against. The hounds are running not only for fun and to keep their natural abilities alive, but also for titles.

Judging

Hounds are normally run in trios, in yellow, pink, and blue colors. Judges assess performance based on each hound's abilities, identifying hounds by their blanket color. The hounds run a preliminary course and a final course, and then may run for Best of Breed. Finally, the Best of Breed run for Best in Field, as an optional stake. The hounds are scored by the following criteria:

Points

Follow 15

Enthusiasm 15

Agility 25

Speed 25

Endurance 20
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sorry I'm talking about coursing as in pursuing a hare. Forgot about lure coursing. Which is a bit embarassing because I've been going BSFA lure coursing for some years now. :b

I'm asking what is A COURSE. It's the entry requirement to the special racing coursing class at Crufts. The dogs have to win a course.

So what have they won? Is it one run against another dog?

For racing the dogs have to win one race at an WCRA affliated club.

I'm presuming that at some point they are going to have to change the rules to admit lure coursing dogs. In which case will the win mean one run against one other dog?

Incidentally in BSFA lure coursing it's the best score of two runs that the dogs end up with. Only two dogs run against each other and they wear either a red or white coat.

Those rules are they US ones? The reason that I ask is that someone was mentioning that there was a difference on a list that I'm on.
 
:oops: Way over my head, thought you were talking about lure coursing sorry
 
BeeJay said:
I'm asking what is A COURSE.  It's the entry requirement to the special racing coursing class at Crufts.  The dogs have to win a course. 
So what have they won?  Is it one run against another dog? 

I'd always assumed it applied to winners of the various 'classes' at WCC meetings - Moonlake cup, Laguna cup, Carswell Puppy cup etc, but I don't know for certain. Presumably this will no longer be the case anyway, following the change in the law.

Elizabeth
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I would assume that by course they mean a single course (run) against another dog!

But are these classes not a bit of a joke? We get the odd show people wanting to race their show breds merely so that they can enter the racing classes. IMHO this seems to be just a way of getting a dog that would usually not win anything into a class that is perceived to be easier? :b
 
A TYPICAL DAY'S STATIC COURSING

The programme for each club is sent out about a month before the season starts, so that the owners may enter their dogs. Entry fees may vary, but obviously the more prestigious the event the higher up the scale the fee. The entry money goes towards the prize money.

Names of entered dogs are drawn from a hat to pair them for each course. A knockout competition then takes place for the final pair. The first dog listed in each pair wears a red collar and stands to the left in the "slips" (as the collar is known), the owner standing to the left of the field. The other dog wears a white collar and he and his owner stand to the right. The slipper will position himself in the shelter of a wall or hedge or, as at Altcar, a specially constructed hay or wooden shed. A number of beaters, anything from 30-120 will form a beating line some 1-3 miles away from the coursing arena and will drive hares with the wind towards the coursing field. This will take up to 45 minutes. As the beating line approaches the coursing field, the centre of the line will remain straight whilst the flanks will curve forward to form a funnel through which hares can be channelled onto the coursing field. As the hare enters the field the slippers will judge its suitability to be coursed and , satisfied, will let it run up to 80 - 100 metres ahead of him and then release the dogs.

The object is not to kill the hare, but to test the hounds against each other, and points are awarded accordingly. As the hare runs it will turn sharply to evade the jaws of the hounds, and because greyhounds are faster than the hare, they will overshoot and will have to double back. Some dogs have a smaller turning point than others, but some may make up by being faster on the straight. As the hounds twist and turn after the hare points are awarded thus:

1/2 - 3 points for the lead dog at the first turn

1 point for the dog that leads the hare beyond 90

1/2 point for the dog that turns the hare less than 90

1/2 - 1 point for the kill (although not the object of the exercise, but points are awarded in special circumstances)

The judge will indicate the winners by raising the appropriate coloured handkerchief (i.e. red or white). Other colour used - blue indicates a "bye" meaning that a dog has been withdrawn), therefore, raising a blue and red means white has been withdrawn and that red is the winner of the bye, and vice versa. Yellow means that a tie has occurred and that the dogs will have to run again later. Some dogs are not capable of running a second course and normally no dog runs more than three times in one day. The judge's actions are duplicated by a Flag Steward, thus passing the message onto spectators. When all the hares have been beaten through and there are still courses to be run, a new area may be chosen. If insufficient hares are to be found to complete the card, the prize money is awarded between the heat winners, unless the match takes place over a few days.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WALKUP COURSING

After a mornings "static" coursing, the club may switch to "walk-up" coursing in the afternoon, if it is felt that more hares will be found by this method or if the surrounding fields are not suitable for beating. Walk-up coursing is sometimes practised as a rule, rather than an exception, by "unofficial" coursing clubs - this is known as lurching. The layout now changes and a line of beaters, with the slipper and dogs in the centre, will walk over the fields putting-up hares in front of them. When a suitable hare is moving the line halts and the dogs are loosed. Points are awarded in the same way as in static coursing.

Only the judge is allowed in front of the line and if not enough beaters are there to form a line then spectators and owners will join in. The picker-ups also have to remain behind the slipper, so if a hare is caught they will have to run forward in order to kill it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Welcome to Dog Forum!

Join our vibrant online community dedicated to all things canine. Whether you're a seasoned owner or new to the world of dogs, our forum is your go-to hub for sharing stories, seeking advice, and connecting with fellow dog lovers. From training tips to health concerns, we cover it all. Register now and unleash the full potential of your dog-loving experience!

Login or Register
Back
Top