Courtesy of Sue Smith

Below is an article I wrote for the confirmation judges seminar that was to be held in conjunction with the 1995 AKC National Lure Coursing Championship (that the judges never came to!) ... as part of the packet:

Conditioning The Dog For Lure Coursing

No matter if you have a BIS champion or a treasured "sofa spud" - they can compete and have fun in lure coursing. Lure coursing is the natural sport for the sighthound breeds, and it is the exception, rather than the rule, that enjoys the thrill and sport of the chase.

In conditioning your dog for a lure coursing career, several points need to be taken into consideration. This document is not designed to be a comprehensive primer on conditioning, but rather to touch on the basic facts that need to be known:

Training - The Building Blocks

Proper training is perhaps the most important aspect of the sport. A good foundation hones the chase instinct, trains the dog how to work with others on the course without aggression, and most importantly, insures the overall safety of your dog.

Puppies should be allowed to play first in groups, then alone with a piece of rabbit skin or a rag tied to string and pole and drug along the ground. This is called fish-poling.

There are many schools of thought on training, ranging from starting the puppy to chase in the whelping box, to simply throwing them into their first course. None or all of these may work for you. Discuss with your breeder what methods have succeeded for them and follow this regime. Find what works best for your dog within these limits.

Conditioning" - The Heart Of The Matter

Again; there are many schools of thought on conditioning, but the basics can be broken down into four sections: Overall Ability, Feeding, Exercise & Grooming

Overall Ability

A dogs overall ability to lure course successfully depends on many things, including it's conformation (do all legs appear to be in the right places), its' health (no weird diseases, structural injuries that would crop up, it's age [i.e. it's not wise to start a 10 year old on a career]) and the desire to chase. Before embarking on a program to condition a dog for lure coursing, it is always advisable to consult with your veterinarian as to the health of the animal.

Feeding:

If you ask the owner/handlers of the top lure coursing hounds, you'll find as many different "programs" as you do dogs. A basic rule of thumb is: if your dog is healthy, does not have internal parasites, his coat is shiny, his eyes are bright, and he's happy and well fleshed (not fat), and has plenty of energy after running four 800 yard courses: don't change your feeding program. Some coursers will need extra food while competing, some require less. You be the keeper of the kibble and gauge by the performance. Some fanciers advise that during times of stress, you may want to add a complete vitamin/mineral supplement, as well as a vitamin C supplement. It is important to note that a dog must be well hydrated before, during and after it's runs, so do whatever it takes to encourage them to drink water.

Exercise:

"Everybody kick, one, two, three -- feel the burn"

Well, not exactly that. Exercise and training for lure coursing is probably another one of the most debated facts in the dogdom today. On a very basic level, you cannot pull your dog off the couch and reasonably expect them to accelerate from zero to 25 mph, for a third of a mile, then come to a dead stop without hurting themselves. It's just the laws of physics, and how muscles work. Given that the average course is 600 yards in length, and a dog runs at least twice, they are running full speed (20-25 mph) for nearly 7/10ths of a mile. The key is gradually building up the speed and endurance. The best exercise for building endurance is walking or slow trotting; the best exercise for building speed is short (200 yard or so) sprints. Training schedules vary; but for an average dog, walking or trotting 2-4 miles, 3-4 times a week, plus sprints of 200 yards, one to two times a week would be the ideal. (authors note: Probably the best overall exercise I found was to free run my dogs, 3-4 times a week, for long walks in the hills that I had physically clocked with a pedometer at 3 miles; the dogs obviously ran more. I was very fortunate to have an area to do this in that was both safe, and challenging to the dogs in terrain.)

Exercise does bring in another factor: how much muscle is too much muscle?
Remembering that these dogs are athletes in the purest sense of the word; in all but one of the ten recognized sighthound breeds, the AKC breed standard makes specific reference to muscling. The Scottish Deerhound is the exception; in the Whippet and Ibizian Hound standard, the muscling is defined as "long and flat." Conformation judges are sometimes puzzled by a dog that is in "coursing condition;" i.e. is showing less overall "cover" or flesh, and more definition to the muscle and structure; than a dog which is in a more "traditional" show condition (i.e. more cover, more coat, less hardness to the muscle.) The important thing to note is that all of the standards make mention that the hound is bred for running and chasing, over both long and short distances, and logically the musculature is an important component of this ability. It should not be penalized or discounted when presented in the conformation ring, unless it constricts the movement or type.

Grooming:

No, I'm not talking about creative scissoring, but mostly about FEET.
The foot is the dogs connection to the ground. The foot is a complicated structure and is probably the most often injured part of a dog. Pay close attention to the toes and especially the length of the toenails. A dog who has a beautiful, tight, cat foot with toenails ground to nubs may make an attractive picture, but it's got nothing to grip the ground with when it runs. Toenails should be of moderate length. The skin of the pads on the bottom of the foot is less likely skin off if you pay attention to the type of terrain the dog is conditioned on, as a varied terrain helps to build up the strength of the foot and toe, as well as the resistance of the skin of the pad.

About the author, Sue Smith:

My continued interest in lure coursing comes as quite a shock after my first attempts produced a permanently disqualified Saluki, and a Whippet that wouldn't run reliably. Because of this, large amounts of time were spent learning the mechanics of coursing, how anatomy plays a vital part and getting my all breed judging license for ASFA and AKC lure coursing. I've enjoyed some limited success in the sport, finally, now owning the first Whippet on the West Coast to win BIF (Best In Field) in AKC lure coursing; a multiple BIF Saluki (who is also top-20 in conformation) and a breed champion Whippet that was competitive in NOFCA open field coursing. I share my home with a Whippet (Scotty - BOB'N ODD MAN OUT, FCH, SC) and a Saluki (Mel - DC/CAN CH CARMA'S LETHAL WEAPON, SC, CGC) I am committed to the perpetuation of the dual purpose dog, and fully believe that a dog should be able to go from the group ring to the coursing field, without missing a step.