[zimandtakandgrrandmimi]

so i did it. i have my first paying case in two weeks.

and to the sighthound folks....

he was listed at his adoption as a greyhound x shepherd....but he looks exactly like a Borzoi to me. i will post pics for your input soon...now for my question..

what is involved in training for lure coursing?

 

[lovemygreys]

What do I do for training? Nothing really. I work to keep the dogs physically conditioned, but a sighthound should/will pretty much chase motion. It *should* be in their genes to do so. You can do some work to get them excited about plastic bags...take some white garbage bags (like the kind you get at the $1 store that are thin and cheap and on the small side) and put a yummy smell or a bit of raw meat inside. Attach it to the end of a lure pole and let him chase, catch and "find" the hidden meat surprise. Basically, associated white plastic bags with all things wonderful and great in the eyes of a dog. You want them to want to get that bunny...er...bag!

But, some dogs just won't chase plastic. I've only ever seen one greyhound that wouldn't chase plastic (surprisingly she was a stakes racer at one of the top tracks in her racing career)...but with the greys and most of the traditional sighthounds, it just comes naturally. Heck, most any breed will chase something that's moving...sighthounds just do it with a lot more speed and agility

The only other thing we really work on is recall...that's important.

I can't wait to see pics!!!

 

[zimandtakandgrrandmimi]

What do I do for training? Nothing really. I work to keep the dogs physically conditioned, but a sighthound should/will pretty much chase motion. It *should* be in their genes to do so. You can do some work to get them excited about plastic bags...take some white garbage bags (like the kind you get at the $1 store that are thin and cheap and on the small side) and put a yummy smell or a bit of raw meat inside. Attach it to the end of a lure pole and let him chase, catch and "find" the hidden meat surprise. Basically, associated white plastic bags with all things wonderful and great in the eyes of a dog. You want them to want to get that bunny...er...bag!

But, some dogs just won't chase plastic. I've only ever seen one greyhound that wouldn't chase plastic (surprisingly she was a stakes racer at one of the top tracks in her racing career)...but with the greys and most of the traditional sighthounds, it just comes naturally. Heck, most any breed will chase something that's moving...sighthounds just do it with a lot more speed and agility

The only other thing we really work on is recall...that's important.

I can't wait to see pics!!!

i will get pics at our first session.

this is the issue

he is owned by an older woman, very active lady but she doesnt seem to be able to handle the the prey drive...and he ended up seriously injuring a little chi. so Im going to try and offer her some alternative methods of exercising him and since he is at least half some kind of sighthound i immediatly thought of lure coursing. im also going to get him off that prong she has him on...he bites at her when she puts it on him..

is there any sighthound specific sites you would recommend to read on general temperment and etc of the sighthound breeds?

 

[Pepper]

http://www.geocities.com/houndinfo/sighthounds.html

http://www.sighthoundlink.co.uk/#/tempermant/4531205210

 

[wvasko]

so i did it. i have my first paying case in two weeks.

and to the sighthound folks....

he was listed at his adoption as a greyhound x shepherd....but he looks exactly like a Borzoi to me. i will post pics for your input soon...now for my question..

what is involved in training for lure coursing?

Zim
I am pleased, it's about time. Actually getting paid to do something you love is a mind-boggling experience. I know absolutely nothing about luring/sight hounds etc as I have never worked in that field and I am not going to confuse the issue with useless trivia. Feel free to PM me if you need any business starting info, not that I'm the brightest bulb in box.

 

[Elana55]

I too know nothing about lure coarsing or sight hounds (tho I saw a JRT run a lure course one time.. and half way thru he cut thru the middle and CAUGHT the prey by heading it off.... Oh yeah he was eliminated but I had to truly admire his intelligence)!

Of course, I think it is wonderful you are out there for pay. That is just great. Having done something for 20 years that everyone describes as a "lot of work" and yet NEVER feeling like I worked a single day when doing it, I agree with WV. You got no place to go but feel good.

Naturally, you may find yourself on difficult cases and the $$ can change the pressure.. but you will get used to that because ultimately you will be training dogs and owners.

In thinking on the sight hound redirecting, the Really Reliable Recall protocol would be a good thing to follow so that in a pinch the owner has a way to redirect her dog back to her. RRR (if you don't know but I think you do) is the Emergency recall word that is not used all the time. It is always reinforced with at least 30 seconds of high squeeky voice attention and several treats given over the coarse of the 30 seconds. My RRR word is NOW as suggested by the book. Atka is trained to her RRR word and I use it about 3X a week to keep her sharp and I ALWAYS reinforce it with a Jack Pot. I never let her anticipate when I will use it.. but she comes like a rocket when I do!

Using a flirt pole so the dog can chase something appropriate is a good idea.

 

[cshellenberger]

Zim have her put that baby into an Easy Walk! They work SOO well and take little effort to get a consisitant loose leash walk. They're also great because it doesn't take a super strong person to manage even the largest dogs.