Whippet World: Racing Dogs and Lure Coursing

A whippet world is made of cuddles, comfort, food but also of incredible speed, excitement and hunting.



Why should you get up at the break of dawn on Sunday morning , drag along the all family and endure the elements just to join a coursing meeting? Because you are going to love every minute of it!

Nothing compares to the emotion that these racing dogs give to their people at a coursing event.

Whippeteers have devised many kids of running events to satisfy the lust of speed of their dogs and their own esthetic pleasure in seeing them race the wind. Coursing is the favorite sport in whippet world.

Lure Coursing

This is by far the most popular event with whippets and their owners. In this race a lure, often a simple plastic bag, is dragged in a field following a path designed by a system of pulleys.

The dogs compete in small groups of two or three dogs.

All sighthounds compete in coursing but whippets excel in this sport because of their explosive speed, the ability to follow the twists and turns of the lure and the complete focus on the task.

The dogs are judged on their enthusiasm, agility and endurance.

Even whippet dogs that are coming from show lines or are house pets often turn out to be great runners, they quickly understand the game and follow the lure enthusiastically.

You’ll be surprised at the enthusiasm of your couch potato at the first meeting.

Open Field Coursing

Open field coursing involves the chase of live quarry and often ends with a kill.

Queen Elisabeth I was a keen supporter of this sport and she was the first to set the rules in 1590. In those times greyhounds were utilized in coursing.

In 1962 was founded in Britain the Whippet Coursing Club.

In America field coursing is practiced mainly in California where the quarry is the jackrabbit. These kind of hares are too large for whippets. Bigger hounds like and salukis and greyhounds are better suited for this hunt.

In Europe the quarry is the hare, more appropriate for the whippet. Nevertheless the difficulty of finding enough grounds for the meetings, the demands of this sport on dog and owners and the objection of anti-coursing organizations make the lure coursing an easier alternative.

To participate in a coursing event your whippet must be fit, healthy and trained to run for endurance and sprint.

Daily walking and running in a safe field will take care of the general fitness.

To give the dog a taste of the game, You can start your whippet at home with the pole game.

Whippet Clothing

During the race your whippet will have to wear a muzzle and a racing blanket.

If you slip these items on when he is focused on the lure he will begin to associate them with the race and will learn to accept them easily.

During the winter you might need a coat to keep you whippet warm between races.

Dogs are not wearing a collar during the race. A slip lead might come handy if your whippet is wiggly and agitated at the start.

Safety and Whippet World

You’ll soon discover that even the most homely whippet will go berserk at the sight of the lure. It’s extremely important to keep your dog safely on a leash when he is not running to avoid accidents.

Walk and massage you dog to warm him up and cool him down and avoid injuries.

Whippets are very intense in a race and can easily get overheated. Keep water at hand to quickly wet your dog if needed.

Don't feed your dog before a race.

To avoid running injuries often the dewclaws of the front legs are removed at birth. When they are still present some owners wrap the pasterns for the race.

Equipment

A dog crate will help you keep your whippet safe and relaxed in between races.

Don’t forget chairs, blankets, a picnic and toys for the kids. After all a coursing meeting is supposed to be a fun and socializing event not only for our dogs but also for us and our families.

Below are some useful links about coursing and whippet world.

National Whippet Coursing Club UK


National Open Field Coursing Association


SACL Societa' Amatoriale Corse Levrieri


Saluki and coursing in Italy


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