Lure Coursing

Lure Coursing is a sport in which sight hounds chase a lure (in most cases three plastic bags tied to a string which is pulled along by a motor) over varied terrain, and can earn AKC titles. Dogs are scored on their Enthusiasm, Follow, Speed, Agility, and Endurance. A Rhodesian Ridgeback's natural prey drive is quite strong, and they will chase a lure until they step on their tongues, which usually cuts down on their average speed (I'm lying...they never step on their tongues).

Ridgebacks are not the fastest dog at this sport (pretty close), but they are arguably able to maintain some of the fastest average speeds over the course of the race, and they are quite exciting to watch. Tosca has generally been one of the speedier hounds at her races, and has always loved to course, turning into a whirling dervish of doggy eagerness, dying to catch those pesky "wabbits".

Any dog can participate in the "fun runs". Fun runs are held after regular matches are completed. Not all dogs will chase a lure, but you may be surprised what your dog may do when the lures take off. Check out what may be the only lure coursing Great Dane on the planet!

Below find some pictures and video of lure coursing. You will need Real Player 8 (free version or otherwise) or above to view the videos. Some video may also be in Windows Media Player or Flash 8 format.