I'm (again) disappointed by the fact that there seems to be hardly any interest in lurecoursing in Holland.
For the dutch deerhound club I organised a deerhound lurecoursing next sunday and it has been cancelled because there was only one entry. And guess who that was.... (me ofcourse).

There is this strange opinion people have that, once you go coursing with your dog, you can never let them walk off lead again. I don't agree with this at all, we have very different experiences and our dogs love to go coursing. And we feel that we have to give them this pleasure.
Which, by the way, is also a pleasure to us: meeting other people and dogs in a friendly atmosphere.

Bye,

Joke

P.S. We will go to the clubtraining anyway, so Duncan will have his fun!

What a shame nobody wanted to go coursing with you. My girls love coursing and I show them and they also run free off the lead twice a day and we don't have any problems! Saying that if there happens to be any tiny white fluffy dogs running off the lead...I do watch my girls just incase they get any ideas of coursing it I just put them back on the lead for a few minutes, just to be on the safe side.
Hopefully you can find some people to join you for coursing, it's great fun.

That's a pity Joke, particularly as you are keen to get things started in your area. I think one of the biggest challenges is getting word out to the sighthound people that lure coursing events are being planned. Good luck with future organizing efforts.

YES!!! There must be lurcher/deerhound clubs in Holland,...maybe you could try advertizing in the sporting/hunting magazines...now most hunting has finished for the summer owners will be looking for a fun way to keep dogs fit...along with a bar-b and some beers...try Fisch und Fang(german)if it still exists...

hairybeasty wrote:

... here is the link to www.fischundfang.de

Regards
Joerg and Yoki

Hello Joke,

Very sad.

We hope you have with Duncan,then many fun by the clubtraining.

Regards
Joerg and Yoki

What a shame - not many coursing their deerhounds here in BC either ( basically me and once in a while a friend of mine ) , but at least we have all kinds of oter sighthound breeds who come - so , usually around 40 dogs entered .
Never found a relationship between lurecoursing and hunting , not even really between lurecoursing and preydrive - goes to show , 1 of my best lurecoursers never really hunted and my best , most determined huntress doesn't lurecourse - both having ( had ) ample opportunity for either .
Freinds of mine bought a luremachine last year and s we do have private trainings every so ften , just little straight runs mostly , around 200meters , it is fun for them .

Reading my first message again, it was not totally correct. What I meant is that there is hardly any interest in lurecoursing with deerhounds.
We are lucky to be members of a very enthousiastic lurecoursing club for all sighthounds and can course on a regular base. Official or just for fun. Since we enjoy it so much we want to let deerhound owners see how much fun it is.
But it seems that every effort is waisted.
So different from what we see in Germany, like I wrote some weeks ago there was an official, international coursing, with 35 Deerhound entries!

We'll have a nice trainingday on Sunday anyway, with all kind of sighthounds. And even a few deerhounds.

On the picture you see Duncan, having a good time in oktober last year.




Bye from Joke

I think some deerhound people dont know what lure coursing is? Some people think its something to do with chasing animals, which they dont want to encourage or is illegal! I didnt know what it was until I had deerhounds for a few years. Maybe just try spreading the word amongst deerhounders and make sure they understand it! Here in UK its not that well known, and only a few places where it is done in an organised way, so we're about to make our own equipment for our dogs!

YES YES YES
I wish there was more lure coursing going on and that we could have more show class linked to lure coursing

And then, finally, today we went to the coursing training. Not a deerhound event, but a regular coursing training from our lurecoursing club in Leek/Nienoord. Almost 50 dogs entered, all kinds of sighthound breeds.
6 Deerhounds were there, 2 of them were new to the game. And they all ran very well.
Weather was good, company was good, dogs ran good, what more can we ask for....
Duncan and Niso had a great day out, Niso does not course anymore, but likes to be around. And Duncan had 2 very good courses.
So, we are satisfied! And feel sorry for all those deerhound owners who don't know what they are missing.

Bye, Joke

What a shame there was not any other deerhounds to run against. I would like to find some land in Kent to start a running club for sighthounds, I am happy to organise provide a lure machine (a friend will make one). So if anyone knows of a suitable venue please get in touch.

Hallo Joke!


YES! to lure coursing

Biro is so much better to handle now, when we started with coursing. But I have heard these arguments against coursing in Germany many times, too....

Greetings from Bavaria
and maybe we will see us at a coursing and surely at august

Hello,

My Yoki is now 8 months old.
What is the best age for begin with Lure Coursing?


Best regards
Joerg and Yoki

Depends on the length of the course and how often you do it..they say no work before 12 months for lurchers,but that is hard running,turning etc...Deerhounds are probably different..but dont think a wee run now and again would do any harm...over-do it and you risk damage to the bones and ligaments...sure somebody has more on this...

Salute hairybeasty,

Thanks for your informations.

Regards
Joerg and Yoki

There is a sight hound field coursing club in NZ and we are trying to have more meets, and to get the NZKC to allow us to award field champion status to the champions. We are also starting a local all-breeds lure coursing club to get more funds into the system to buy more/better equiment. We had a wee run here last week and had 2 hungarian vizlas absolutely loving it. We did a 160m straight run and caught the lures under a sack. The deerhounds ran straight past the sack and ponsed around being sight hounds. The vizlas went straight to the sack and tried to dig it up!!

As for the best age to start , my Mahak was started on the lure , with training runs , aged 1.5years or so , we simply didn't have anything up here before that ( she was already an accomplished huntress byt then )- she was certified at age 2 and went on to become a super lurecourser - Na'lee started at about 1.5 years of age ( must have had a few trainings when she was younger ) and Hermione had her first 2( LITTLE ) training runs ( 100 yards or so straight on soft ground ) 2 days after she arrived from Germany , at not quite 4mths of age -simply , because we happened to have a training that weekend . She loved it , didn't miss a beat and ran already much more and on much more difficult grounds during the little walkies she got , or in the yard . Most breeders/owners who are interested in it will start their baby puppies to some degree on the lure by tying a toy/rag to a string and dragging this infront of the pups in order to get them going . Track Greyhounds seem to be started with toys, at an early age too .
Attached see the pics of baby Hermione running and helping to bring back the lure ....

Hello Verena,

Many thanks for your informations and the very nice pictures.

You mean the best age for begin with Lure Coursing is ca. 1.5 years or?


Regards
Joerg and Yoki

Not really , I think , if you are really interested , start to "play coursing " with the pup mor or less at any age , training runs are fine under 1 year , as for trialling /competing , 1.5 might be a good time to start - I would not run them often before they are 2 or so - some do start earlier here ( 1 is the official minimum age a dh has to have in Canada/US ) - that has more to do with their mental maturity as with their physical prowess . Not that lurecoursing is more than a (at times very nice ) hobby for a deerhound , still , a day of trialing is exhausting for most ,perhaps due more to all the things going on around it ( travel , other dogs ,humans a.s.o.) .
I really like it and for most dh it is great fun - those , who are not allowed to really hunt it is a wonderful outlet for their preydrive , even with most courses and the lure itself being more designed towards the smaller dogs - also , the nice people and all the sighthound breeds out and about , great . But oh my , if one ever gets to see deerhounds hunt for real , lurecoursing completely pales and one gets the idea , that it is not really a test for anything , just sheer fun and joy . I think it began over here as some form of a sport to keep those sighthounds , who went " open field coursing " ( real hunts on hare and coyote in these days ) fit and stimulated during the " off season ".