June ’07 Newsletter

Lure Coursing Your IG

by Bridget Wessel

If you are interested in lure coursing, you can try it at:
All Breed Lure Coursing Fun Days
Proceeds benefit ELMBROOK HUMANE SOCIETY
Thursday, July 19 @ 7pm (weather permitting)
Elmbrook Humane Society in fenced field next to building
$10 for two runs

Lure coursing is a sport (or simply a fun activity) for the dog that likes to chase things. As sighthounds, Italian Greyhounds are natural chasers. They love to run after things that are moving quickly. The basics of lure coursing involve a dog chasing a lure (usually a plastic bag or furry rabbit skin) tied to a moving line. The line is looped around pulleys anchored to the ground and run by a motor. If your dog catches on to the idea of chasing that bag, lure coursing can be a great way to allow your IG to get back to his sighthound roots. Most competitions are restricted to purebred sighthounds, although my own shepherd mix gets more excited about lure coursing than my Italian Greyhounds -- which is saying a lot.

"So what’s all the excitement and why would my dog chase a plastic bag around a field?", you might ask. Lure Coursing stimulates a dog's natural instinct to chase. If your dog had to hunt for his food like his progenitors did, that instinct would lead him to chase and catch small prey. Our companion dogs still have that instinct, and for sighthounds, it has been finely honed through breeding. A quote from Wikipedia's Sighthound page: "Although today most sighthounds are kept primarily as pets, they have been bred for thousands of years to detect movement, chase, capture, and kill prey primarily by speed. They thrive on physical activity. Some have mellow personalities, others are watchful or even hostile towards strangers, but the instinct to chase running animals remains strong." As you look at your little Sighthound resting in the warm summer sun, you might think your little sweetums could never harm another living animal, but there are Italian Greyhound owners who have witnessed their IG not only chasing, but catching--and even killing--rabbits and birds.

It is because of this instinct, and selective breeding, to chase small prey that Italian Greyhounds should never be allowed off leash. It only takes one rabbit or squirrel in the distance to kick their natural chase instinct into high gear, and your Italian Greyhound could be off having the time of his life until he can't find his way home or gets hit by a car.

However, lure coursing in a fenced-in field is a great way to allow your Italian Greyhound to be the dog he was bred to be without worrying if he will make it back to you. Not all dogs, even sighthounds, will automatically decide that a plastic bag or rabbit skin tied to a string is something they should chase. Two of my dogs took to lure coursing right away, but my other Italian Greyhound, Brodie, only recently decided he liked to lure course, after two seasons of trying.

Lure coursing usually costs around $5 a run, depending where you go, so you might want to work on your own dog's chase instinct before heading off to course. You may be able to find an event like a pet expo during the summer that has a small lure coursing field for your dog to try. Sometimes a dog will get very excited watching other dogs run and have the whole thing figured out by watching others. If your dog pulls and barks while other dogs run, you probably have a natural lure courser. Of my dogs, Simon (IG) and Caina (mixed breed) fall into this category. Trying to control Simon and Caina while other dogs lure course is akin to trying to keep a wild lion who hasn't eaten for a month off a fresh steak.

Other dogs might need a little practice. You can use the following technique on any dog at home, whether you end up lure coursing them or not. Start with a stuffed animal skin (we seem to always have those left over from a stuffed animal's unfortunate demise) tied to a 4 to 5 foot string. First you will want to get your dog excited to play. If your dog is taking his afternoon nap, you'll get better results if you wait until he is in play mode. Holding an end of the string, pull the toy along the ground and use quick words, like "get it!", to encourage your dog. If he jumps for the toy, praise him. Get him worked up a bit and see if you can get him to run around you in circles as you pull the toy along the ground. Make sure you clear any furniture so you don't have to worry about him running into anything.

If you have a fenced in yard, you can extend this idea by using a lunge whip instead of string. A lunge whip usually has a 6 foot handled shaft and a 6 foot lash, giving you around 12 feet to attach a stuffed animal skin to and drag around your yard. I crouch down and twirl the whip around my head so I don't have to turn in circles. The shaft gives you more control than you would have with a 12 foot long string. However, you need to have room to do this in your yard. You don't want your dog running full speed into a tree, deck or fence while he is chasing the toy.

If your dog will chase a toy tied to a string, you've increased his odds of going after a lure. This is not a foolproof test, though. Brodie would chase a toy in my yard, but it still took him a few goes at lure coursing before he could make it around the track without getting distracted by something else. Where we lure course used to have chickens just outside their coursing field fence, and Brodie thought live chickens were much more interesting than a fast plastic bag.

I take my dogs to Lure Coursing Fanatics in Somers, Wisconsin, just north of Kenosha. Lure Coursing Fanatics is $10 for two runs and they do not have any breed restrictions. The owner, Lauri, is very helpful and full of information. If you would like to run you dog at Lure Coursing Fanatics, their web site has a run schedule. Follow the instructions on their scheduling page to sign up for a time slot.

I've prepared a video of my dogs lure coursing earlier this year so you can see how excited dogs get and the joys of lure coursing. You can watch the video here. Warning: the video is slightly Blair Witch in quality. You will see a few times Simon and Brodie cut corners, which they are not supposed to do. Once a dog runs a course a few times they can become "lure-wise" and cut corners.

Like most things in life, Lure Coursing has its risks. The string the lure is tied to runs very fast (depending on how fast your dog runs) and rope burns are common. Usually, my IGs have a red mark or two on their legs after they run, but they clear up in a couple days. Lauri says even out of shape dogs can run, but the lure operator should be careful to not run them very far and she watches very closely for any dogs overheating. Lure Coursing Fanatics keeps a kiddie pool so you can dip your dog when they are done running. Most accidents happen at the turns where a dog can break a toe on the corner pulley or even a leg if they torque too much to make a corner. Again, a skilled lure operator will keep the lure far enough ahead of the dog to lead them into the turns. If you are the type of owner who can't afford a vet bill to fix a toe or leg, lure coursing is not worth the risk for your dog. You must be prepared to pay for any injury incurred by your dog when they lure course, just as you would if your child was injured playing a sport. Also, if your IG is tiny and more prone to leg breaks or totally out of shape, lure coursing is probably not a good idea.

Organized Sport

If you get the lure coursing bug and want to do more than just lure course your dog for fun, Italian Greyhounds are a breed recognized by the two main two main sanctioning bodies in the US (ASFA and AKC) to compete. You can register any full breed Italian Greyhound through AKC for an Indefinite Listing Privilege which says you've submitted a photo of your dog and the AKC agrees it looks like an Italian Greyhound. An ILP currently costs $35. Once your dog is registered, you can look up events online where you can start competing with your dog.

If this article leaves you with more questions, please feel free to use the Website's Contact Us form and your lure coursing questions will be forwarded to me. Italian Greyhounds were meant to do more than grace our couches. Lure coursing is a great way to give your dog an outlet for their natural chase instinct.

Bridget Wessel lives with her husband Erik and four dogs: Simon, Brodie and Sophie (IGs) and Caina (mixed breed). She has been fostering for IG rescue for almost four years and loves to see her former fosters bloom in their forever homes. An advocate for training and dog sports, her own dogs (all rescues) enjoy obedience, agility, and lure coursing.

Boating with IGs

by Nancy Brandt

Zeke, our first IG, loved to go boating and fishing with us. Actually, he just wanted to be with us to do whatever we were doing at the time. Aren’t all Iggys like that?!

Boating Safety

We found out early on one should not assume all dogs swim well, especially Italian Greyhounds. Zeke front paddled with a fury while the back end just hung there, back legs not moving, and weighing him down. He managed to motor a short distance, but it became apparent a life preserver would be an absolute necessity. Cori, our second IG, swims very well but I don’t think he could save himself if he fell off the pier or the boat. So, he also wears his life preserver. The small preservers have a handle on the back to lift the dog from the water should that be necessary. Years ago the only place you could purchase a dog life jacket was at a boating supply store; now almost any retail store handling pet supplies has them. Zeke had a Stearns brand. I got Cori’s at Target, and it fits really well on him. Beware if you don’t buy early in the season as most stores only get one of each size and many will not restock these products. Jacks’ life jacket is from Outward Hound purchased on amazon.com. SitStay.com also has life jackets in many sizes in another good brand. They are fitted much like coats using the dogs weight and length from shoulder to tail. Most pet supply stores allow you to bring your leashed pet in for an exact fit.

Getting Started

The first time Cori boarded the boat he had to be carried on and he was nervous. He had those iggy toes spread out in anticipation of needing a firm grip on something. Our bass boat has carpeted surfaces that go right to the side edges and now that he has his sea legs, he walks right on. Often he will lie in the sun on deck under the swivel chairs and catch some Z's until he gets too warm. I keep the leash on for added security because he doesn't fear falling overboard. He is more daring than Zeke. The boat also has two consoles with areas he can crawl underneath to be shaded from the sun. He makes a bed on the water ski jackets. I put sunshade for babies on my dogs' ears and tummies to prevent sunburn. And, I have a portable water bowl filled with ice cubes and bottled water for them. A wet towel helps to keep their head cool. My dogs like to be misted with water. If your dog is not afraid of the spray bottle, it's a nice way to get of bit of fluid in their mouth too.

Cautions for Canines

Boating with your dogs is fun but you must be aware that your dog can overheat in the right conditions. Boats on a lake do not have as much shade available to them, so be aware of how hot your dog is. Dark colored dogs will absorb heat faster than those with lighter colored fur. Beware of the signs of impending heat stroke. Their gums become muddy pink in color rather than the nice pink they usually are, their ears may become very bright red, they pant furiously, their heart rate goes up, they have a wild eyed look of panic in their eyes and often lay down on their sternum, gasping. They will have a slow deliberate walk that may appear disoriented. If this happens to your dog it is an absolute life threatening medical emergency requiring immediate emergency vet care. So while it's great to take your pet along, be watchful and take precautions to prevent overheating. It can happen rather quickly.

The first time we took Cori for a boat ride he was a cautious and slightly fearful passenger at first. Be prepared for fear of the unknown. But it wasn't long before he seemed to relax and enjoy the rocking of the boat on our slow tour of the lake. He was most curious about the loons fishing nearby. We kept the speed slow and he settled right in next to me on the seat and soon acted like a salty sea dog. Then the deer flies descended on us and even though we had insect repellent on, they were persistent in looking for one centimeter of unsprayed skin to bite. Their bites draw blood and it hurts. My dogs use a holistic blend of neem to repel mosquitoes, flies and fleas. But the swarm was so distressing we decided to shorten his maiden voyage and go fast enough to leave the flies in our wake. Well, the faster we went the more he seemed to love the wind in his ears and the spray on his face. Cori is especially cute because he has so few teeth his little tongue hangs out and blows in the wind along with his ears! Cori also likes to go with me in my paddleboat for slow cruises on calm days. And, he's calm enough to have taken a ride in our very stable canoe. I wouldn’t recommend taking a dog in a canoe unless you are really okay with the possibility of getting dunked. Always have life jackets on and a Plan B in mind.

Jacks, our shy-boy third IG, has been outfitted with his own life preserver, but I think we will take him out by himself first just to see how he reacts to the movement and speed of the boat. He’d be the one to try to jump overboard. Right now he is more interested in staying close to me than worry about interfering with the pan fish the kids are catching off the pier. He has a higher prey drive than Cori and might get too involved in the catch before the release to go fishing with us. We will see. We haven’t tried him at swimming yet, but because he has high fright/flight triggers, I think he will give good strong efforts to swim back to me.

Cori has very little prey drive and is only mildly curious about the fish we catch or the minnows and leeches we use for bait. He is content to stay put on the seat or under the console away from the action. We take precautions not to catch him with hooks just as we would if another person was in the boat with us. We keep our fingers crossed Cori won’t have a fright fit if we catch a big Musky. But, that is why he wears his life preserver…with a handle.

In 2005 Nancy Brandt and husband, Mike adopted two six year old rescues, Cori and Jacks, a year after the passing of their beloved first IG, Zeke. Nancy is on her fourth foster and takes both Ig's and Whippets.

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