Lure coursing

Understanding the activity

Confirm eligibility and the exact event stream with the host. Secure waiting dogs and follow release instructions; a moving lure can be highly exciting.

Before attending or entering

Read the host’s schedule alongside the governing rulebook. Confirm the venue, entry deadline, registration requirements and whether spectators or non-competing dogs are permitted. Ask the trial secretary about anything the schedule leaves unclear.

Reading the record

Retain the sanctioning body and class. A lure event does not establish livestock reliability or permission for off-lead exercise elsewhere.

Explain what was tested

Describe the artificial lure and sanctioned event format without implying that success establishes hunting fitness, recall around wildlife or safety off lead. A dog can be enthusiastic in a permitted course and still need close management elsewhere. Use the host’s terminology for the actual trial stream and result.

Artificial lure and event streams

Dogs Australia describes an irregular course with an artificial lure drawn by a motor-driven line, and distinguishes a sighthound stream from a stream for other dogs. The activity is designed around an artificial target rather than live game. This distinction belongs in beginner explanations and image captions. Confirm the dog’s applicable stream and entry requirements with the host. Ask where handlers wait and how dogs enter and leave the course so an excited dog is not introduced to the lure or other competitors before the steward is ready.

Sources & further reading

References for this guide. Rules and services can change; check the responsible organisation for current details.

• Dogs Australia — Lure coursing (opens in a new tab)
• Dogs Australia — rules and regulations (opens in a new tab)

Keep exploring