Breed dogs for lure coursing for sighthounds? Advertise here
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About lure coursing for sighthounds
Sighthounds were bred to chase by sight, and lure coursing gives them a safe, legal outlet for it. Dogs chase an artificial lure round a course laid out across a field, and no live animal is ever used. This page covers lure coursing in the UK, simulated coursing, the breeds that take part and what to ask a breeder.
What this work involves
In competitive lure coursing for dogs, as run by UK Sighthound Sport, hounds run in pairs, one in a red jacket and one in a white, and chase a mechanically driven lure round a course with turns that test their coursing ability. Courses are 400 to 700 metres for Whippets, Italian Greyhounds and Cirneco dell’Etna (up to 800 metres at championships) and 500 to 1,000 metres for other breeds. Each dog runs twice, and the judges award up to 20 points for each of five criteria: agility, speed, endurance, follow and enthusiasm. A hound becomes a Lure Coursing Champion after winning three Lure Coursing Champion Certificates under at least three different judges, with at least one of them for a first place.
Simulated coursing is a whippet-only variant closer to traditional coursing. At Sporting Whippet Club meetings, whippets are released from leather slips and follow a drag lure over a course with a run-up, turns and wrenches, running in pairs in knockout stakes judged in the field.
The UK season runs from spring to autumn, roughly March to October, and hounds need to be fit, sound and well conditioned.
Who trains and supplies these dogs in the UK
Coursing hounds are family and show sighthounds bred by private breeders and conditioned by their owners. Clubs run training days and clearing trials; nobody supplies trained coursing dogs.
- UK Sighthound Sport (UKSS) runs competitive lure coursing for pedigree sighthounds, using the FCI’s European lure coursing rules adapted for the UK. Each dog needs a licence, which requires its KC registration certificate, at least one solo run and two clearing trials with another licensed dog on two separate days. Whippets and Italian Greyhounds need a measuring card and run in Standard or Sprinter classes. Championship competition is open to Whippets, Italian Greyhounds and Cirnechi from 15 months and to other breeds from 18 months, with open competition from 12 months. UKSS holds three championship meetings a year, and its 2026 National Championships took place at Stratford Racecourse in September.
- The Sporting Whippet Club, formed in November 2013, runs simulated coursing for KC-registered whippets only, in height stakes that pair dogs of similar height and sex. Its 2026 meetings were held in Oxfordshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire.
Breeds and lines
All sighthound breeds can course. Those seen most often include:
- Whippet – the most numerous, in both lure and simulated coursing.
- Saluki – saluki coursing suits the breed’s stamina over the longer courses set for larger hounds.
- Afghan Hound, Borzoi and Deerhound – larger hounds that need careful conditioning.
- Greyhound – KC-registered greyhounds course alongside the other breeds.
- Ibizan Hound – an agile, athletic hound.
Breeders who course their own hounds select for soundness, fitness and keenness on the lure.
What to ask a breeder
- Do the parents course, and with which club? Do they hold Lure Coursing Champion Certificates or titles?
- Is the litter KC registered? A UKSS licence needs the registration certificate.
- What health screening have the parents had for conditions known in the breed?
- For whippets, how tall are the parents, and which height stakes or size class do they run in?
- How do you rear puppies for soundness, and at what age would you start a young hound on the lure?
Legal and welfare notes
Coursing live hares is illegal. In England and Wales, the Hunting Act 2004 makes it an offence to take part in, attend or knowingly facilitate a hare coursing event, or to let land be used for one. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 added offences, in force from 1 August 2022, of trespassing with intent to use a dog to search for or pursue hares and of being equipped to do so, and lets courts disqualify offenders from keeping a dog. In Scotland, the Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Act 2023 makes it an offence to hunt a wild mammal with a dog, and hunting includes coursing.
Lure coursing and simulated coursing use artificial lures only. Owners remain responsible under animal welfare law for their hound’s fitness, injuries and comfort in hot weather.
Frequently asked questions
Is lure coursing legal in the UK?
Yes. Lure coursing uses a mechanical or drag lure, not live quarry, so it is not hare coursing, which is illegal in England, Wales and Scotland.
Can any dog do lure coursing?
UKSS competition is for pedigree sighthounds, and each dog needs KC registration and a UKSS licence. Other breeds are not eligible to compete at UKSS meetings.
What is the difference between lure coursing and simulated coursing?
Lure coursing runs pairs of any sighthound breed after a mechanically driven lure and scores each run on five criteria. Simulated coursing, run by the Sporting Whippet Club for KC-registered whippets, slips dogs by hand after a drag lure, pairs them by height and sex, and decides each course as a knockout.
If you breed sighthounds whose dogs compete in lure coursing or simulated coursing, list your kennel on Canine Breeder and tell buyers about your hounds’ results and aptitude.