Lure Coursing - Qualifying To Compete

Qualifying To Compete

In American Sighthound Field Association (ASFA) competitions, a dog must be Certified in order to compete in the Open category of the breed. To certify, a dog must run clean (not interfere with the other hound and pursue the lure) with another dog of similar running style and be certified by a qualified ASFA judge. Dogs used for certification do not have to be certified themselves, nor do they have to be a sighthound, and judges can certify two or three hounds at the same time. In American Kennel Club (AKC) coursing, a new rule was passed in early 2010, making the certification process similar to the ASFA certification process. A dog must run cleanly against another dog of similar running style in order to earn its QC title before it may compete. Dogs may still earn their JC (junior courser) title by running a minimum of 600 yards (548 m) with four turns twice, in two separate trials, under two different qualified AKC judges. The dogs run alone, and once they complete both runs, they earn a Junior Courser (JC) title; however, the JC title no longer allows them to compete against other dogs. In Europe competing dogs need a coursing licence or racing licence for official national and international lure coursing trials, obtained through a racing or coursing club, and are principally run in braces only of the same breed, or run solo.