Whippets are medium sized sight hounds similar to a small greyhound. Sight hounds are the breeds of hound that hunt down their prey by using their eyesight.
Not Greyhound Racing
While greyhounds infamously often race on an oval track for betting purposes, whippet owners challenge their hounds to a field sport known as lure coursing. Like a greyhound and other sight hound breeds, the whippet is genetically programmed to have high visual prey drive.
To a whippet, a plastic bag attached to a battery or small motor powered line becomes just as motivational a kill as would a live bunny rabbit or other small furry creature. Lure coursing is the use of that plastic bag for field trialing whippets.
Modern Whippet Coursing
Sanctioned coursing organizations no longer use live "lures", on open fields, as it was determined too risky to the health of the dog. Now, whippets are divided into stakes and dogs usually run in groups of three, and their race is evaluated by sanctioned judges. The lure is attached to a light line, and the line is strung around a series of pulleys that make up the corners of the course. A lure "operator" retracts the powered line over the course, carefully keeping the lure ahead of the pack. Depending on the set up, the line may have to be restrung between races, or simply kept on a continuous loop. The course usually runs between 700 and 1200 yards on an open field and will turn corners and go over hills, following the traditional pattern of a running rabbit. The most favored coursing fields are at least five acres, relatively flat, with some hilly terrain. Both judges and the lure operator need to be able to view all the whippets running at all times on the course. It is best if the field has boundaries of wood or dense shrubbery, as the dogs are less likely to go off course and get loose on a road or wander off inadvertently.
Scoring
Two independent judges evaluate the race and score the dogs based on enthusiasm, follow (staying on the lure), speed, agility (cornering) and endurance. Points are totaled to determine the winner for the trial, and then if other breeds are also competing, the breed winners may run together for Best in Field. Accumulation of points also determines a whippets eligibility for the title of Field Champion.
Conditioning and Training
Obviously, lure coursing is an extremely athletic and vigorous activity. Any whippet participating should be carefully conditioned by regular exercise and provided an appropriate nutritional diet. Training a whippet can be relatively simple compared to training a retriever, since the prey drive to chase is usually a high motivator. Some dogs may need special training so they do not interfere with the other dogs in their race - interference is an automatic disqualification.
While the history of lure coursing can be found in the days when hunting game for the table was a necessity, whippets were primarily kept as working animals. Today's whippets are primarily pets, and are likely to come off the field with bits of plastic bag in their teeth, bodies soaked with mud, and looking forward to a dry-off, a good meal, and a nice rest on their master's bed.
