The lure coursing weekend was way fun for me. Saturday was the day the AKC rep gave a seminar. At the end of the seminar we were tested. A good test score is required of anyone wanting to become a lure course judge. I passed. I still have several requirements but I have the test out of the way if I decide to pursue it. Coursing is not about who is fastest. It is really about who displays the most hunting skill. They are scored on 5 criteria; Follow, Agility, Speed, Endurance and Overall ability. So speed is only a small part of the score, in fact a lot of speed can work against them as it makes turns and staying on the lure much harder. Tava has her big thick tail to help her rudder. Check out the difference in the picture between Iris who is in pink and Tava's tails.

Sunday was actual coursing. I took Iris, Tava and Katy Did the whippet. First all the dogs run against the other dogs of their breed in groups of 3. Since I had the only greyhounds my girls ran together. The course was small and my girls were not ready for it to be over so quickly. Both ran cleanly and safely. Tava was dancing at the end of her slip even after her first run. Tava and Iris scored within a couple points of each other with Tava gaining the edge. Katy ran against a whippet from Billings. It was her first time running with another dog and I was pleased with how well she did. She scored second but I was hit with a point penalty for early release. After everyone runs they reverse the course, so if they were going clockwise they now drag the lure counter clockwise. Again Tava edged out Iris which made her "Best of Breed". Katy ended up second by a narrow margin. Then they can run a third time in what is called "Best in Field". For BIF they run against the top dog from each breed, again in groups of 3. Tava was still game so I let her run. She ran against a Ridgeback and a Borzoi. After all the dogs ran I was thrilled at the awards to learn that little Tava Beanie won Best in Field!!! I took home so tired and happy pups!!