A WORD ABOUT SAFETY: Just because your dog is normally a couch potato doesn’t mean he or she can’t run the course. However, before and after the run you might want to follow these simple tips to make your dog more comfortable:

You must warm your dog up prior to running the course to prevent injuries.  A warmup session of a few minutes of calm walking is good.  So please allow for enough time when scheduling your outing.

Walk your dog for 5 minutes as a cool-down exercise (good for warm-ups, too!).

Check your dog for any injuries or stickers Don’t let your dog gulp down water (drink water moderately and slowly)

Place your dog in a comfortable area out of sight of the lure

At larger events we try to bring a additional canopy just for resting and shade,but crates can be very helpful if you have one.

Always remember to bring plenty of water from home for drinking and cooling down. For summer runs, place a wet towel in the freezer the night before coursing. Bring it with you and keep it cool at coursing. Or a cool towel. You can pick up a cool towel at Lowe’s, Home depot or Walmart. This is the ultimate cool-down blanket.

Even though lure coursing is a lot of fun, the safety of each dog is our primary concern. In the event something should come up, we have a complete first aid kit station on the field at all times and at dog shows there is a vet on site.  Your dogs love to run, and it is our job to keep them safe and healthy so they can!

Like any athlete, a good rubdown after running will keep your dog in good shape and help prevent injuries. You might consider taking your dog to our Certified Canine Massage Provider.  It's great for warm-ups, cool-downs, and tune-up massages.