My favourite sport is lure coursing (of course). This sport, although designed for hounds bred to chase small game, can be great fun. To see your hound, in peak physical condition, running full out can be quite a thrill. The Irish Wolfhound on the lure coursing field may not appear as fast as some of the smaller breeds, but their length of stride alone allows them to cover great distances. Bred to hunt all day their running style is also different from others sighthounds, in that they will hold a moderate speed with short bursts at the lure and their endurance should not flag. Being pack animals, it is interesting to watch how three Wolfhounds will course the lure as a pack - sensing where the other dogs are. It is not uncommon to see three dogs take off, with one in the lead staying "on the bag" and the other two spreading to either side to drive the lure in. Of course the flanking dogs don't score as well as the center dog but it's still thrilling to see how they would hunt naturally. Many people involved in lure coursing are always ready to help you will conditioning and training. From experience, however, I don't think one should, or needs to, train an Irish Wolfhound. Our first courser never saw the lure until he was almost three years old. Seamus was a natural and achieved both his ASFA and Canadian Field Champion titles. From watching pups play, I've noticed that rarely do they play puppy games when they are mature, so intense training as a pup is not necessarily a good thing. Developing the sight and hunt instinct is different. Introducing a puppy to chasing a white bag as it zips by is good. Do this occassionally - as we known they bore easily - then, when they are physically mature (at least 1 yr), take them to a trial for a practice. Remember, don't park yourself at the side of the field for 6 hours watching dogs run by and expect your dog to be excited when it's his turn. Bring him out to watch a couple of runs and to see what's happening. Never correct him for lunging at the lure, that's what you want, an uncontrollable 150 lbs of dog taking you grass-skiing up to the line. When you release him, don't say go - he may think it's no and get confused. Tell him words you've used to get him excited about something. You never know, you may be rewarded by your dog being a natural courser. Related sports are NOTRA Amateur Racing and Straight Racing.
Showing is another sport you can do with your dog. However, I can't recommend not neutering your dog just so you can show. Very rarely does an Irish Wolfhound enjoy the show ring and unless there are specific reasons to try for a Championship, this can be a rather expensive sport. In Canada, recognizing the need to spay/neuter purebred dogs, the Canadian Kennel Club is reviewing offering altered classes at regular shows. Dogs who have been neutered would compete, separately from the regular classes, for points toward an Altered Championship title. In the mean time, as a test market, Breed and Group Clubs are allowed to offer altered classes at Specialty Shows and the Irish Wolfhound Club of Canada is offering their first Sexually Altered Class at their 1996 Specialty show.
Whatever you choose to do with your dog, it will always be a rewarding experience for the both of you.
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