These are my dogs who currently have achieved titles (or competing towards a title).
Ame - Kelim's Rain at Midnight at Yukikaze CAX FCAT DNA CGC TKN
Yona - Sibersong's Shot of Espresso RN BCAT CGC TKN
Link - Link's Forest Melody BCAT CGC
Uta - Sibersong's Captain Morgan BCAT
Haru - Sibersong's The Hood CA BCAT
Chise - Sibersong's Nothin' But Truffle at Yukikaze CA BCAT


(Original post start) So last fall Ame got her first qualifier for lure coursing and needless to say we got hooked. We have several events that I've entered her in from late March to early May.

I will update this thread to be Ame and Yona when Yona is old enough, but Yona won't compete until the last event May 5th-7th as that is exactly when she will turn one year old.

Below are the photos from Ame's first CAT last fall.

Awesome Megan, I still adore her structure and build, such a lovely girl. <3 I have read very little about lure coursing, do you mind filling me, us, in on the whole dynamics of the sport?

Hey thanks so much! She's been a great leader for my team, can't deny I'm over the moon with her.

Since I'm not great at descriptions I pulled this off the AKC:

"The Coursing Ability Test (CAT) is an introductory event fashioned after the sport of lure coursing. It tests a dog’s basic coursing instinct or hunting-by-sight ability. The dog chases an artificial lure, and the test is a non-competitive pass/fail event with dogs run one at a time. To pass the test, a dog running alone must pursue a lure, completing the course with enthusiasm and without interruption within a given time. Most dogs will happily go after the lure! The CAT provides a lively and healthy activity attractive to many dog owners."

So basically, the AKC uses three plastic bags that is fixed to a cable. This cable/wire is handled by someone, who then operates how slow/fast to run the lure to keep dogs attention, and there are turns through the course that the dog will have to follow and not assume it's going straight the whole time. Ame being over 12 inches tall runs the 600 yard course. Smaller dogs run 300 yards. Prey drive kicks in and they chase. I did test to see if she would like it by using a plastic crumpled grocery bag attached to my flirt pole, both her and Yona are nuts for it.

In order to pass, a dog must complete the 600 yards under 2 minutes and without interruption. Once a dog passes, they get a qualifier ribbon.
Three passes = Coursing Ability (CA).
Ten total passes = Coursing Ability Advanced (CAA).
Twenty five total passes = Coursing Ability Excellent (CAX).
Fifty total passes = CAX2.
For every additionally twenty five passes = CAX# (CAX3, CAX4, etc).

Now this is just one of two types of coursing Ame is entered in. There is another similar one that is called the Fast CAT. Again I will first pull the description off AKC:

"The purpose of the AKC FAST CAT® event is to provide all dogs and their owners an enjoyable, healthy activity in which they can participate. Dogs run singularly. The dog's time to complete the 100 yard dash is converted into MPH. Dogs earn points based on their handicapped speed. Titles are awarded when a dog has accumulated a given number of points"

So basically, again the AKC use plastic bags that is fixed to a cable. This is a fixed run, and the lure goes straight for 100 yards regardless of dog size. For this run, as said above the mph is converted into your points. One person releases the dog at one end, and then someone else waits at the other end to catch your dog. Most people seem to have a friend release their dog and then the owner catches, however seeing as my sibes prefer OTHER people more I am going to have Mike catch while I release.

Once a dog finishes so many runs and their points accumulate, they will also get titles.
150 points = BCAT.
500 points = DCAT.
1,000 points = FCAT.
Every additional 500 points = FCAT# (FCAT1, FCAT2, etc).

Anywho its a bundle of fun! We have confirmation that she is entered for six CATs so far, but I've sent entry for two more CATs and six Fast CATs I'm still waiting to hear from.

Let me know if any of that was confusing so I can clarify or if you have any other questions! ^-^

Is catching the dog at the end ever a problem?

Megan, Thank you. I had a basic idea on it and understand it way more. That is awesome, and sibes should be naturals for this, well except for the catching them at the end, lol. Would love to know the mph on these animals, have heard max speed of 30-40 mph, is this true? I bet Ame is fast as lightening, those long legs and trim figure. Can't wait to hear more.

that looks so cool, she is gorgeous . Ame has an amazing build;nice pics of her running.

That looks like so much fun.

That really does look like a lot of fun. Some of those pictures it looks like Ame is just hauling ass too! I would just be standing there in awe, lol. Thanks for explaining all that, I had honestly never heard of it before.

Okie doke sorry I'm gonna answer all these now!

Amy, it sure can be LOL. However the dogs are allowed to 'catch' the lure at the end, and most people grab their dog while they're distracted grabbing the lure. You're also allowed to have treats/toys, so knowing this I intend to have a squeaky ball and some really yummy treats on hand to help get Ame back if she decides to have a 'Siberian moment'.

Miyasmomma Absolutely! Thanks for asking, I think it helped others as well. The max speed for SIberian Husky is 34mph on the Fast CATS records. The top 20 of each breed is listed. 27mph is second. I would say 25mph would be more average for a Siberian. Greyhounds/whippets hit 37mph. I'd like to think Ame is fast, however with her lineage of being a distance dog she NEVER outright sprints. She's always running with everything in reserve, I've never seen her kick it into top gear. I am hoping that as she competes she will get used to the course size of fast CATs and sprint for the lure, I'd just love to see it. However as long as she finished I'm happy!

RedFlashFire05 thank you! I know I'm biased but I adore having her here. Her personality is a hoot.

TwisterII it is! Finding events can be the hard part, but competing is just such a neat experience.

Artic_Wind Oh she acts like she was but in reality she was doing a nice lope most of it, and close to sprinted on the one part back home. I am hoping at the upcoming events she will kick it into the next gear but as said before I will be happy simply with her finishing the course at the end of the day. Or even if she doesnt, as long as she has fun! My pleasure, I'm happy to answer any questions on it.

The AKC has an event calendar for those in the US. You can look up events by the state you live in and see if any events will be near you. For lure coursing it's typically in the calendar at least 90 days before the event.
https://www.apps.akc.org/apps/event_calendar/

I forgot to update this thread!
March 25th-26th we went down to TN and Ame earned all four qualifiers and got her first title, CA (Coursing Ability) in which they have to have three runs under two different judges.
It was very exciting to see her immediately know what to do and be so excited to run for the lure.


Then this past week, I went down to GA for the Peach Blossum Cluster Dog Show. Thursday and Friday, April 13th and 14th, Ame earned another four qualifiers towards her next title. I unfortunately left before getting a chance to see the photos from that event.

Lastly today, back at home for a local event Ame earned two qualifiers to get her the CAA (Coursing Ability Advanced) title! My best friend Abby got some awesome photos. Abby also entered Sophie for the first time, Sophie did awesome, I think Ame gave her a pep talk, she was tearing it up! I am also very excited about Ame earning her next title, I do hope to get her CAX next year.

Megan, this is awesome! Congrats to you and Ame <3 So a couple more questions, hope you don't mind Are these AKC events or all breed events or agility course events? Lastly, I know she looks lean and svelte and tall..........do you mind letting us know if she is within breed standard? I know pics can make an animal look smaller, taller, bigger, shorter, etc. I think it is beneficial to the forum to spotlight this event (because it is not a normal husky event as far as I know), but also to show that huskies come in all sizes, coat colors, and coat lengths, and altho these pics makes Ame appear much large, I am going to guess she is within breed standard. Thank you for answering me

MiyasMomma wrote:

Megan, this is awesome! Congrats to you and Ame <3 So a couple more questions, hope you don't mind Are these AKC events or all breed events or agility course events? Lastly, I know she looks lean and svelte and tall..........do you mind letting us know if she is within breed standard? I know pics can make an animal look smaller, taller, bigger, shorter, etc. I think  it is beneficial to the forum to spotlight this event (because it is not a normal husky event as far as I know), but also to show that huskies come in all sizes, coat colors, and coat lengths, and altho these pics makes Ame appear much large, I am going to guess she is within breed standard. Thank you for answering me

Thank you very much!

No, I never mind questions.

AKC events. All dogs can compete though, and heres how.
Most of us are familiar with regular AKC registration, any purebred dog that has AKC, whether full or limited registration, good to go. Example of that would Ame here, has papers from her breeder with her parents being papered and so on and so forth. No extra steps needed.
Also AKC has whats called the PAL program - Purebred Alternative Listing. You send in pictures of your dogs and you will be able to compete your dog as that breed in performance events. So for example Lyon was a rescue and didnt come with any papers. I could send in an applications for the PAL program, and run him as a Siberian Husky in any AKC event such as agility, lure coursing, dock diving, so on and so forth.
Lastly, AKC has the Canine Partners program. This program is for any mixed breed, which will be listed as the All American Dog, for performance events. So again your dog can compete in any AKC event such as agility, lure coursing, dock diving, etc as the All American Dog and go against other mix breeds.

The event itself is called 'Coursing Ability Test' through AKC. Regular lure coursing is done by sighthounds only, but the Coursing Ability Test (CAT) is done for all breeds by any of the above registrations I described (AKC, PAL, CP)

She is 22 inches tall!! Just measured her. Ame may be tall and long, but she only weighs 36 pounds. Everyone at the event thought she was super tiny because of her petite structure. Shes just all legs. Since females can be 20-22 inches tall she is currently within standard, and she is 2 months shy of turning 2 so I don't think she will grow anymore.

Yesterday Ame competed in her first 'Fast CAT'. This is similar to the CAT, but as I've explained before this event is only 100 yards and a straight shoot. Ame timed at 7.59 seconds her first run, and 7.21 seconds her second run. Based on AKC's conversion, this should be 26.95 mph and 28.37 mph. So I'm pleased, we have our last event next Sunday (I had to cancel the Medina weekend) but will be keeping an eye out for more events so Yona can get started as she turns 1 in May.

Here's a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lKiF7UwLvA

Congrats Megan and Ame!! The video was helpful to know how the event works. can't wait to hear more and see more pics. And will you be taking Yona and Ame together?

MiyasMomma wrote:

Congrats Megan and Ame!! The video was helpful to know how the event works. can't wait to hear more and see more pics. And will you be taking Yona and Ame together?

Thank you! If I can find another event I will be entering them together. Right now the calendar isn't that promising. I will update with how Ame does next Sunday though!

Congratulations! Looks like a lot of fun. I look forward to your follow up updates! Ame has grown up so beautifully.

This is so cool!!! Love the pictures!! Congrats!

Artic_Wind wrote:

Congratulations! Looks like a lot of fun. I look forward to your follow up updates! Ame has grown up so beautifully.

th1921 wrote:

This is so cool!!!  Love the pictures!! Congrats!

Thank you both very much!

Sorry its been a little while since I last updated. Ame has done 4 more fast CATs since her first event, her speed is still at 28.37 mph though and she currently holds #1 spot for 2017. Ame achieved her BCAT at the latest event we did at the end of July as well.

Yona also competed at her first fast CAT at the end of July. Honestly the set up wasnt great as it was on gravel, so both the girls performance was pretty poor, I'll never make that mistake again and make sure to email the club to confirm surface before driving all that way. She had fun though.

Our next fast cat trial will be in September for the Eukanuba Performance games.

It just looks like so much fun. I would love to do something like this. While none of my current have the health for it I would like to get a good healthy dog eventually to do some kind of agility event with. 28.37 mph is burning up the ground. Hate to be the rabbit that mistakenly gets in your backyard.

TwisterII wrote:

It just looks like so much fun. I would love to do something like this. While none of my current have the health for it I would like to get a good healthy dog eventually to do some kind of agility event with. 28.37 mph is burning up the ground. Hate to be the rabbit that mistakenly gets in your backyard.  

Awh I hope you can!

Yeah it was a good run, not as fast as I know she can do though.

Also LOL oddly enough they got a rabbit tonight, and got one about 2 weeks ago, darn rabbits! Wish they wouldnt wander and make nests in my yard, ever since getting the two working girls its a common occurrence for me to want to go to bed but have to wait for them to finish up.

Stupid rabbits! We used to have as horrendous problem with rabbits. Could not grow anything. Ami took care of that pdq. Thanks i could live without the image of tiny, dead furless bunnies strewed along my garden path.

This was from Ame's CAT run in TN last spring


And from Ame's CAT run in OH last spring, Abby got these <3








And from our Fast CATs in OH last spring

Ame has also started Dock Diving! We have an awesome facility about 40min away called K9 Splash Zone, they have been so patient with her and now she is a dock diving siberian!

Wow! SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! She looks amazing! Congratulations! I could float a steak in the middle of my pool and my two wouldn't jump in to get it, LOL. That's awesome!