USDDN Disc Dog World Finals and Lure Coursing Fun!!

At last weekend's USDDN Disc Dog World Finals in Cartersville, Ga, not only did we get the chance to watch some amazing disc dogs, but Cosmo also got the chance to practice his lure coursing skills.

Here's Cosmo, going wild for the lure! It's hard to believe he had surgery just last month. And for those who have asked, dogs do tend to handle chemo treatments differently than people. Cosmo is in rare form, as you can see, especially considering he had his second chemo treatment five days before running this course.



After a satisfying lure run, we headed over to watch the disc dogs.

All-in-all it was a super fun day! Keep an eye on the USDDN schedule for events in your area.

Newest CAT dog! Cosmo Havanese wins his Lure Coursing Ability title!

Air Cosmo                                               Uma Rapiti Photography

Cosmo Havanese chases the lure during one of his three qualifying at the GANG Lure Coursing event in Calhoun, Ga., this past weekend!

With three Qs, Cosmo earned his CAT title (Coursing Ability Test), giving him a few more initials after his name -- Noblegold Cosmopolitan Jr. Mint AX, MXJ, CA... but you can still call him Cosmo!

Cosmo chases the lure around the field                         Uma Rapiti Photography

In order to Q, small dogs (under 12 inches at the withers) need to run a 300-yard course in under a minute and a half. Large dogs get two minutes to run 600 yards. Cosmo completed his runs in about 30 seconds each! We had a blast and Cosmo couldn't contain his excitement!

After winning his title, Cosmo takes a spa soak

You can read more about Lure Coursing for all breeds here. The AKC introduced the CAT tests last year, but this was our first trial. All the dogs looked like they were having a blast. Thanks to the folks at the Greyhound Association of North Georgia for putting on a fabulous event!

Cosmo would rather be running!

Coursing Ability Tests -- Upcoming events

Release the hound!

Swimming with Cosmo Havanese: Happy Summer!

Cosmo gets into the swim of things during his recent outing to The Canine Ranch in Canton, Ga. Think Canyon Ranch, except for dogs! Hmmmm, how about a spa for humans and their doggies? Now, THAT would be cool, wouldn't it?

After a day of herding and luring, Cosmo cooled off in the dock diving pool in the video above.

There also were plenty of wading pools for cooling off. That's an agility ring in the background.

Chicken legs!

Sheep get ready to be herded!

A disc dog team gets in some practice after the flyball demo, in the background.

 Cosmo Havanese says stay cool and enjoy the weekend!

Lure Coursing for All Breeds

Cosmo got to try his paw at lure coursing during a fun day at The Canine Ranch in Canton, Ga. recently.

Lure coursing events and trials were created to offer sighthound owners a way to test their hounds' coursing instincts and those characteristics for which they were originally bred, to be able to hunt by sight. The sighthound breeds are: Whippets, Basenjis, Greyhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Afghan Hounds, Borzois, Ibizan Hounds, Pharaoh Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds, Scottish Deerhounds, Salukis and Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

Cosmo rests between lure course runs

Now, all breeds, including mixed-breeds, can enjoy the fun and excitment of lure coursing, just as Cosmo Havanese displays in his exhuberant run in the video above! This was Cosmo's first time on a lure course, though years ago he had the chance to try the Doggie Fun Zone, a lure-motivated obstacle course. Ever since Cosmo displayed an extraordinarily enthusiastic urge to chase the lure at the fun zone (his head about spun around), we wanted to check out an actual lure course.

Some other helpful links about lure coursing:

• AKC Launches Coursing Ability Test for all dogs
• AKC Coursing Ability Test Links
• Upcoming Coursing Ability Tests
• Getting Started in Lure Coursing - For Sighthounds

If you're in the Atlanta area, we thoroughly enjoyed our day at The Canine Ranch. The schedule for upcoming fun days and lure "happy hours" can be found here.