Sugar's practice start

[nomrbddgs]

Just thought I'd let you know Sugar will be doing a practice run this weekend on a straight race. Any suggestions??

[tanza]

Nope… just have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nomrbddgs]

Thanks! I'm always worried about her being snarky-especially since she's just coming out of heat. But she'll be muzzled so I hope she'll be okay!

[lvoss]

Is she running with another dog in the practice?

I usually practice my starting dogs by themselves to make sure they are focused and know what the game is first before running them with another dog.

[tanza]

For sure practice alone first and then with others…. especially if she just came out of season

[YodelDogs]

I agree with lvoss and tanza in that dogs just starting out should be run by themselves a few times before trying them with another dog. Let us know how things go.

[nomrbddgs]

She did a couple of practice runs by herself last year. This year I'd like to try her with another female that is in heat also. She did come right back to me last year, but she does have major attitude that she is the one and only Basenji worthy of anything-although with the pup she tends to take a lot before she gets mad. She's also seen the other female before, just not that up close and personal.

I'm taking her up tomorrow, Sunday.

[lvoss]

Running her with another female that is in heat would probably be asking for trouble. Two hormonal bitches at the finish line with a resource to guard is not a good combination especially when one is just starting out. It would be better fpr Sugar to have another positive experience running alone and waiting until she is further out of season and you can run her with a good lure experienced boy.

[tanza]

Exactly… running her with a bitch in season... would be a disaster... I think... and since bitch's in season can't run... there is no real purpose to doing that....
And if she is still smelling that "good" I would be really careful about running her at all.... as there are boys around... and you might also want to tell people that she could still be in season, they might not even want her on the course

[YodelDogs]

Arlene please rethink your decision about running two hormonal bitches together. Lvoss, Tanza, and I have over 35 years combined lure coursing experience between us and we all have the same opinion about this. We are only trying to help prevent potential problems to help ensure that Sugar will have the best possible start in her lure coursing career.

[nomrbddgs]

I didn't end up running her with the female-I ran her with a male. Griffin loves her-she hates Griffin. She was okay with the muzzle on. On the first run (2000 ft straight) Sue released her and she ran but then the pully broke about 1/3 of the way down. On the second try I released her but she stopped about half way and then ran around is circles until she found me and ran right back to me. We tried a third time with me at the catch end. She ran about half way and then stopped and was looking for me again. Griffin was stopping about the same each time. He's green as well-first time out. She will run, but I think maybe I should put her on shorter sessions, be at the catch end, and run her with a more experienced B. Maybe if the other B doesn't stop she won't either. Any more suggestions? (Thanks a lot for the first ones everyone-I do appreciated the 'experienced' voices.

[tanza]

For sure run her with an experienced male that doesn't stop, two green dogs running are not usually the best choice unless one or both are really keen on the lure…. this will help her with focus and finishing the run.... instead of running back to you...

And the lure operator needs to try and keep the lure right under her nose.... not way out in front where she loses sight

Are you sure it was really 2000FT?..... that is a pretty darn long straight away?... I can understand why they sort of got lost.....

[nomrbddgs]

It was 2000ft. The finish judge commented that maybe we should only have gone halfway-1000 ft. Next time I'll run her with a more experienced dog and on a shorter practice. And like I said, Mama's girl and all!