Performance Activities
There are a variety of performance activities that you and your Borzoi will enjoy. These activities are described here, but of course their own web sites should be used for authoritative information. Each of these typically has a sanctioning organization, that makes the rules, tracks registered dogs and awards titles, and evolves the activity toward the future. This organization will sanction local clubs, which must operate to a consistent set of rules and procedure.
Agility
Competing in Dog Agility is one of the most FUN things you can do with your dog! There are two classes in AKC Agility, one is called Jumpers With Weaves (JWW) the other is called Standard. The JWW class consists of a variety of Jumps and Weaves and it can also include Tunnels. The Standard class consists of what is called “contact” obstacles. These “Contact” obstacles are the A-Frame, Dog Walk, and the Teeter. All of these have “contact” zones (yellow areas) which the dog has to have be in during the execution of that obstacle. It is a “safety” issue for the dog to make contact with those areas . The Standard class also includes weaves, a chute (a type of tunnel with a fabric “chute” attached to it), tunnels, jumps (including a tire jump), and a table.
Having a Borzoi out there performing in the Agility ring is such a thrill! No one expects to see this breed out there on an agility course and they are so amazed! Borzoi really are AWESOME! Give this exciting venue a try, but be warned-- IT IS ADDICTING! You WILL get hooked!
Read the full article on Agility...
Flyball
Flyball is a great sport to keep your Borzoi in shape over the winter months, and to help build up their competitive spirit. Flyball is a team sport with 4 dogs on a team running in a race. The first dog on a team is released, to run as fast as they can over four small hurdles, up to a flyball "box", which they step on to trigger a ball. Once they catch the ball they head back over the hurdles as fast as they can, and as soon as they cross the start/finish line the next dog on the team can head up to the box for their turn. Each team races against other teams in head to head competition, with the team that gets all four dogs up and back the fastest declared the winner.
The toughest thing to teach most Borzoi is to actually bring the ball back. But if you can manage to train them to bring a ball back they will LOVE the sport. Imagine a sport where the Borzoi gets to run as fast as they can, and don't have to "think", as the pattern is always the same.
Although Borzoi can learn to love the freedom of the game, they are far too smart to love the repetition of Flyball. So if you really want your Borzoi to have a great time playing Flyball, find a team with extra players (teams can have 6 dogs, and only run four in each heat). That way, you can bring out your Borzoi to blaze down the racing lanes a few times over the course of the tournament, but if they are starting to get bored or slow down you can let the back into the bed in the x-pen and run the other dogs.
This combination of being able to run fast, being able to get it right every time (unlike obedience and agility), and being able to stop when they are getting bored, makes Flyball an ideal sport for our hounds.
Seanna O'Neill
www.dogsport.org/khirugai
Straight Line Racing
The Large Gazehound Racing Association is the sanctioning organization for straight line racing. Similar to drag racing, this is an all-out head to head race, and the fastest dog down a 200 yard straight track wins the race. A day's event consists of three races per dog, with up to four dogs racing at once. At the end of the day, points are allocated to the leading dogs, the more dogs that enter, the more points there are to go around.
Dogs will be released ("slipped") either by hand, or started from a box ("boxed", photo at left), depending on equipment availability at the track. The dogs will chase a lure, usually plastic bags and a "squawker" made of fur, which is pulled along ahead of the dogs on a string guided through pulleys.
Oval Track Racing
The National Oval Track Racing Association (NOTRA) sanctions clubs for oval track racing. This originated as a sport exclusively for Whippets, but more recently sighthounds and other athletic dogs have been added to the mix, and are managed as a subset of NOTRA called "Other Breed Racing." This race is performed on a 220 to 440 meter oval or U-shaped track, again using string and pulleys to pull the lure along in front of the dogs. Borzoi may be boxed or hand-slipped, depending on available equipment. Three races ("programs") in the day completes the meet and provides the scores for the top dogs.
Lure Coursing
Lure coursing is a performance activity of a different nature. A lure is pulled ahead of the dogs and the course weaves about, making left and right turns, sometimes crossing over itself, not unlike the path of an elusive jackrabbit. In fact, lure coursing was created as an accessible alternative for Open Field Coursing, and to some, still the measure by which any good hound is judged. Unlike LGRA or NOTRA, lure coursing is a judged event, with scores based on the agility and perseverance of the dogs, not just the first one to the finish line.
A typical lure course may be 600-800 yards long and a large field is of course necessary to set up a lure coursing "field trial" (event). The dogs are always hand-slipped, with a traditional call of "Tally Ho!"
Two organizations sanction Lure Coursing clubs in the USA - the American Sighthound Field Association, and the American Kennel Club with quite similar rules, though they have different points and title systems.
Obedience
Want to be a star? Just walking into the obedience ring with a creature as magnificent and glorious as a Borzoi demands attention and admiration. It can make you an instant celebrity! Showing a borzoi in obedience is sure to draw a crowd of admirers no matter how you do on a given day.
Training to an obedience title is an amazing and exciting journey. Until you have trained your dog to the level where he is able to compete for obedience titles you will never experience the thrill of just how close you can bond to a dog. Although obedience competition is not overall a fast paced sport, it can be a thing of beauty to watch. A dog and handler who heel well together appear to be dancing in sync with one another. Control is the name of the game, but expressions of joy, happiness, and satisfaction are ever present in a well-trained dog and handler. This is true teamwork.
Read the full article on Obedience...
Open Field Coursing
Coursing wild jackrabbits is an activity largely available only in the western US, and is the precursor to most of the lure-based events. Dogs (there are Borzoi-only hunts, and mixed breed hunts) and their handlers walk, sometimes for hours, to raise a jackrabbit from the brush, at which point the three "hunt dogs" are released on their course. The event is judged on speed, agility, desire, etc - much the same attributes as in Lure Coursing.
A single chase can last a minute or two, with dogs running literally miles - off to the horizon. A good recall is important - you definitely need your dog to return to you after he finishes the chase. Jackrabbits are rarely caught, so don't make your only dinner plans around rabbit stew!
The National Open Field Coursing Association, the North America Coursing Association and The Coursing Conservancy sponsor OFC events in the western US.
Rally Obedience
Rally is a timed event, but before freaking out, timing is only used in case of a tie in scores. So you and your Borzoi can take your time going through the course. It is patterned after rally car racing, and is similar. It has cones and a numbered course that you and your dog complete by yourselves. Timing starts at the first station and ends at the last one. There are 10-20 signs or stations in a trial. In the Novice class, there will be between 10-15 stations. You won't know what signs you will get until the day of your trial, so familiarization with the first 31 signs is a bonus, but you will not have to memorize the signs. No worries, right?
The Novice Class is ALL on lead. You can pat your leg, use a happy voice, talk ALL the way though the course, pretend to have a treat and lead your dog with your hand - piece of cake! You can even use MULTIPLE commands!
In the US, the AKC sanctions Rally events.
Read the full article on Rally Obedience...