We’ve missed a lot of our regular doggy activities lately because we’ve been so busy getting ready for the move, but we figured today’s lure coursing session at Rumbling Bridge would be the perfect excuse for a break before the final week of preparation. All we needed was a bit of decent weather.. and as luck would have it, we got it.

The morning was dry and clear, but rather cold, and as only beefy four-wheel drive vehicles were able to make it up to the field we were glad we’d bought new jackets to keep our doglets warm between rounds.

The jackets have a high half-moon collar which looks a bit like  Ming The Merciless’s costume in Flash Gordon. This is particularly appropriate for Biggles because his bum has been releasing plenty of “ming” over the last 24 hours.

As is usually the case Beanie & Biggles got to to run together in their first race, but before they got under way organiser Kevin Rose took a couple of precautions spec ifically for our little Biggly Boy. As you may be aware, the Bigglet has a habit of losing sight of the lure and making up his own course which usually leads him to the gate and out of the field. To combat this, Kevin dipped the lure in tripe juice and wafted it under our boy’s nose. It worked, and far better than anyone would have expected. Biggles became so intent on getting the lure that he wasn’t prepared to take the risk of another dog getting to it before him. Even before he cleared the first turn he left the track and headed across the field to the final corner to wait for the lure to come to him.

Never has Biggles been so intent on getting the lure!

Now some might consider this kind of behavior to be cheating, but I take it as a welcome indication that my boy is much smarter than we generally give him credit for. In fact it’s not the only time he’s used his head for thinking rather than battering things. In the park when I’m throwing the ball for them, he knows Beanie will always going to beat him to it, so he’s started sitting patiently by my side while Beanie goes to retrieve the ball. When she returns he waits while she gets her treat, then picks up the ball himself and drops it right back at my feet. He then looks up at me as if to say “OK, I’ve done my bit too, so where’s the treat?”

Anyway, Biggles’ cunning plan didn’t quite work the way it was supposed to. When he left Beanie behind, she went straight into top gear and shot round the rest of the course. By the time the lure reached Biggles’ position she and it were going too fast for him to catch from cold.

In their next race Biggles revised his strategy. Rather than simply running to the last corner, why not go to the place where the lure stops and wait there? Surely no-one could beat him to it then! He made it to the finish line ahead of all the other racers and prepared to pounce. It was a great plan, but poor Biggles isn’t good at “quick on the draw” exercises and the despite all his preparation the lure shot straight between his legs. His dream of catching the lure was slipping away as the Beanie Express rapidly closed in, but my boy wasn’t going to let it go without a fight. He spun round and dived for his prize, catching it just in the nick of time!

Here’s a video of the highlights of today’s lure coursing session:

We also made another, less Beagle-centric video for Sue and Kevin Rose to help promote their brilliant lure coursing sessions. They’re both very passionate about giving dogs a chance to fulfill their breed instincts and stay fit, happy and healthy, and the Kennel Club have shown interest in supporting their efforts as it shows that pedigree dogs are capable of much more than looking good in a show ring. Sue and Kevin may even be making a presentation at the next Crufts.

All photos from today’s lure course session are available here, our first draft at the general lure coursing video is here, and you can see Sue and Kevin Rose’s Scottish Deer-hound site here.