I have a year old IG (italian greyhound) his name is Jackie. at a young age we started him on agility, he's really good at it but I would like to start him on other activities to burn off energy. He is fast but not amazingly considering his breed so nothing would probably be competitive. He can't fit a standard size tennis ball in his mouth (too small) so I don't think he can do fly ball. If you know of andy safe activities to do with him pleas tell me. thanks!!!
2007-01-10 01:50:47 · 4 answers · asked by Meghan H 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
Iggies are eligable to run in lure coursing & LEGRA racing.... probalby lower risk than frisbee btu mark than agility
2007-01-10 04:22:48 · answer #1 · answered by ragapple 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You already have some good ideas.
Almost all SHs LOVE lure coursing. You don't have to do it to place if your IG isn't so fast, you can do it for fun. Most trials have practice runs after the trial the first day, and you can run in singles as well. Many clubs will also have practice runs during the week.
Get started here.
asfa.org
AKC also has lure coursing but I know little about AKC rules as I run asfa, which is much more popular than AKC. You can find info about AKC coursing at the AKC website.
I wouldn't call coursing "safe" though. They do occasionally get hurt, although not as often as you might think. You have to decide if the small risk is worth seeing the pure joy on your dogs face when they are running. The best thing to do is keep him in hard physical shape, do warm-ups/cool-downs, and learn how to stretch him out properly, before he runs. Most of the dogs that have injuries are those not in top shape.
I haven't been coursing north of the border for a couple years, but I don't think IGs can in Canada. Thats a shame, they are SHs, no matter that they were put in the toy group.
There is a local IG that was found in a DUMPSTER (can you imagine?), and he is now a GREAT courser in my area, little boy just FLIES!!!
So Miriam, being you are in Canada, do you ever go to the Hound specialty in Winnipeg in August?
2007-01-10 15:45:57 · answer #2 · answered by whpptwmn 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tracking.
Obedience
Rally-O
Does anyone do scent hurdling anymore?
Do they allow the use of mini tennis balls in flyball? Even if not, you could still let him play at it, just using the mini ball.
My basset was still competing in agility at 10.
I didn't think of lure coursing, I didn't think IGs were allowed to compete, at least not in Canada.
2007-01-10 09:56:28 · answer #3 · answered by DaBasset - BYBs kill dogs 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could try frisbee. Or you could get a smaller ball and make your own sport up just to burn his energy.
2007-01-10 10:00:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋