Racing

Renko started on June 3, 1995 on the race track. Although he was a fast starter, he could never win a race. Worse, After 4 races he went down from B-class to C-class, which is the class of the slowest Whippets in Belgium. Even there he had problems to run good races.

In Belgium, the Whippets run in 3 categories: A, B and C. Each dog starts in the B-category. After each race, the dogs get points depending on the result. Those points go from +20 to -20 depending on whether you got into the final or you were eliminated in the first round.

As soon as there are 6 dogs per sexe per category, the males and the females run separately. The system to get into the final depends on the number of dogs.

Officially there is no betting. One cannot make a living from dog racing in Belgium.

Coursing

Since it was no fun for Renko to always run several meters behind the other dogs, we decided to let him run at lure coursings. Unlike racing, coursing is organised on an uneven field. The organisers lay out a course of around 750 meters for the Whippets with several turns. Sometimes the add obstacles over which the dogs has to jump. In some rare cases they even use natural obstacles such as small rivers.

Speed is not all you need in lure coursing.Agility, determination and intelligence are equally important.

Renko did very well in lure coursing. He even became Belgian Champion in 1996.

The next few years he was always in the top 5, but usually Int. Ch. Scaramouch was too hard to beat.

Our second Whippet, Xian, started his coursing carreer in 1999, when he was 15 months old. The first year he ended 5th in the Belgian Championship. He was too young to do better. In his second year, he did very well. He was stronger and in the second run he could run better than in the first. Maybe his daily training with Ixelle had something to do with it

In lure coursing the dogs run per breed, 2 dogs at the time. The dogs receive points from at least 2 judges and at most 3 judges. They give points between 0 and 20 for each of the following topics: speed, agility, endurance, hunting style and intelligence.

Speed

The sighthound shows his speed by passing his opponent in speed (a go-bye). The speed over the complete trail is important. The dog really has to chase the lure, he has to "run low". The judges do not use a chronometer.

Hunting passion (Ardentness)

This is shown in the way the dog follows the lure, irregardable the terrain. The concentration and alertness at the start; showing no hesitation to take obstacles; the constant pressure on the lure, so that the operator has to increase the speed; the eager to chase the lure, even when the lure has some advantage. Also important are the "kill" in full speed or a "flying kill". Dogs that kill the lure, which is already taken by the opponent, will also be rewarded.

Agility

Shown by the immediate reaction on every change in direction of the lure (especially the capability to avoid or react after a turn of a lure at a pulley); the way the obstacles are taken; the way the (flying) kill is done.

Intelligence

The way the dog positions himself.

Endurance

The dog should be able to run the complete race at the same speed. it is the total of the physical and mental concentration that the dogs shows during the race.

The French system is slightly different.