Intro to Performance Activities

Here's a performance event you don't see often!

There are a variety of performance activities that you and your Borzoi can participate in. All of these are "hobby" activities - what you'll get is titles on your dog, and ribbons for you, and most importantly a whole lot of fun! That's the whole point of these activities, having fun with your dog. And if your dog doesn't like one, try something else - you're bound to find something that interests him, and it will become the way you and your dog spend lots of time together.

Most dogs will naturally participate in these events, because they're built around his natural desire to chase. So don't worry about whether your dog will be the fastest, the smartest, or will even play the game - just get out there and have some fun! Most of these activities will be done with all Sighthound breeds (Greyhounds, Salukis, Borzoi, Whippets, etc) at an event, though only like breeds will typically run against each other in a racing or coursing event.

Getting Started

It's easy to get started with any of these events. You need a few things:

  1. A dog: The bare minimum to get started at most of these events is that your dog to be registered (with the performance club and/or with AKC) and at least a year old. Altered dogs may participate in these events. Prior to a year of age, some of the clubs will allow practice sessions - check with your local clubs to see if that's on their agenda. Many folks will attend with several dogs, though it can get pretty busy juggling things around. Don't worry about training when you're first getting started, just bring your dog out. Read my conditioning article if your dog is a real couch potato. Of course basic socialization and recall are always important, as there will be many dogs participating together, often in large (potentially un-fenced) fields.
  2. An activity: You'll need to pick a performance activity or two, the popular ones are listed on the next page. Many folks will enter their dogs in several different ones; they're quite similar and the dogs seem to do fine with multiple events. If you're just getting started, you'll probably select an activity based on the clubs that are closest to you, but many folks travel hundreds of miles to attend events.
  3. A club: Clubs exist all over the country that host various performance events, and of course it'll be critical to find a club or two your area. Most clubs will run multiple sports, so being involved with one club can often get you participating in multiple sports. But there's nothing wrong with hooking up with a couple different clubs so you can attend more events.
  4. The gear: Each sport will vary just a bit, but essentially you'll need a set of jackets (yellow/pink/blue for coursing, red/blue/green/white with numbers for racing), a muzzle for racing and a slip lead for releasing your dog. You could probably borrow all of this from a fellow competitor at any event, if you're just getting started.

NEXT -> The Activities