AKC Breed Standard  Lure Coursing for Sight hounds

Skull - long and lean, fairly wide between the ears.  
Muzzle - long and powerful.  Nose entirely black.
Teeth - upper jaw should fit closely over teeth of lower jaw creating a scissors bite. Teeth should be white and strong.
Ears - Rose ears, small, fine in texture; thrown back and folded along neck. Erect ears should be severely penalized. 

Neck, Topline, Body

Neck long, and muscular, well arched with no suggestion of throatiness, widening into the top of the shoulder. The back is broad, firm and muscled, having length over the loin. The back line runs from the withers with a natural arch, not too accentuated, beginning over the loin and carrying through over the croup; the arch is continuous without flatness.  Brisket very deep, reaching as nearly as possible to the point of the elbow.  The tail long and tapering, reaching to the hipbone when drawn through between the hind legs. 

Forequarters

Shoulder blade long, well laid back, with flat muscles, allowing for moderate space between shoulder blades at peak of withers. Upper arm of equal length, placed so that the elbow falls directly under the withers.  The points of the elbows should point neither in nor out, but straight back.  Forelegs straight, giving appearance of strength and substance of bone. Pasterns strong, slightly bent.  Both front and rear feet must be well formed with thick pads.  Toes long, close and well arched with strong nails. 

Hindquarters

The thighs are broad and muscular, stifles well bent; muscles are long and flat and carry well down toward the hock. The hocks are well let down and close to the ground. 

Coat

Short, close, smooth and firm in texture. Any other coat shall be a disqualification. 

Color

Whippets come in a array of colors and markings.

Gait

Low, free moving and smooth, with reach in the forequarters and strong drive in the hindquarters. Forelegs thrown well forward low over the ground.

Temperament

Excellent couch companion, friendly, gentle, but capable of great intensity during sport racing at speeds of up to 35 MPH. 

DISQUALIFICATIONS

More than one-half inch above or below stated height limits.
Blue or wall eyes.
Undershot, overshot one-quarter inch or more.
Any coat other than short, close, smooth and firm in texture.

Lure Coursing for the "sighthound" : Purely a Sport (Not Gambling)

If you own a sighthound you may be interested in Lure Coursing, in which the dogs follow an artificial lure (white kitchen bag, tanned rabbit skin or faked fur) around a course on an open field. Coursing dogs are scored on speed, enthusiasm, agility, endurance, and their ability to follow the lure.   Lure coursing is a humane, modern sport based upon  live game (rabbit or hare) coursing, or the pursuit of game by dogs that hunt by sight rather than scent. Coursing is a great way to keep your hound physically and mentally fit. Dogs must be at least one year old to run at an AKC-approved event. Spayed and neutered hounds are welcome at lure trials, but Whippets are inspected for breed disqualifying faults.

Eligible Breeds: 

Whippets, Basenjis, Greyhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Afghan Hounds, Borzois, Ibizan Hounds, Pharaoh Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds, Scottish Deerhounds, Salukis and Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

For further information follow the resources below

ASFA Home Page AKC Lure Coursing Page. American Whippet Club  
Coat Color Genetics in Whippets 

Main	Alakay's Thunder Chaser	Thunders Black Lightning
Past Puppies	Questionnaire	E-Mail Here

Questions, comments or concerns may be directed to

Thunder Valley Walkers ©1998 ~ All Rights Reserved.  Any reproduction of images is strictly prohibited.  Web Design,  Graphic Arts created and maintained by Designs by Thunder Valley©
Best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher.