T’Challa’s First ASFA Run :
What We Learned About Lure Coursing with a Doberman
When we signed up for T’Challa’s first ASFA lure coursing run, we didn’t know what to expect—only that we wanted to let him do what he loves most: chase and run.
If you’re curious about trying lure coursing with your Doberman, here’s what we learned about ASFA, how it differs from AKC, and the LCI division that makes it possible for non-sighthounds like T’Challa to join in on the fun chasing that bag!
If you click on the family selfie, it will take you to a video that shows the leads in better detail as well as the maker!
Why We Looked Beyond Fast CAT
We love AKC Fast CAT for T’Challa. It’s fun, accessible, and gives him a chance to sprint safely. But it’s over in seconds (100 yards), and we realized he doesn’t even hit his full stride before the run ends.
Don’t get me wrong, I want T’Challa to get in the top 20 or top 10 in Fast CAT because I love seeing his times improve, but the whole reason we got him into that sport was his love for running, and 100 yard dash didn’t seem to be enough to satisfy him. We wanted something that would challenge him more and allow him to chase and run longer. His current fastCAT ranking has him at 33 with an avg speed of 26.01 MPH. I think he can run faster lol! His best time so far is 7.66 seconds.
July 4th FastCAT run with the Harrisburg Shetland Sheepdog Club | Biglersville, PA
What Is ASFA Lure Coursing?
ASFA (American Sighthound Field Association) runs lure coursing trials on 600–1000+ yard fields with curves, terrain changes, and zig-zag patterns.
It was designed for sighthounds, but we learned that Dobermans can also participate through the LCI division.
(I will need to post in the future about how incredible the different breeds of sighthound are, I had no idea.)
What We Learned About the LCI Division
LCI (Lure Chasing Instinct) is ASFA’s program that allows non-sighthound breeds like Dobermans to run on the lure coursing field.
Key things we learned:
Eligibility: Open to all breeds and mixed breeds that are not eligible for regular ASFA competition.
Divisions: Dogs are split into Small (under 18” at withers) and Large (18” and over), plus there is a Singles division for individual runs. This breakdown goes further based on titles and runs.
Scoring: Dogs are scored on enthusiasm, follow, speed, agility, and endurance, similar to sighthound judging, but with LCI-specific considerations.
Enthusiasm ..................15 pts.
Follow ...........................15 pts.
Speed ...........................25 pts.
Agility ...........................25 pts.
Endurance....................20 pts.
Total ....... 100 pts.
How ASFA Differs from AKC Fast CAT
AKC Fast CAT is a 100-yard sprint in a straight line, timed for speed. It’s perfect for a quick, fun outlet but it is over so fast and I feel like it makes T sad that he can’t keep running. Regardless, it is a lot of fun and we will definitely keep going to events, but we were confident T’Challa’s drive would make him a great candidate for Lure Coursing and we had to see how to get him a chance to try it.
ASFA Lure Coursing (LCI) offers:
- 600–1000+ yard courses
- Turns and terrain challenges
- Emphasis on endurance, agility, and focus
- A chance for your Doberman to run longer, think more, and truly chase.
FYI
Sharing this specifically, because it was really difficult for me to find. AKC does not offer a division comparable to ASFA’s LCI for non-sighthounds. For Dobermans and other non-sighthound breeds, the only AKC lure chasing options are CAT (Coursing Ability Test) and Fast CAT, both of which are essentially pass/fail and not scored like ASFA events. CAT is offered by AKC in lieu of Lure Coursing for non-sighthounds, it’s typically a 300- or 600-yard course and it is “set up with safety in mind” since most dogs participating won’t have the agility a sighthound has. It’s low stakes and mostly just for fun and you can get some cool ribbons if you do it enough. If you want your Doberman to run on a real lure coursing field with scoring and titles reflecting their performance, ASFA’s LCI program is the only structured opportunity, at least that I’m aware of. Feel free to correct me on this, as I’m very new and still learning. When I was looking for Lure Coursing events on the AKC website, I realized in the premiums that it was not open to all breeds.
Also as an FYI for folks in this division, your dog won’t need to run with other dogs like some of the hounds do. This would be interesting to see though! Three dobies all after the bag!
T’Challa mid stride during his first ASFA run on Saturday July 5th
How Was The Actual Run
Freakin’ amazing!!! We went in with minimal expectations—just wanting him to do what he loves - RUN! What we found:
He loved the longer course and stayed engaged the full run. We were worried the number of turns would throw him off or that he would lose sight of the lure, but our concerns were misplaced.
The fact that the course was unpredictable for him pressed him to chase with focus and prompted him to react and adjust.
It was a different kind of tired—both physically and mentally. T’Challa was completely wiped that night! He slept so hard!!
We saw genuine joy in him getting to run at full stretch, not just in a short dash. He was so amped up to run, and it was so awesome that he got a whole giant field to safely run!
I enjoyed watching him run so much. Seeing T’Challa hit his full stride and witnessing his speed was so awesome! I’ll share some lessons learned and a few tips and tricks I learned in a separate post. This one is already too long.
The course is different each day and you run twice in a day. The second run is the reverse direction of the first run so the dogs don’t assume the movements of the lure based on the previous run. His run on Saturday was a total of 805 yards - for a total of 1,610 yards. On Sunday the run was actually more complicated and 825 yards - for a total of 1,650 yards run. He received great scores that I will share and explain in another post as well.
Should You Try ASFA Lure Coursing with Your Doberman?
If your Doberman:
🐾 Loves to chase
🐾 Needs a bigger challenge
🐾 Has strong prey drive
🐾 Enjoys running in open spaces
-Then ASFA’s LCI division is worth exploring. It’s a safe, structured, and fulfilling way to let your Doberman do what they love while building cardio fitness, mental engagement, and confidence. Plus we need another dog in T’Challa’s division lol!!!
I’d personally recommend trying this out with the Hanover Lure Coursing Club because they are the nicest people I’ve ever met, and they made us feel so welcome. I was so nervous to participate because I knew so little, and if not for them, we wouldn’t have been prepared because I just had such a tough time finding information. I signed up for the runs with my fingers crossed it would be okay for him. I’ll explain some of the dog sport lingo in another post too. I’m still learning it myself!!!
Definitely try lure coursing! Picture of T’Challa post run! LOL! He was exhausted!
SOURCES
https://www.akc.org/sports/coursing/coursing-ability-test/
https://www.asfa.org/coursing.htm
