The Rocky Mountain Hound Club is more than just great AKC Dog Shows.
We also coordinate some fun Performance Events like Fast CATs and Lure Coursing.

We all know our dogs love to run!

RMHA hosts a variety of events that exhibit the ability of our dogs to run and hunt. The sport of Lure Coursing started in the 70s when a group of people that loved to run their dogs developed a safe environment that would still exhibit the dog’s physical and functional abilities in a sport that was developed to simulate an escaping prey, called the lure which is usually a white plastic bag that we call a ‘bunny.’ While Sight Hounds can earn Championship titles at Trials, this sport has grown and more dogs have learned to love running after a lure over the last 10 years to encompass ALL breeds, including mixed breeds at AKC’s Coursing Ability Tests (CABTs), ASFA’s Lure Chasing Instinct (LCI), and even more recently, Fast Coursing Ability Tests (Fast CATs).
Want to see RMHA host more of these fantastic events? Become a member!!! The more members we have, the more workers we have that can work these great events that our doggies love!!
Safety is PARAMOUNT! One principle that is important to RMHA at ALL their events (conformation or performance) is the safety of the dogs and the people! At performance events, we are continually ensuring course design, field conditions, equipment, weather, trained personnel, and other factors are all taken into consideration to provide the maxim safety for all of us and our canine friends!

What is a Fast CAT?

Fast Coursing Ability Tests (FastCAT) is the newest adaptation of Lure Coursing, being only 5 years old, that allows canines of all breeds and even MIXED breeds (registered with AKC) to compete in this popular event! FastCATs are a timed event where the speed of the dog is calculated from their 100-yard run into their MPH. That speed can then be multiplied by a handicap that is based on the dog’s height where shorter dogs get the higher multiplier. The final number is the number of points a dog earns from its test.
By accumulating those points, dogs can earn suffix titles and can keep running and accumulating higher and higher titles! This sport has become quite competitive! AKC keeps a list of the 20 Fastest dogs by Breed on their website! Last year, AKC hosted the first AKC Fast CAT Invitational where the fasted dogs from each breed were invited to compete!
RMHA tries to host two weekends a year of Tests. These Tests are allowed to run two concurrently, so we can get two in a day, so FOUR in a weekend!
Details on Fast CATs, rankings, and Invitational can all be found on the AKC Fast CAT page.

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What is Lure Coursing?

Lure Coursing is a fantastic way to exhibit the way AKC Purebred Sighthounds can do what they were bred to do, hunt on sight! Sighthounds are scored by judges on their speed, follow, agility, endurance, and overall course which must be at least 600 yards and average 750 yards. Sighthounds can earn prefix Championship titles with can even be combined with other Championships like Conformation to become Dual Champions (DC) and for some breeds, Triple Champions! This is one sport that one dog a year can even earn a ‘National Lure Coursing Champion’ prefix title! Sighthounds have several suffix titles they can earn while continuing to run to show their progress in the sport, even above a Field Championship title!

RMHA tries to host at least two weekends a year (two Trials a weekend) to give our Sighthounds the opportunity to earn those Championships!
More detail, rules, and requirements can be found at AKC’s Lure Coursing page.

What is a Coursing Ability Test?
(CABT formally known as CATs)

Coursing Ability Tests started roughly 10 years ago. These are the first adaptation of a Sighthound Trial into something available to all breeds and mixed breeds (registered with AKC). Dogs run one at a time to earn a pass or fail for a judged event to see if the dog has that drive to chase the lure! Depending on the dog’s height and age, shorter dogs usually run 300-yard courses and taller dogs run 600-yard courses in a reasonable time.
Each passing Test earns the dog a leg towards a suffix title. Because dogs love this sport, you can continue running and earning passing legs towards higher and multiple-level suffix titles!
RMHA tries to host one day of two tests a year for CABTs.
More details can be found on the AKC CABT page!

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Where do We begin??

One of the best places to start and see if your dog has an interest in the lure is at the Zoiboyz Ranch! One of our members, Tom Golcher and his wife KC Thompson, continues to make a great contribution to our canine community by hosting a variety of practices for the coursing of all breeds and even racing for Sighthounds in Peyton, Colorado (Just east of Colorado Springs). Tom and KC breed Borzoi, their kennel name is Zoiboyz, and they won a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award in Performance’ from the Borzoi Club of America. Tom frequently posts information about his practice event on his Facebook page: Zoiboyz n Friends. Tom’s practice events played a major contribution to the development of Coursing Ability Tests and FastCATs!
One event done at the Zoyboyz Ranch is a 200-yard timed event, where FastCATs came from!
This is his Zoyboyz Annual Solo Speed challenge (ZASSC) website.