The Trickster Shibes

Chase Origins

I bought Loki a lure pole–also commonly called a flirt pole–back when he was about one year old. I thought it would be a fun way to expend his energy on days where we were stuck inside due to extreme weather. He played with it just a few times before developing a phobia of it (he was going through a series of short-lived phobias at the time: gravel roads and the sound of the shower running were others). So we put it away in a closet and mostly forgot about it for the next year.

Fast forward to Raven. We brought home our little Energizer Bunny in the midst of winter in the midst of a pandemic. After one too many days of being cooped up inside due to temperatures in the minus thirties, we dug out the lure pole and took it to the basement in an attempt to stave off her demonic puppy energy. And it worked. She took to it immediately with an enthusiasm that Loki had never shown. She loved it so much that we could hardly get her to stop; she never seemed to tire of it. My husband warned me repeatedly to ration her time with it and not give into her desire to chase it every day, lest we create an athlete.

I can safely say we failed in that department.

Chasing the lure pole quickly became her favorite activity. We couldn’t walk past the basement door without her getting excited. When the weather warmed up and the snow melted, we took it outside and she impressed us with her speed, agility, and endless endurance.

Raven loves to chase like many dogs do, but what struck us was her intensity. I’ve never had a dog as laser-focused as she is. Like a parent with a child who shows prodigious talent in an area, I started thinking about ways to nurture that. I had seen cartoons of greyhounds chasing a plastic bunny around a track and thought, wouldn’t it be cool if we could do something like that?

Finding a Club

I started to look into it. I had no idea if such a thing existed where we live, if she’d be able to compete, or how it worked. Google searches yielded little insight but finally, after I’d put out feelers on social media, someone messaged to tell me about a running club local to our area.

For a year, I lurked on their Facebook page. I learned that only sighthounds can participate in actual lure coursing (sighthounds are dogs that hunt by sight and speed as opposed to scent and endurance and include such breeds as Saluki, Borzoi, Irish Wolfhounds, Greyhounds, Whippets and more. You can find a more comprehensive list here). But the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) has devised knock-off events that all breeds can participate in: Chase Ability and Sprinters which I will discuss more later in this article.

In spring 2023, I seized the opportunity to take Raven out to a club practice. We drove 45 minutes outside of the city to a seemingly random field where the events are hosted. I had no idea what to expect. I wasn’t sure if Raven would chase a plastic lure (the pole we use at home has a fuzzy toy at the end) and if she’d chase it when presented with the alternative of wide open country fields. Although I am fairly confident in her recall, I had never presented her with such a big test. Dogs also have to run almost “naked” around the lure to minimize risk of getting caught on the motorized line. Flat collars are okay, but no harnesses or tags.

I need not have worried though. My doubts rapidly dissipated upon introducing her to a practice lure pole they had on site. It was evident she wasn’t going anywhere but where the lure was, plastic or not.

On that practice day, she got to try a couple runs chasing after the lure on the motorized line. She did exactly what I hoped she’d do—pursued the lure with utmost concentration. It’s something else to see that drive take over and propel her down the length of the field. At the end of the line, when the lure stops, she stays on it and waits for it to move again. This girl is well and truly in it for the thrill of the chase. It’s a joy to watch.

Attending the practice gave us the confidence we needed to register for events and so we eagerly started signing up for everything we could. And well, it’s been a crash course of learning since then!

Chase Ability

Raven participated in her first event in June 2023. Chase Ability is a pass/fail event where dogs chase a lure on a 600m course (or 300m for brachycephalic breeds or dogs shorter than 14 inches). The field may or may not be fenced depending on the club (the event we attended was unfenced) so good recall is essential. Dogs are awarded a pass if they complete the course uninterrupted and with enthusiasm. You can learn more about this Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) sanctioned sport here.

Dogs do need an official registration number of some sort to participate:

• CKC registration
• Performance Event Number (PEN)
• Event Registration Number (ERN)
• Miscellaneous Certificate Number (MCN)
• Canine Companion Number (CCN)

Find out which number you need and how to register your dog in CKC events here.

I’ll be honest, 600m is an intimidating distance to cover, especially for a Shiba with little legs. But Raven crushed it and easily scored passes on all four of her runs to take home her first Chase Ability (CA) title.

Titles are acknowledgements awarded to dogs for competing in different sports. They typically earn them a fancy ribbon and an acronym for the end of their registered name. For example, at the time of writing this article, Raven is Barrett’s Naoki Raven CA NS NTD ITD ATD ETD. Makes her look quite accomplished, doesn’t it? For breeders and clubs, this reflects well on their operation. For us, it’s mostly bragging rights.

In Chase Ability, you can earn the following titles:

• Chase Ability (CA) – three passes under two different judges
• Chase Ability Excellent (CAX) – CA + seven additional passes
• Chase Ability Excellent 2 (CAX 2) – CAX + ten additional passes
• For every further 10 passes, the dog may add a higher number after CAX. For example, CAX 3 would be a dog with thirty overall passes.

Sprinters

Raven attended her first Sprinters event in July 2023. (Sprinters is the Canadian equivalent of Fast CAT in the USA). It seems to be more popular than Chase Ability and my guess would be because it is slightly less demanding: dogs run shorter distances, they can do a timed recall instead of chasing the lure, and it is more likely to have some sort of fencing (though this is not guaranteed) making it safer for the recall challenged. Dogs do need a registration number for this event as well.

In Sprinters, dogs run 100m at a time and get points based on how fast they are. Read more about this event on the CKC website here. Dogs get a handicap based on their height. The formula to calculate points is

Points = KPH (kilometres per hour) x handicap

Handicaps are assigned as follows:

• Below 12 inches = 2.0 handicap
• Between 12 inches and 18 inches = 1.5 handicap
• Over 18 inches = 1.25 handicap

Sprinters is also considered a team sport; you need someone to release your dog at the start of the track and a second person to catch them at the end. It is usually recommended that the person at the end be the one more familiar with the dog (as you want to encourage them to run towards you). In Sprinters, dogs don’t have to chase the lure. They can also run the track in response to a verbal recall or even using a toy as incentive.

Raven is 16 inches tall (she is tall for a female Shiba) so she gets a handicap of 1.5 on her runs. She surprised us in her first event by winning Fastest Dog in Handicap (in the 12 to 18 inches category) on both of her qualifying runs. We knew she was speedy but we didn’t know how much so! A cool thing about Sprinters is you get to find out how fast your dog can run overall. Raven’s highest clocked speed so far is 38km/hour.

Needless to say, Raven took to Sprinters like she was born for it. She is remarkably consistent, bringing in 56-57 points on every run. We were so proud that she titled on only three runs, earning her Novice Sprinter (NS) title. We expect she will attain her Sprinter (S) title this summer as well as she is less than 50 points off after her last event.

In Sprinters, the following titles are possible:

• Novice Sprinter (NS) – 150 points
• Sprinters (S) – 500 points
• Advanced Sprinter (AS) – 1000 points
• Sprinter Excellent (SX) – 1500 points
• For every additional 500 points, the dog may add a number after SX. For example, SX2 would be a dog with 2000 overall points.

Looking Ahead

Given how much Raven enjoys it, I think that attending these events will be a regular occurrence in our future. I would love to get Ivy’s confidence to a point where she is able to participate as well, as she also shows proclivity for chasing the lure, but time will tell. I don’t think this will be Loki’s sport. While Loki has a high prey drive, he doesn’t have the same level of concentration, interest, or recall as the girls.

Interested in getting involved?

Here are some things I would suggest to get started!

• Purchase a flirt pole and practice with it. You can find the one we use in our Amazon storefront (we do earn a small kickback on purchases).
• Play chase games with your dog to increase their drive. Note: we do not recommend using a laser pointer as this can cause Laser Pointer Syndrome.
• Find a local club to get involved with.
• Look for upcoming events on www.dogshow.ca
• Get your dog a registration number (as per the article above)
• Practice a solid recall.

We are very much still learning and newbies to this sport, but we’re happy to answer any questions as best we can. You can also find videos of the events on our Instagram under our Lure Work highlight. Running has brought Raven, and by extension us, so much joy. We want to encourage you to find the thing your dog loves and make the most of it too!