News and updates

The updated Dogs Australia Lure Coursing Rule Book, incorporating all changes approved by the Dogs Australia Board, is now available on the Dogs Australia website here.

We encourage everyone to read through the new document, take some time to digest the changes. We have provided some answers below to what some common questions may be:

If you run your dog in Coursing Ability (Non-Sighthound)

Coursing Ability has been renamed Lure Pursuit!

The key changes are listed below:

• The name has changed, but all existing title requirements remain the same.
• A new Champion title becomes available from 1 January 2026 (see section 7.2e in the rules).
• Affiliates may now choose to set courses 500m or longer for Lure Pursuit. Your maximum course length hasn’t changed.

If you run a dog in the Sighthound stream

• Judges now have additional guidance on how to assess runs.
• No changes have been made to your titles or classes.
• Reminder: From 1 January 2026, dogs competing in Open and Field Champion must be muzzled under the rules introduced in the 2025 revision.

Judges – what’s new for you?

• Please review the revised Section 10.4 covering judging requirements.
• Lure Pursuit dogs are not expected to course to be scored in the 5 scoring categories. Scoring categories for Lure Pursuit are to be interpreted using the plain English meaning of the categories
• All Sighthounds must course to be scored using the existing 5 scoring categories and, if required, judging guidance may be sought from the “FCI International Guidelines for Lure Coursing Judges”
• Scoring and title requirements remain the same, except for the addition of the new Lure Pursuit Champion title.
• Judges and other DOGS NSW Lure Coursing Competition Officials are invited to the face-to-face education session on 1 Feb 2026

Event Secretaries – key updates:

• Both qualification certificates have been updated and will be available prior to the commencement of the NSW 2026 season.
• The new Lure Pursuit Champion title is not a class.
• Dogs who have earned this title will compete in the Lure Pursuit Masters Class.
• All documents on the DOGS NSW website will be updated to reflect the changes prior to the commencement of the 2026 season
• Affiliates may still choose to conduct Lure Pursuit and Lure Coursing Events on the same day, or they may elect to conduct either stream events
• Affiliates do not have to set a 500m course for Lure Pursuit, the reduced course length is optional, affiliates may opt to set a course length up to the existing 1000m maximum

The DOGS NSW Lure Coursing Competitions Working Party hope to conduct an online Q & A session for competitors prior to Christmas (date to be advised)

Judges and other DOGS NSW Lure Coursing Competition Officials are invited to the face-to- face pre-season education session on 1 Feb 2026 (notice already provided)

Your patience is appreciated as we work through the various documents and information that are required to reflect the changes.

If you have further questions after reading the rule book, feel free to reach out [email protected]

A Q&A session will be held to discuss the changes to the:

RULES FOR THE CONDUCT OF LURE COURSING COMPETITIONS (Encompassing Lure Coursing Sanctioned Events and Lure Pursuit Sanctioned Events)

Effective from 1^st January 2026

The session will be held at 7pm, Monday 15 December via the zoom link provided.

The intent of the session is to discuss the practical application of the new rules.

Topic: DOGS NSW - Lure Coursing Competitions Participants - 2026 Rules Q&A Session
Time: Dec 15, 2025 07:00 PM Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83722626447?pwd=bnrRruDXygzlPCEaUb64IeBuBxjktG.1
Meeting ID: 837 2262 6447
Passcode: 041399

Regards,
Jacki Winders
DOGS NSW Lure Coursing Competitions Representative