That’s a great question, and we completely understand wanting to know exactly what your pup is interacting with.
First, it’s important to note that lure coursing is a high-intensity activity. It is not appropriate for growing puppies or senior dogs past their prime, and should only be used with healthy dogs who are physically ready for this type of exercise.
Manufacturing & assembly
We manufacture our lure coursing equipment ourselves and assemble all SwiftPaws home lure kits in Melbourne, Florida (USA). Safety is something we take very seriously, both in material selection and in how the systems are designed to be used.
Materials & dog contact
- The only part of the system intended to come into contact with your dog’s mouth is the lure flag.
- Our lure flags are made from maize flour and printed with infant-safe ink. They are non-toxic, compostable, and safe even if a small piece is accidentally swallowed (though they are not meant to be consumed).
- Because they’re compostable, you don’t need to worry about picking up every small piece if a flag gets torn during play.
Equipment materials All SwiftPaws outdoor lure kits are made using high-quality, impact-safe plastics.
- The line used is #18 braided nylon mason line, which is the only line recommended for use with our equipment.
- The drive and pulleys are not designed to be chewed and should never be left accessible to a dog without supervision.
Supervised use & storage
SwiftPaws systems are active play and training equipment, not toys. Kits are designed to be set up for use, taken down afterward, and stored securely.
- Electronic components (the drive and optional remote) should be stored indoors and out of reach of your dog when not in use.
- Dogs should never have unsupervised access to the equipment.
Built-in safety features
Our home lure systems include multiple programmed safety features:
- The line moves fast enough that prolonged contact could cause friction, so the system is programmed to automatically stall if anything interferes with the line.
- Brief contact (such as a dog brushing the line while running) is not enough to cause injury and will not stop the system.
- If a dog steps on the line, the drive will stall immediately and resume only once the obstruction clears.
- If the stall is prolonged, the system will stop completely and will not respond to controller input until the issue clears and the drive resets.
- A play timer stops the system every 90 seconds to remind handlers to give their dog a break to rest, hydrate, and recover.
When used as intended — with appropriate dogs, supervision, and proper setup and storage — SwiftPaws systems are designed to provide safe, engaging, and controlled high-intensity exercise.
Be sure to get your veterinarian's advice to determine whether a SwiftPaws system is appropriate for your dog based on age, size, and activity level. There is also information in the help center specific to eachkit: Chase, Home Original, and Home Plus including walk-through start up tutorials with videos that you can access to determine whether this is a good fit for you. Just find the kit you're interested in and browse the articles related to it.