There is nothing quite like seeing a greyhound running at full tilt and it’s be described as poetry in motion. However, in order for your greyhound to maintain the required energy levels to win races, they need diets high in protein and fat.

As such it is recommended that you feed your racing greyhound a combination of raw meat, carbohydrates, and nutritional supplements. However, some sceptics maintain their position that uncooked animal protein bears a risk for sickness or death from deadly food-borne pathogens. Let’s get to the bottom of this!

Eating for Swiftness

It is recommended that dogs that aren’t racing on a particular day are fed in the late morning and the standard racing greyhound diet should be high in protein provided by raw meat – which has a higher nutritional value than cooked meat.

Some greyhounds are also fed high-quality commercial pellets, pasta, and vitamin and mineral supplements. On racing day, contenders are fed a light-protein meal and only receive their full meal post-race after they’ve cooled down. A dose of glucose in the form of wheat, brown rice, and oats should be fed an hour before starting time as the spike in blood sugar promotes speed, but it won’t last long.

How Much Raw Meat is Necessary?

Feeding your greyhound for optimal athletic performance is your ultimate goal and Australian veterinarian and animal nutrition specialist John Kohnke advises that the traditional diet should consist of 50-70% raw meat.

Don’t balk at this high number though – since only approximately 20% of the raw meat is solid, water makes up most of the remainder. Just as you would only consider the opinion of experts with regards to horse racing tips NZ, so should you take note of nutritional experts in this regard.

In the past, efforts to replace raw meat, either partially or completely, with nutritionally complete pellets have not been well-received due to the higher cost.

Addressing Safety Concerns Regarding Raw Meat

By contrast, Richard C. Hill of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville once remarked that “meat is not a balanced food and is deficient in essential vitamins and minerals”.

Hill further wrote that the lack of reliable guidelines regarding the special nutritional needs of racing greyhounds has encouraged many trainers to formulate their own recipes, based heavily on raw meat. Hill expressed concern regarding the feeding of raw meat as the food-borne pathogens that cause food poisoning in people who eat undercooked or raw meat could also poison or kill dogs.

The Dietary Position of the Racing Industry

However, despite these opposing opinions, it has been noted that racing greyhounds do not perform as effectively on a commercial diet compared to one composed partially of raw meat.

When correctly handled – meaning the meat is fresh and appropriate refrigerated – raw meat has been proven safe and effective for the feeding of racing greyhounds and racing greyhounds seldom succumb to food-borne diseases.

Beef, lamb, mutton, chicken are the main ingredients in a racing greyhound’s diet and raw eggs and milk can also be included. Combined these protein sources provide the necessary amino acids, vitamins, and minerals necessary for peak racing performance and health.

Other Nutritional Requirements

Besides protein, a racing greyhound’s diet requires water, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, and grain foods should be well-cooked, well-soaked, and fed soft.

However, achieving the optimum balance of supplements is a delicate process as administering too much can lead to hypervitaminosis which is just as devastating to a dog’s health and performance.

Now that you’ve adopted a retired racing greyhound, you will have to help him or her become more comfortable in the new environment and training can ease the transition substantially.

Greyhounds are highly intelligent creatures and with a little bit of effort, you will build a lasting and rewarding relationship.

1. Learn to Speak Greyhound

Firstly, take the time needed to figure out how retired racers think and how they respond to the world around them.

The more you understand about the greyhound breed and how his/her previous life will affect present behaviour, the better you will become at interpreting what he/she is trying to tell you.

2. Greyhounds are Highly Intelligent

Your greyhound will learn whether you’re actively teaching him/her or not as learning will happen every moment that your retired greyhound is awake. Your greyhound will learn from every experience so try and take advantage of this fact.

3. Build a Strong, Trusting Relationship

Training isn’t just about commands and obedience, but is really about building a strong relationship with good communication.

It’s imperative that you train your greyhound early and often in order to strengthen the relationship and open the lines of communication.

4. Manage the Environment Well

It’s important that you manage your greyhound’s world while he/she is learning a new set of behaviours. Use gates and leashes to keep him out of trouble and be sure to keep appealing but forbidden items out of reach or entirely out of sight.

Reward good behaviour and use environmental management to prevent behaviours you don’t want.

5. Use Positive Reinforcement

It’s easy to focus finding mistakes and correcting them, but many of us won’t even notice our greyhound quietly chewing a toy as opposed to a slipper while we enjoy real money pokies.

Be sure to let him/her know when they’re doing something wrong, but rather pay close attention so you can reinforce positive behaviours with rewards instead.

6. Be Patient

Don’t be fooled by celebrity trainers – there are unfortunately no 10 minute cures for dogs with problem behaviours.

You have to be committed to training your retired racer and if he/she is doing something wrong it’s because your training is falling short. Be patient and committed.

7. Make Training Fun

Your retired racer has plenty of ingrained, natural behaviours and you should draw from these in order to make training fun.

Find ways of incorporating their love for running, chasing, and his response to prey-like noises. Act silly and watch your dog become more interested in you than anything else around them.

8. Keep Training Simple

It’s important that you break down behaviours into smaller pieces – if your greyhound is not doing it right, chances are you’re moving on too quickly or trying to teach too much all at once.

Keep it training simple and teach each piece separately.

9. Keep Training Short

Greyhounds get bored easily and after 3-4 repetitions of the same exercise, you’ll see their attention start to wonder. If he/she is doing something correctly, repeat it just once or twice and move onto the next exercise. If he/she isn’t ‘getting it’, move onto a simpler exercise and circle back at a later stage.

10. Keep Training Sweet

Negative corrections or ‘punishments’ have no place in the training of your retired racer and being a bully will not build the trust required for a successful relationship.

Rewards – and plenty of them – are incredibly important to the success of a retired racer. Happy training!

We’ve seen them in film, on the track, in stories, and in history books. We’ve heard about their incredible speed and stamina on the track, their love of hunting with our ancestors, and how they make fantastic pets at home. The Greyhound is one of the world’s most popular dogs, and as their day on the racecourse comes to a close in many countries, that doesn’t mean that they will stop being wonderful companions.

Like with any dog breed, Greyhounds need a certain amount of love and attention, and like any breed, they have their share of health problems. The Greyhound tends to be an overall healthy dog, and doesn’t suffer from many of the genetic problems that many other breeds are born with.

Looking after your new Greyhound, whether it’s an older dog or a new puppy is generally quite easy, but there are some concerns that you will always need to keep in the back of your head, especially as they become older.

Adopting An Ex Racer

Many countries around the planet are putting an end to Greyhound racing as a whole. It has lost its popularity with the crowds, and many believe that the sport is cruel to the dogs. This also means that are more ex-racer hounds up for adoption than ever before, and because their previous racing life was quite physically-intensive, they may have suffered some injuries.

It’s not that different from adopting an ex-racing horse, and if you’re clued up with your horse racing tips, you’ll know what to look out for in your animal. Some of the more prevalent conditions that will affect an older race dog include protozoan disease, Lyme disease, worms, dental problems, osteoarthritis, and intervertebral disk disease. Almost all of these conditions warrant a trip to the vet, and while some of them are lifelong for the animal, their symptoms can be lessened to a degree.

Common Greyhound Ailments

As a breed, the Greyhound does have a predilection to some problems. One of these is cancer; specifically bone cancer, which is very common in many greyhounds. This is a serious disease that can quickly kill a dog, so it’s important that they have regular check-ups at the vet.

Some of the symptoms include an extreme increase in hunger, the dog losing lots of weight, and lameness in one or more of the legs. This requires a trip to the vet as soon as possible, where they will issue a bone biopsy to check if the animal has developed any bone cancer.

Another common problem is a gastrointestinal syndrome, most commonly referred to as bloat. This is almost always an emergency, and getting your hound to a vet is extremely important, as otherwise it can kill the dog in a matter of hours. Symptoms include not eating, not drinking, pacing around as if in pain, and wincing if you attempt to touch the dog.

Greyhounds – Faithful Companions

Despite some of the issues these dogs may suffer over their lifetimes, they are sweet, energetic, loving companions who deserve a home as much as the next dog, especially the ones that spent most of their life being on the racetrack.

Whether you’re planning on breeding your own greyhounds or are looking into the history of a particular greyhound you are interested in purchasing, knowing how to breed these dogs is essential.

So if you are really interested in breeding greyhounds and are looking for a great animal to breed, take a break from your online bingo Canada time and knuckle down for some hard work with Grey hound breeding.

So let’s start with the basics of greyhound breeding:

The Breeding pair

The breeding pair’s lineage is very important and greatly affects the pups that will be sired. So do a lot of thorough research before breeding to another dog. The breeding pool of greyhounds is  one of the largest for purebred dogs in the world, this keeps the dogs healthy and free from any genetic disorders that could arise from inbreeding too much.

There are few things to consider when selecting a breeding pair

• Outcome – what exactly do you want out of the new puppies? Do you want more agility, more speed, and better coordination? Once you know what your outcome should be, finding a suitable match of breeding pair can be tricky but is done.
• Female – selecting a female who has bred before can be quick way to see what possible outcomes your litter may have. Also look into her pedigree and traits to see if they suit your needs
• Male – once you have chosen the female, and know her good and bad traits, you then select a male to compliment or “correct” the defecates in the female.

Work and sacrifices

If you are a new breeder you will quickly learn the amount of work and dedication it takes to consistently breed and rear great greyhounds.

You will spend a lot of time with your greyhounds, and get to know them and their delicate needs well. So be prepared to work for those winning puppies.

Costs

The costs involved can be a bit of a shock in the beginning, but if you succeed in setting up a great breeding kennel with good bloodlines, you could earn from your male stud fees. Do not try an be cheap when breeding greyhounds, as this will lead to bad results and lack of registration as a pure bred.

Costs to remember:

• Starting out stud fee
• Starting female cost
• Food
• Housing
• Vet bills (deworming, vaccines, surgeries etc)
• Trainer fee

Pets

If you are not planning on breeding your greyhounds for racing, then do consider them for breeding as pets. Greyhounds have a long history as companions to people, and make great pets for people homes.

Also consider rehoming retired greyhounds to ensure that these racers get a great retirement after their track days are over.

If all else fails or perhaps you feel a bit overwhelmed by the information out there – hire a professional. A breeding program does not happen overnight, so consulting a professional breeder or working with one could greatly assist your own breeding efforts.

Greyhounds make great pets, but knowing this breed’s traits and understanding a former racer’s background is vital when deciding whether one would be the right choice as a pet for you or not.

Being a Pet is a Totally New Experience

As punters who enjoy the races that bookmakers providing sports betting in Australia and around the rest of the world will well know, the race track is part and parcel of a greyhound’s life from the day it is born.

Thanks to these dogs living the extremely sheltered and regimented lives they do, becoming pets is almost like being reborn for them. Even though the majority of former racers are over two-years old when they retire from the track, they will, for the most part, not have been exposed to the daily sights and sounds common to our familiar homes and surroundings.

Stay Patient as They Find Their Way

Rides in cars, dog toys, TVs, children, stairs, the smells wafting from kitchens, noises from the street, and almost everything that you and I consider to be normal aspects of daily life will be totally strange to greyhounds who were once racers.

They will be curious, dumbstruck, and possibly even a little frightened of all of these, so make sure you take your time with them. They will need to adjust to their new surroundings, and each one will do so at a different pace.

Greyhounds are Wonderful Companions

Greyhounds enjoy being with both people and other dogs, and, thanks to the fact that they will have spent their whole lives with their racing counterparts, they are usually very easily able to adapt to other dogs living with you.

Most greyhounds will also have no trouble getting along with your cats and kids, too.

These dogs are docile and very tolerant, but will best suit quiet, gentle children who are not given to overly boisterous play.

Be aware that even the calmest dog may snap at a child who is hitting, pinching, poking, or hurting it, and make sure that any kids that will be interacting with your dogs are aware of how the dogs should be treated.

An Easy Dog for People to Keep

Greyhounds do not require high levels of maintenance, either. Their skins are slightly oily, so a few baths a year is recommended, unless of course your greyhound is fond of playing in the mud!

Make use of a grooming mitt a couple of times a week to keep its coat in good condition, and clipping its nails monthly as well as ensuring that its ears are kept clean is also required.

Your greyhound will not need to be housebroken, since they have been trained from a young age to do their business outside their kennels, and so keep them clean. You may need to walk them more frequently at first, but they will very quickly learn that their new homes have the same rules in place as their kennels once did, and they will go outside to relieve themselves from the get-go.

Dog lovers know that there is a great variety and number of different breeds, and each has its own singular history, distinctive personality traits, and unique physical characteristics.

Dog lovers who also enjoy online Crash games, however, will have particular interest in the greyhound. This breed has a number of surprising and uncommon attributes, all of which make them the perfect fit for the sport itself, and also a great option as a pet.

1. Greyhounds are a Breed Springing from Ancient Egypt 

There are not many dog breeds that can trace their histories as far back as the greyhound: 3000 BC, to be exact. Sculptures in stone relief, statues, and paintings often depict these slender canines with their pointed ears and faces.

Greyhounds were linked to Anubis, the jackal god. As domesticated pets, they were frequently buried with the same solemn pageantry that their owners would one day receive, and it was believed that they spent the afterlife in the Field of Reeds, thereby living forever.

2. Greyhounds are the Fastest Dog Breed in the World 

From the earliest accounts that we have of these dogs, they were known for their incredible speed.

When clocked against other dogs, greyhounds will almost always come out on top, thanks to their runs hitting 45 mi/72 km per hour.

Greyhounds were designed for speed: their long legs, smooth coats, and streamlined forms combine with a lean and lightweight build in order to get them to the finish line that much faster.

3. The 40 mph Couch Potato 

As fast as these dogs are, when not engaged in racing activities they are very likely to lounge as much as the next lazy guy.

They are definitely not dogs that are overactive, and enjoy relaxing and resting quietly. 

4. You Had to be a Noble to Own One 

Back in the Middle Ages, greyhounds apparently almost became extinct, but the clergy is said to have been instrumental in the preservation of the breed.

These dogs were made mention of in England’s Canute Laws, in around the year 1014, and only the aristocracy were allowed to have them as pets. Additionally, anyone responsible for the death of one of these dogs was executed!

5. The Greyhound is Diana’s Dog 

Diana, the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and nature, according to Roman mythology, is often pictured with a greyhound. They ostensibly provided her with both companionship and protection on her journeys.

6. The Bible Mentions Greyhounds 

The greyhound is referenced in the Bible, although, depending on which scripture version of this book you are checking, the dog is sometimes substituted for a strutting rooster. They come up in Proverbs 30:29-31:

There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going: a lion which is strongest among beasts and turneth not away for any, a greyhound; and the goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.

7. They are Awkward When Sitting 

Of course greyhounds are able to sit, but the structure of their muscles makes it difficult for them to appear comfortable doing so.

It is possible to train your greyhound to sit in a proper fashion, especially if you start the training early on, but be aware that it is an endeavour that he may well balk at. Most greyhounds prefer lying down or standing to sitting.