performance – The Greyhounds' Yarn

March 23, 2017March 26, 2017

Greyhound Anatomy: Feet

If I were asked what is the most important physical attribute of a Greyhound, without a pause my answer would be feet.

Often times we take our feet for granted forgetting that they support and balance us throughout the day. Feet are essential, just about every action we do involves our feet. One of the most important features of a Greyhound is their ability to run. So it would make sense that a Greyhound must have good feet to run through terrain after a hare or chase a mechanical lure on a sand track. Greyhounds need an exceptional base for them to perform at their best.

If you have ever studied a dog foot, it is complex structurally. There are multiple small bones that make up the carpus (wrist), foot, and toes of the Greyhound. All of these tiny bones have a purpose and even a small fracture can cause issues. In addition to the multiple bones in the Greyhound’s foot there are also ligaments that attach bone to bone and tendons that attach the Greyhound’s muscle to bone. And remember the feet need to be well innervated with nerves, sending and delivering messages between the brain and foot. It is essential that the Greyhound have excellent proprioception or know where its feet are and how to move its feet to achieve a task.

I believe that some dogs are born with superior feet. When considering breeding Greyhounds you have to weight out the pros and cons of both parents. I am sure feet are considered as a toe or wrist injury can put a dog out of work for weeks to months. I grew up in Appalachia and one old wives tale was that a double dew clawed (dew claws on both the front and back feet) dog was a lucky dog. Dog people have always paid attention to dog’s feet.

I want to talk about a common injury that many Greyhound owners may encounter—a dislocated toe. A dislocated toe or luxation of the proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP) or distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) joint occurs when the ligaments that hold either the PIP or DIP joints together can no longer tolerate the external stress on the joint and they give out. Generally speaking the joint will dislocate dorsally or upward. Oftentimes the joint will pop out of place and the ligaments still having integrity, will pull the luxated portion of the toe back into place. The toe will appear very swollen and sometimes will have a knife like cut where the luxation caused a break in the skin. However, the ligaments can completely lose their integrity and the joint will be displaced. Generally the Greyhound will be lame and you will be able to see the displaced toe. Often times the joint can be reset but this can be painful—I highly recommend against doing this on your own the first time unless you have experience resetting joints. In most cases with either presentation, the likelihood of the luxation recurring is high.

In addition to recurrence being high, successful treatment can be difficult to achieve as well. A trip to the vet is indicated to get an x-ray and make sure there is not a small fracture. For most pet owners the toe can be set and splinted for a week then rested for 2-4 weeks. Then pray the next time your Greyhound runs that the toe will stay in place!

Often times performance Greyhound owners will opt for intervention. Evidence for these types of procedures is variable. But certain orthopedic vets will complete the procedure and they can be very successful. Jethro severely dislocated his toe in March 2014, had stabilization with suture material in March 2014, and he continued amateur-running sports until December 2015 without any toe issues. If you were going to proceed with an intervention the vet would place a suture material or sclerotic material in the affected area to stabilize the joint then hope that the Greyhound’s inflammatory response will create arthritic changes to further stabilize the joint. If this fails amputation would be a reasonable next choice, especially for a non-weight bearing toe.

On the subject of amputation, I am not a fan or removing parts of the body that are not causing issues; however, as soon as trouble strikes and reasonable treatments have failed, remove the problem. Dogs don’t care about how many toes they have but they do care about pain!

There are also plenty of alternative methods to try in these cases. I am a believer in acupuncture, turmeric, and fatty acids (Omega QD). Some people really like a cold laser as well. I have used the cold laser many times and I feel that it does not hurt but I have not seen as much improvement with cold laser as other alternative treatments.

Greyhound feet are vital to our dog’s daily doings. Understanding the foot and where possible issues could arise is important so that you will be better prepared when an accident strikes.

March 16, 2017March 15, 2017

The Perfect Pair

After writing my post, Yes, I Own a Racing Greyhound and No She Isn’t a Rescue, I was delighted by the support from readers and that so many readers related to my experience. This post engaged a lot of people and a lot of comments. The comments I received were very positive. However, in many of the negative comments there continued to be a theme, using old information to justify the anti-racing agenda and the idea that Greyhounds are “rescued” from inevitable death.

I have been a part of the Greyhound world for four years and the dog world since birth. My Greyhound learning curve has been steep. You could say that I am obsessed with expanding my Greyhound knowledge, if I am not out photographing my Greyhounds in a beautiful field, I am learning more about the breed and why performance is so important.

I entered the Greyhound world at a very good time. The racing industry and adoption charities had created a successful relationship with the welfare of the racing Greyhound at the forefront. It was not an easy journey and took a lot of hard work from both parties.

In the late 1980’s Greyhound racing was the sixth most popular sport in America. There were multiple tracks throughout the country and there was high demand for racing Greyhounds. Greyhound breeders were breeding and whelping to fill the demand for racing Greyhounds.

With the increase in supply of Greyhounds, there was always a newer faster dog in the wings. Unfortunately these racing kennels could not house excess Greyhounds. This was a huge issue. Greyhound adoption was catching on in the mid-1980’s but there were some obstacles. Many people opposed Greyhound adoption stating that these dogs were vicious, trained to kill, and should not be rehomed as pets. The racing industry and the adoption charities developed a symbiotic relationship, hosting meet and greets at tracks and encouraging the publicity of unmuzzled Greyhounds interacting with people. Adoption groups continued to sprout up throughout the country re-homing racing Greyhounds.

In the meantime, The AR lobbyists were trying their best to end Greyhound racing by 2000. The racing industry continued breeding Greyhounds to the performance standard, albeit fewer Greyhounds per year. But there was a big change, no longer were trainers having to search desperately to place retired racing Greyhounds. The racing Greyhound had an abundance of people wanting them in retirement. The improved publicity and relationship between the racing industry and adoption charities increased the adoption rate of retired racing Greyhounds to 90%.

Due to the work of adoption charities and the Greyhound racing industry, I do not feel that today’s racing Greyhound is a rescue. There is a high demand for retired racing Greyhounds as pets. If one adoption group cannot take a dog another will. However, decades ago, when trainers were desperately searching for groups to take their Greyhounds, knowing there was no more room in their kennel, I can understand why some would refer to the Greyhound as a rescue. But times have changed.

The racing industry has a commitment to the performance standard of the Greyhound and with the assistance of adoption charities the industry has been able to further their commitment to the welfare of the racing Greyhound throughout their lives on and off the track.

March 13, 2017March 13, 2017

A Day of Lure Coursing

Blogging can be a challenge. I get bloggers block and have trouble coming up with interesting Greyhound topics when this happens I turn to my husband for inspiration. He suggested a chronicle of a day in the country lure coursing. I thought that he was onto something. I hope that you all enjoy this post and folks who haven’t been to the field decide to come out for a day of fun in the country.

Lure coursing is a weekend event. On Friday night I begin packing the van. I feel more organized this way. To aid me in my OCD organization I bought plastic bins that are organized with first aid supplies, leashes, blankets, and other lure coursing accouterments. I have crates for all the Greyhound set up in my car. I have learned my lesson about having loose Greyhounds in the car after Jethro locked me out of the car and jumped out through the sunroof!

I leave my house with plenty of time to get to the field. I generally pick up breakfast as oftentimes I am very busy at the trial and have a hard time bringing myself to eat.

The trial begins with inspection and check-in usually around 9AM. At large trials like the International Invitational, inspection can start before the sun is up! This is when the inspection committee watches your Greyhound’s gait and checks for lameness. They also check the bitches to make sure that they are not in season.

After inspection, the field secretary completes the “draw” or the running order of the hounds. This is a blinded draw of the coursing hounds with a separate draw for each stake, open, field champions, and veterans.

While the draw is going on I usually walk my hounds. It is important to let your hound poop and pee prior to running—just ask Sashi – when nature calls, it calls. I also like to stretch the hounds and warm them up, and the walk helps with this.

After the draw is posted the trial begins to get underway. I take a photo of the running order because I will forget—it is not fun to be at the line in the wrong blanket! I then head back to the van to get the hounds ready for their run. If the hounds are running on continuous loop I will wrap vetrap around the Greyhounds’ legs up to their stopper pad to prevent line burn. Also, if the ground is hard and dry I will tape their pads with elastikon to prevent a blown pad. When it is our turn I head to the line with my hounds in a slip lead and regular lead. I get in position, holding the slip lead with my right hand and place my left hand under the Greyhound’s tuck. Some people do not like to hold a Greyhound under the tuck but I find that it gives me more control of the dog. The lure starts to move and the Greyhounds lose their minds! The hounds are not released until the hunt-master says “Tally-Ho” when the lure is far enough in front of the dogs.

I let the Greyhound go as soon as I hear “Tally-Ho.” Then I get to watch my most favorite thing: a big beautiful Greyhound doing what they are best at, chasing.

The Greyhounds are moving so fast it seems that the entire course only lasts seconds.

Once the Greyhounds are back at the line, I grab mine and hurry back to my van to remove any tape or vetrap and check them for any lameness or tenderness. Once the vetrap is removed I use a pressurized sprayer with water to rinse out their nail beds. When dogs run on turf they can get a build-up of debris in their nail beds. This can be painful and a potential cause for infection. If there is a little blood in the nail bed, that is okay and it should be cleaned with the sprayer. I do not give water at this time. After they appear to be sound I walk them until their breathing becomes more normal and they are able to close their mouths. Then give them a small amount of water.

After all the dogs have ran in prelims the entire process is repeated, generally after lunch, which gives a nice break for the hounds. Once all dogs have run twice, the top hounds will run for best of breed. After best of breed is completed, all the breed winners are able to run for best in field.

Once all the running has been completed, awards are given out and photos of the winners are taken. Most often the placing dogs will get a toy (my hounds are very pleased with this).

After socializing with friends and some photos, we pack it up, head home, ready to repeat the following day.

Feature image credit: Cindy Frezon

March 2, 2017March 6, 2017

Yes, I own a racing Greyhound and no she isn’t a rescue

Am I the only Greyhound owner who gets annoyed when asked if my Greyhound was rescued? It really gets under my skin and it seems to happen far too often. The other day we were buying dog food and I was asked if my Greyhound was “rescued.” I was in a particularly rotten mood and my husband elbowed me as to say “please do not unleash your bad mood on this poor kid.” I put my bad mood aside and replied, “No, they were not rescued and yes they are racing Greyhounds.” The kid looked perplexed but continued to bag our goods and not ask for more clarification.

I feel continually frustrated about the misinformation that makes its way into the mainstream. It seems like the anti-racing (AR) propaganda penetrates so deeply that it has affected many people, even people who own Greyhounds.

This past week I read two articles in two different papers in North America stating complete inaccuracies about Greyhound racing and the lives of racing Greyhounds. By no means am I saying there are no failings in the Greyhound racing industry and that it is perfect. However, I feel that the vast majority of people working in the Greyhound racing industry love Greyhounds and respect the breed for what it is: a functional, fast, exceptional hound.

If you are into Greyhound adoption and have not visited a track, you’re missing out. I am lucky to be a part of a Greyhound Adoption group that arranges yearly visits to racing kennels and tracks encouraging adopters to see what life was like for their Greyhound before adoption.

It is important to be thoughtful about our opinions, and knowing the details of both sides is important to understand the entirety of a subject. Unfortunately, it seems that most of the AR supporters cannot see past outdated reports of abuse and neglect to see the positive changes in Greyhound racing today. It oftentimes seems overwhelming to educate the general public and some Greyhound enthusiasts that racing Greyhounds are loved, well exercised, well fed and happy in their professional careers.

There are certain ideas created and propagated by the AR machine about retired racing Greyhounds that have invaded mainstream Greyhound adoption. One idea is that skittish dogs were abused throughout their professional careers. This idea is complete rubbish. First off, by now we all know that negative training is not successful. Why would someone spend thousands of dollars on a dog that could create revenue and abuse it, thus diminishing their chances of success? Complete insanity. Furthermore, dogs have different personalities just like us. I have raised a fair number of terrier pups and for the most part they are fearless dogs, but I have seen dogs be gun shy or timid with no external cause for them to demonstrate that behavior. Skittish Greyhounds are most likely that way do to nature not nurture.

Another idea that makes me nuts is the raw meat myth. Feeding raw meat is not a bad thing! Dogs are predators and they are made to eat raw meat. Now, let’s talk about non-human grade meat. The labeling of meat is not just based on the quality of the product but also the facility it is made it. Lots meat packing facilities have quality products but have not obtained certification from the USDA to mark their product as “human grade.” Most pet foods are not made for human consumption, as the regulations and certification for this labeling would be very expensive, increasing the cost of pet food. It’s just not a logical business move. Thus, the non-human grade meat myth should be a moot point from now on.

Opinions and facts are not the same; however, opinions create gut responses and bias. When dredging through the misinformation about Greyhound racing it is important to push our bias aside and get at the truth. I support Greyhound racing for many reasons and as I have seen and learned more about the industry my support grows. I hope that this article encourages you to reinvestigate your feelings about Greyhound racing immersing yourself in facts and not opinions.

February 23, 2017March 6, 2017

How to get a solid recall

By now you have probably noticed there are a lot of pictures of my dogs running and playing without leashes. I want to make it clear that generally speaking my Greyhounds are leashed. However, when we are in the country we allow our Greyhounds to be off leash. Our dogs are familiar with our property and understand their “boundaries”.

My Greyhounds did not come with off-leash manners and it took a lot of work to train off-leash manners. So how did I go about teaching my Greyhounds to come? Recall training is not a once and done type of command. Recall training has to occur frequently and you have to be ready to give you Greyhound a huge payload when they come to you vs. following that amazing coyote scent or chasing an armadillo.

At first we did a lot of work in the backyard. I would send a Greyhound out and allow them to start their sniffing. I would watch on the deck and when I noticed they were very interested in something I would call them and give them a high value treat—think canned dog food, mac&cheese, or raw tripe in a small container. After they had successfully completed this on a small scale I increased the distraction and the distance.

After mastering the backyard we would begin working on recalls at our local private dog park. This was a good location because it was safe but also full of new exciting smells and distractions. Again I would wait until they became interested in something and then call them giving them a huge payload.

We continued with this exercise until I felt they were ready to head to our country fields.

The boys were relatively easy to teach a recall to. Both Sashi and Jethro are huge momma’s boys. They are not going far from me. I can’t put on make-up without Sashi watching! The cord was not cut with the boys. Training a recall took a few huge payloads in a few different locations and they were hooked.

Darla was not that simple. Darla is a complicated Greyhound. She is very independent and when I first got her she could take me or leave me. However, she did want to hang close to Jethro and she loves food. The issues with her recall came when she wanted to do more independent activities and realized that she could wonder off from Jethro. This caused some stress—we thought all of our Greyhounds had great recalls but Darla did not.

Darla was deemed a flight risk and leashed. Clint and I wanted Darla to enjoy the independence of sniffing and hunting around our fields. We began reworking her recall and giving her another chance at off leash activities.

We took her to the fields and the first time she did well and stayed with me, I thought that she had it! The second time was not so pleasant. As soon as we unleashed her she was off. Fortunately she was with Sashi and he has an excellent recall. We called him and she remembered what she was supposed to be doing. And came running back to us for her reward. I want to note how important it was that we were happy and rewarded her when she came back. She did not do exactly what we wanted her to do but we want her to associated coming to us with happiness and rewards, not us being frustrated.

After this experience we knew we had more work to do. We tried her off leash again this past week in our fields. She did much better. I have learned that once she is off leash she is going to run like crazy. The difference this time was that when we called her she did a turn-face and came back to us, ready for her jackpot reward.

We will continue to do more and more off leash training with Darla and we will allow her more and more off leash time. Hoping to balance her training with her positive experiences.

No matter if you are considering allowing you Greyhound off leash or not, training your Greyhound to a recall is one of the most important things you can do. We have to remember that accidents do happen and the better prepared you are the better chance you have a good outcome. Good solid recalls take time. It is important to start slow and practice often. Sometimes regression is part of the learning process and should not be considered a failure but an opportunity for learning. Training you Greyhound should be a fun positive process for you and your Greyhound.

For more off-leash training tips check out Jennifer Bachelor’s Blog Never Say Never Greyhounds. This is the premier blog for training Greyhounds!

February 16, 2017March 6, 2017

The Fovea has it

Science really gets me excited. What is most exciting is when something new is discovered. This could be a new treatment, new technology, or revisiting of a previously thought notion or idea.

Eyes are one of the coolest organs in the body. They are windows to the brain and some would say to the soul. In humans the vital sign of the eye is visual acuity—you know, when you have to cover one eye and read the eye chart. 20/20 vision means that you see the same as a normal eye would see at 20 feet. 20/100 vision means that you see what a normal eye would see at 100 feet. As you might imagine it’s much more difficult to test the visual acuity of a dog’s eye—they can’t tell us what they see. Due to this, some scientists believe that the visual acuity of the dog has been underestimated.

We know that dogs see differently than humans do. For many years we have known that dogs can see much better in low light than us; they have rapid vision that allows them to detect rapid changes in the light, and, due to the placement of their eyes in their skulls, they have wider visual fields than we do (Miller & Murphy, 1995).

All of these qualities aid the dog, a predator, in its ability to hunt. However, the acuity at which the dog can focus was thought to be diminished, as the dog is known to lack a fovea (Miller & Murphy, 1995). Fovea centralis (fovea) is a structure in the human eye. The fovea is a depression within the retina that contains a large number of densely packed cones type cells that are responsible for visual acuity (Beltran et al., 2014).

For years scientists have felt that the dog’s visual streak was responsible for their visual acuity. The visual streak is an area in the retina with increased amounts of photosensitive retinal ganglionic cells and cone cells (Miller & Murphy, 1995). However, in 2014 things changed.

In 2014 the canine retina was evaluated with in vivo (in life) and ex vivo (in death) imaging (Beltran et al., 2014). The researchers found an area in the retina very similar to a non-human primate fovea, which they deemed the area centralis. This area was tiny but full of densely packed cone cells (Beltran et al., 2014). This area was not a fovea-like depression but was very similar from a histologic standpoint to what is seen in the center of the human fovea, the foveola (Beltran et al., 2014).

You may be asking why is she so excited about this? This information is incredibly important. This indicates that a dog’s visual acuity is actually better than previously thought. The visual acuity of a dog was thought to be about 20/50 (Miller & Murphy, 1995). Based on the findings in this study, the visual acuity of the dog would be between 20/24 and 20/13 (Beltran et al., 2014). That means that dogs could be able to see at 20 feet what a normal eye would see at 13 feet!

The canine eye is an important structure for multiple reasons. For our Greyhounds the eye is important for racing, lure coursing, coursing, hunting, fetching, running through agility obstacles, and their everyday lives. Just imagine having better than perfect vision and then adding a wider visual field, the ability to detect rapid changes in light, and the ability to see in low light—I would be overwhelmed with that much stimuli going through my brain all the time! Dogs are complex animals and the more we learn about them the more I amazed by all they do!

Beltran, W. A., Cideciyan, A. V., Guziewicz, K. E., Iwabe, S., Swider, M., Scott, E. M., Aguirre, G. D. (2014). Canine retina has a primate fovea-like bouquet of cone photoreceptors which is affected by inherited macular degenerations. PLoS One, 9(3), e90390. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0090390

Miller, P. E., & Murphy, C. J. (1995). Vision in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 207(12), 1623-1634.

February 9, 2017March 6, 2017

Do Greyhounds think like us?

Have you ever wondered what makes a Greyhound happy? Or even if your Greyhound experiences any emotion like we do?

I have. Jethro recently had a spontaneous injury to his back. He was paralyzed from the pelvis down. We were lucky and he was able to have surgery to fix the issue. He is getting better but he still has a long road ahead of him.

Jethro is a high-strung Greyhound that does not like to be still; he has “extra personality.” He has been miserable while he has been sick. He whines and seems listless. He is only happy when he is eating, outside, cuddled up to Clint or me, or playing nose work. We have ben playing a lot of games and that has made this experience better for the both of us. Jethro may be the best trained of the bunch at this moment!

This experience made me think about the emotions dogs may feel. I wondered how Jethro’s brain was processing his condition. This experience made me want to know more about dog cognition.

Dog cognition is an up-and-coming field. There are several centers around the U.S. studying dogs. We have learned that dogs are special compared to other animals. Dogs are able to learn our cues even better than chimps and other non-human primates.

I was shocked that a dog could understand what I want him to do more quickly than a non-human primate. A study published in Interactions Studies in 2009 looked at New Guinea Signing Dog (NGSD), along with four breeds of dogs registered with kennel clubs—the the Siberian Huskie, the German Shepherd Dog (GSD), the Toy Poodle, and the Basenji (Wobber, Hare, Koler-Matznick, Wrangham, & Tomasello, 2009). The researchers tested three types of cues on these dogs—they set out two bowls of food, the first cue was pointing and turning toward one bowl, the second was handling a block and then setting it in front of a bowl, and the third was covering the dogs’ eyes and sitting the block in front of one bowl (Wobber et al., 2009). In experiments with the NGSG and the kennel club dogs both reacted to these cues (Wobber et al., 2009). This is incredibly interesting, as wolves do not do this (Hare, Brown, Williamson, & Tomasello, 2002; Virányi et al., 2008). Furthermore, the NGSD is a breed that has had very little human involvement in their breeding and they still picked up on these cues similarly to the pure breed kennel dogs (Wobber et al., 2009).

This does not prove that dogs experience emotions as we do, but it does show that dogs are very in tune with humans. They are paying attention to us and respond accordingly. For instance, when I get my camera case out, my Greyhounds know we are about to go run. Dogs pay attention to what we do.

There continues to be a lot of research focused on the dog’s cognitive system. Hopefully someone will eventually be able to answer our question about the emotions our Greyhounds feel or don’t feel.

For now we have to do our best to not anthropomorphize our Greyhounds. We understand that they are in tune with us but do not necessarily feel what we perceive that they feel. We have to remember they are dogs and sometimes what makes them happiest is a nice run in a field, a good beef neck bone, an ear rub, or a nice game of nose- work!

Hare, B., Brown, M., Williamson, C., & Tomasello, M. (2002). The domestication of social cognition in dogs. Science, 298(5598), 1634-1636. doi:10.1126/science.1072702

Virányi, Z., Gácsi, M., Kubinyi, E., Topál, J., Belényi, B., Ujfalussy, D., & Miklósi, A. (2008). Comprehension of human pointing gestures in young human-reared wolves (Canis lupus) and dogs (Canis familiaris). Anim Cogn, 11(3), 373-387. doi:10.1007/s10071-007-0127-y

Wobber, V., Hare, B., Koler-Matznick, J., Wrangham, R., & Tomasello, M. (2009). Breed differences in domestic dogs’(Canis familiaris) comprehension of human communicative signals (Vol. 10:2, pp. 206-224). Interaction Studies: John Benjamins Publishing Company

January 12, 2017March 6, 2017

Amateur Running Sports: LGRA

I hope you all found the lure coursing piece useful and fun. Today I want to discuss sprint racing, also know as LGRA as it is organized by the large gazehound racing association.

LGRA is a favorite of mine. I love the raw speed that sprint racing provides. I also like LGRA because the fastest dog wins, which removes any subjectivity from the event. However, it is not perfect. Today I will talk about what LGRA racing is and what you should think about if you decide this is the sport for you and your hound.

First, make sure you are aware of any injuries your Greyhound may have had on the pro track. Make sure that your Greyhound is at racing weight and well conditioned. As always, please check with your vet before beginning in amateur running sports to make sure your Greyhound is healthy enough to sustain these activities.

OK, now what is LGRA? LGRA is a sprint race of 200 yards with three programs. Generally four dogs compete in each race, this number can change depending on the entrants. Dogs are usually boxed at the start just like in pro racing and then they chase a drag lure for 200 yards. The hound that gets to the finish line first wins the race. LGRA is simple and a blast to watch. My dogs love it! Based on the number of entries, the dogs are awarded points. The larger the entry the more points for the winner and placing dogs. Once your dog has accumulated enough points they are able to obtain titles. (I have never seen a Greyhound get excited about a title, but the competition is fun for the owners.)

Besides having a fit dog, you need a muzzle and racing blankets for LGRA (1-4). Usually there are plenty of experienced Greyhound people at these events and will allow you to borrow blankets or muzzles if needed. Prior to arriving at the meet you need to contact the race secretary to register your dog and check if they need a certification run. Dogs that have raced in NOTRA or have raced professionally generally do not need a certification. However, it might be helpful to run some practice runs prior to your official meet to see how things work and get the hang of boxing your Greyhound.

I overall enjoy LGRA racing. I like that LGRA focuses on raw speed – the Greyhound does not have to consider manipulating turns or when is the best time to really turn up the speed. There are two things that I wish were different. I wish the length of the sprint were longer. I feel that Greyhounds are just getting up to top speed when the race is over and another 100 yards would be better for a lot of Greyhounds. I also wish there was a trap for the lure. When the lure stops, after the sprint with plenty of run out (area for the Greyhound to decelerate) all the dogs clobber the lure. Removing a Greyhound off a lure is very difficult and I have a very small bitch. I cannot imagine having to manipulate a 65+ pound Greyhound off a lure!

LGRA is rather safe, as it is a straight line without any turns; however, these Greyhounds are running hard and as with any strenuous athletic activity, injuries can occur. As always check your Greyhound’s feet after each run. If the ground is hard and you are wrapping pads, it is important to remove the vetrap after each run to make sure their feet are OK. I generally leave the elastikon in place if they haven’t run it off.

LGRA is a great sport for retired racers. It focuses on the Greyhound’s raw speed and is a blast to watch. I hope you now know a little more about LGRA and how much fun it is! Tune in next week for another post on amateur running sports.

Feature Photo credit: Carl Doby

December 29, 2016March 6, 2017

My Favorite Things

Today I am going to take a break from my regular blog post.

Once a month I am going to dedicate a post to a Greyhound-friendly product that I love. I love to shop and have tried various products for my Greyhounds. I hope that my experience will help when you are deciding on what toys, collars, beds, and other hound needs to purchase.

If you have looked at the photos on this blog you know my Greyhounds love a good ball.

Balls are fair game in our house. You leave some brand new tennis balls lying around and you are sure to come back to some slobbery fuzz-less balls. Balls are king in our house for humans and hounds alike!

You may be thinking balls are a dime a dozen and there can’t be one ball better than all the rest. Well, I disagree!

When I look for a ball I want something that can easily be held in a Greyhound’s mouth, not too heavy and has some give; Jethro likes to squeeze and pump the balls in his mouth. The ball also needs to hold up against heavy use, chewing, be able to float, and can easily be cleaned.

Hands down the best ball meeting the criteria above is the Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Orbee ball. This ball is shaped like a globe and the continents are elevated and textured which is fun for chewing. I thought those elevated continents were going to be goners but we have had this ball for about two years and the continents are still intact. This ball does have some give, comes in various sizes, and is not heavy. Orbee-Tuff toys are non-toxic and recyclable. They are made out of thermo plastic elastomer (TPE) and have Olefinic oil and Peppermint oil to soften the toy. The Peppermint oil also makes the toy and your Greyhound’s breath smell fresh.

This ball was a game changer. I use it most often for fetch, but if I need the boys to be extra good I will give one each of them and they will play and occupy themselves for extended periods of time. Darla is always extra good!

Hope you try out the Planet Dog Orbee-Tuff Orbee ball and let me know what you think!

December 15, 2016March 6, 2017

Why Performance Matters: A Simple History of Greyhound Coursing

Feature image from The Greyhound & the Hare

For many years it was thought that the Greyhound originated in Egypt and the Middle East. However, there were written accounts in the 1800’s stating that the Greyhounds originated from Celtic lands. In 2004 this was proven. The paper titled “The Genetic Structure of the Purebred dog” evaluated the molecular structure and differences in 85 breeds of dog. This study proved that the Greyhound, along with the Borzoi, Irish wolfhound, and other herding breeds, were of European descent and in fact were genetically different from the African and Middle Eastern sighthounds.

There are accounts of the Greyhound noted throughout British history. In Shakespeare’s play King Henry V, Shakespeare uses the Greyhound in the King’s monologues prior to battle. Henry V said to his men, “I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, straining upon the start. The game’s afoot.” Shakespeare compared Henry V’s armies to Greyhounds because he knew the keenness, tenacity, and passion of the Greyhound.

The Tudor family was also fond of the Greyhound. Henry the VII’s coat of arms included both a red dragon as well as a white Greyhound. Henry the VIII had a great love of coursing, then called hunting. It is noted that he converted some of his land into a course and it was used by two coursing societies. However, that land has now been repurposed into a golf course.

In the sixteenth century Queen Elizabeth I and Lord Norfolk developed the first coursing rules, “The laws of the leash.” These rules formalized the rules for coursing, focusing on the scoring of the Greyhound’s performance, rules for the slipper, and the handling of the hare.

Coursing focuses on the Greyhound’s greatest skill, the speediness of the chase. More points are awarded to the Greyhound for speed and ability to pass another Greyhound than actually taking-out the hare.

Throughout the Tudor reign, the Forest Laws were in effect; these laws were established in the middle ages and strictly enforced by William the Conqueror. People and dogs caught breaking these laws were mutilated and often times killed.

Coursing continued to be a sport of the nobles, waxing and waning in popularity throughout the reigns of Charles I and II. During the reign of George the III, in the eighteenth century, coursing no longer was a private sport for the nobles but a sport for gentlemen. Most of the participants coursed either Greyhounds or Whippets and made wagers on their hounds.

In 1776 The Lord of Orford in Swaffham, England created the first coursing club. The original “laws of the leash” created by Lord Norfolk were still in effect and used. Interest in coursing grew and more and more clubs originated.

By the time of the industrial revolution, more people had free time and money to participate in hobby sports. Coursing was also much cheaper than foxhunting. Greyhounds and Greyhound coursing took off. Participants of the sport realized that if they had a winning hound there was additional income for breeding and selling puppies. While these breedings were documented within the kennels, there was not an official Greyhound stud-book until 1882.

So why is this a big deal? Coursing gave us the modern day Greyhound. The competition of coursing created a well-engineered dog that was thrilling to watch and fast. The history of our beloved Greyhound gives us more insight into why people continued to breed Greyhounds and created the Greyhound that lives with us today.

There is still more to the story. With the invention of the mechanical lure Greyhound Racing was created. I will talk about racing in part two of this series, stay tuned!

Sources:

Alchin, L.K., Elizabethan Era. e.g. Retrieved December 3rd, 2016 from www.elizabethan-era.org.uk

Parker, H. G., Kim, L. V., Sutter, N. B., Carlson, S., Lorentzen, T. D., Malek, T. B., … & Kruglyak, L. (2004). Genetic structure of the purebred domestic dog. science, 304(5674), 1160-1164.

Category: performance