Greyhound training before racing and post retirement

Training a greyhound is the crux of the greyhound racing industry. The better greyhound is trained the better are the chances of him winning the race.

Training of a greyhound begins when a greyhound is fourteen months old. The trainers should first teach the greyhound how to launch out of a starting box.

 Training a greyhound requires a large space, at least fifty square meters, and a good deal of time. Then gradually over a period of three months the racing distance should increase from fifty to five hundred meters.

At about eighteen to nineteen months the dog is ready to race along other dogs in parks or a local track. It is important that greyhounds should be used to racing with other dogs with a good deal of noise around them.

Greyhounds should only be made to race twice a day during training as overtiring them would reduce their stamina and make them race slower.

It is important to keep the greyhounds warm due to their thin coat. Some trainers insert an inner slab heating on the base of their kennels.

A good deal of money can be made from greyhounds if they are  trained properly but this does not mean that any harsh treatment is required to treat them.

Plenty of praise and affection would certainly make the greyhound train better and race better.

Greyhounds retire at the age of five and are taken in by animal welfare organizations. They are adopted by families from these organizations.

Families usually adopt greyhounds for their qualities of companionship and their gentleness.

The first thing any adopter should do is to buy a crate for the greyhound. A large wire crate is ideal for a greyhound because at the track greyhounds are used to living in a crate.

It takes three to five days for the greyhound to get used to the new surroundings and it might hold onto its racing personality initially.

Panting, whining, and restlessness are all signs of insecurity in a newly adopted greyhound, but once the greyhound gets used to its environment, these signs disappear.

Greyhounds should be fed twice a day at the bare minimum. Metal bowls only up to eight inches of height should be used for feeding them.

If a dog is experiencing bloat, it should be rushed to the vet immediately as the greyhound can die within the hour.

Newly adopted greyhounds should not be isolated but kept near their adopters as they like to be in close proximity and get anxious if the owner is not around.

The adopter should disappear fifteen minutes every hour so that the greyhound gets used to the owner not being there all the time. This time span should then gradually be increased.

A greyhound has lived in 3×4 crate all his life. It takes some time for it to get used to living inside a house .Most of the greyhounds have never even been inside a house. Caution should be taken when introducing them to mirrors or noise from television
etc.

Once the greyhound starts behaving well, it is alright to let it roam around the house freely.

Long walks with the newly adopted greyhounds make their transition from racing champions to family friends quick. Mornings are ideal for taking a greyhound for a walk .A greyhound should never be taken out in the heat.

New greyhounds tend to stop dead in their tracks due to nervousness or anxiety. The trick is to offer them words of encouragement and affection to get them going. Greyhounds tend to get dehydrated during walks. Its best to keep water to relieve them when
they get dehydrated.

Greyhounds should be let loose only in fenced area without any openings.

Interestingly greyhounds have never encountered any stairs during their time on the race track therefore post retirement it might take them to get used to stairs. A greyhound might topple off the stairs if let loose. Its best to let them practise on using
one step initially, gradually increasing the number until they get the concept.

Greyhounds are extremely obedient and loving creatures  therefore training them before getting them on the race track and after retirement only requires technique ,firmness and a good deal of affection and praise. These tools would bring the best out of
any greyhound on the race track as well as after retirement.