Rearing

AFTER MANY YEARS of observing and
serving the greyhound industry, it is sometimes
necessary to take a step back and
have a look at the ‘big picture’ of what we
are all trying to achieve.
I have noticed over the years that
many less successful trainers get caught
up in the detail and worry over the minor
setbacks that in the end makes very little
difference to a dog’s career.
For some of us, our personalities can
prevent us from seeing beyond the next
race or the next injury.
But for most of us, if we constantly
remind ourselves of the four-year plan in
any dog’s career, then it will be much
easier to manage the setbacks and reap
the rewards.
We should begin with a pup with the
intention of keeping that pup healthy,
sound and sane throughout his career.
I liken the racing greyhound to the
Formula 1 racing car – both represent the
peak of performance and finesse, however,
they are both notoriously unreliable
when it comes to race day.
One thing that always amazes me is
that when puppies are at the peak of their
growth and are physically and structurally
weak, they are subjected to stresses that
no adult dog is asked to endure.
When examining young dogs after

they are released from the rearing farms,
a vision of a Ferrari with Michael
Schumacher at the helm speeding down a
pot-holed dirt track comes to mind.
It is inevitable that many puppies arrive
at the breaking-in stage with fractures
to the sesamoids, accessory carpal or
stopper bone, hocks and metatarsals,
tibial crests etc, etc.
Pups do need to run, however, our
industry is suffering great unseen losses
year after year because puppies do not
have the sense to take things easy.
Puppies grow rapidly between the age
of three and seven months.
Their skeletal frame is very weak, and
during this rapid phase of growth is poorly
supported by the soft tissues, the muscles
and tendons.
Many unnecessary injuries occur
during these few months, and in reality,
the maturation of the animal is affected
little by lack of exercise during this phase.

The risk factors are increased by:
(a) Allowing them access to long runs,
especially where there are older dogs
nearby to stimulate them to run
(b) Lack of proper vitamins and minerals
in the diet, especially when bread is used
as a substitute for kibble
(c) Having narrow runs where the dogs
have to rapidly decelerate and turn
(d) Failure to basically check the pups on
a regular basis (at least three times a
week)
(e) Failure to allow for a catch-up or healing
time every four to six weeks.
A good policy is to rotate puppies into
a smaller yard for a week or two to allow
small niggles to recover
(f) Failure to worm the puppies adequately
and maintain their general health
It is interesting to note that often the
puppies that have sustained injuries during
their rearing stage go on to win races.
This says more about their attitude
than the quality of their rearing.
If they were reared with more care,
attention and along with this superior attitude,
then these puppies would perform
better and for longer, I am sure.