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Championship Venues/order Of Champs

Mark Roberts said:
john doe said:
Paul Melia said:
It would appear to me that a lot of opinions are expressed on here and very little in the way of factual details gets published.
If the number of injuries sustained at a meeting is a concern, why not carry out a scientific study? This study could collate data on a number of factors (ground conditions, fitness of competitors, types of injuries etc) and the results could then be analysed and recommendations proposed to overcome the shortfalls highlighted by the study.

Sorry paul but what planet are you on.

This is about running dogs on hard ground not rocket science.

How would you establish how fit your dog really is.

Might I suggest that the best advise would be.

1.Arrive to racing early enough to walk the track.

2.Draw you own opinion as to whether you think the track is suitable for your dog to run on.

3.Look at the weather conditions on the day.

4.Ifyou are not happy with either of the above be brave enough to pull your dog out

5.If you pull your dog out, dont go home, offer to assist the club for the rest of the day.

6.Following the days racing look at the number of injuries and decide if you made the right decission.

7.Go home happy that your dog is able to run another day.

END OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY


Might I suggest that the best advise would be.
1.Arrive to racing early enough to walk the track.

2.Draw you own opinion as to whether you think the track is suitable for your dog to run on.

3.Look at the weather conditions on the day.

4.Ifyou are not happy with either of the above be brave enough to pull your dog out

5.If you pull your dog out, dont go home, offer to assist the club for the rest of the day.

6.Following the days racing look at the number of injuries and decide if you made the right decission.

7.Go home happy that your dog is able to run another day.
Well put Mr Doe.

Dragon, are you going the disco at the champs lol.

No not this time maybe next.
 
Might I suggest that the best advise would be.
1.Arrive to racing early enough to walk the track.

2.Draw you own opinion as to whether you think the track is suitable for your dog to run on.

3.Look at the weather conditions on the day.

4.Ifyou are not happy with either of the above be brave enough to pull your dog out

5.If you pull your dog out, dont go home, offer to assist the club for the rest of the day.

6.Following the days racing look at the number of injuries and decide if you made the right decission.

7.Go home happy that your dog is able to run another day.

END OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY

I must admit I agree with Mr.D on this one, and couldn't have worded it better myself :D ........I also agree with Nigel that most of us do run through these check's though :) ............but I do think it is the responsability of the WCRA though to try for a cooler/softer time of year for their bend meeting ........This will be beneficial to the WCRA in the long run, as it in theory would increase the bend entrants and it will (hopefully) avoid a repeat of the last two year's :b
 
Hi Becky

I'm so glad Cody is ok, I was worrying about her, as her toe looked like Sweeps when he knackered the collateral ligament. It's amazing how these little dogs recover :) Hope to see her running at the next Champs then, as it really should have been her day last time. She's young though, and has plenty of time.

Give her a hug and kiss from me, and from cousin Nibs.
 
On the thread of running on greyhound sand tracks, do people really think greyhounds don't get injured too? I'm sure the vast majority of injuries are sustainded at the pull-up/pile-up and I can't recall ever seeing greyhounds diving in on the lure like ours do.

On the odd occasion I have run my dogs at a greyhound circuit the organisers went berserk when mine piled into the lure, pulling it off the rails and damaging the rollers!!

In addition, I talked to someone (cant remember who, due to old age probably) who was not running at the champs bend as their dog had been injured the week before on the greyhound schooling track!! guess the only way we can be sure of never injuring our dogs is not to run them ever. Anyone in favour ????? Not me!!
 
guess the only way we can be sure of never injuring our dogs is not to run them ever. Anyone in favour ????? Not me!!






Yeah!! Someones finally realised it or at least said it out loud. We can't make any dog injury proof, we can help by producing good running surfaces & not breeding runts but even well boned heavy whippets can come unstuck. Outside of gundogs whippets must be one of the only ped breeds that can still be used for the purpose they were bred for. To keep this function in the breed we have to accept that there is a downside. Any type of track or any running surface can be hazardous to the very fast dog. Dogs (including whippets) do get knocked up & severely injured on sand tracks. However the established greyhound track is IMO a far safer proposition than anything knocked together over a week end on turf by well meaning amateurs. We have had non-ped racers with a great deal of knowledge of bend racing probably more than some of the ped owning "experts" holding forth here endorse g/h tracks for bend racing. We have had Martin Tucker an experienced whippeteer & a successful, professional dog man also endorsing the sand track. What's the problem in putting 2 meets a year on at g/h tracks? There are independent tracks all over the country so locale is not a problem. Think about it! You turn up, weigh in & race. Half way into the programme the sand gets raked level by the track team ,if the track is too dry it gets watered or is this too easy?

Terry Smith
 
Terry & Sheila Smith said:
guess the only way we can be sure of never injuring our dogs is not to run them ever. Anyone in favour ????? Not me!!


Yeah!! Someones finally realised it or at least said it out loud. We can't make any dog injury proof, we can help by producing good running surfaces & not breeding runts but even well boned heavy whippets can come unstuck. Outside of gundogs whippets must be one of the only ped breeds that can still be used for the purpose they were bred for. To keep this function in the breed we have to accept that there is a downside. Any type of track or any running surface can be hazardous to the very fast dog. Dogs (including whippets) do get knocked up & severely injured on sand tracks. However the established greyhound track is IMO a far safer proposition than anything knocked together over a week end on turf by well meaning amateurs. We have had non-ped racers with a great deal of knowledge of bend racing probably more than some of the ped owning "experts" holding forth here endorse g/h tracks for bend racing. We have had Martin Tucker an experienced whippeteer & a successful, professional dog man also endorsing the sand track. What's the problem in putting 2 meets a year on at g/h tracks? There are independent tracks all over the country so locale is not a problem. Think about it! You turn up, weigh in & race. Half way into the programme the sand gets raked level by the track team ,if the track is too dry it gets watered or is this too easy?

Terry Smith




Good pionts but:

Dont you think you will loose the atmosphere generated on a grass track when everyone lines the up along the track cheering for their dogs.

I dont think many people would want to leave their dogs out of eye shot while watching others race IMO

I dont know the costs involved but I would guess that entries would have to be increased by a substantial amount.

This is most certanly an amateur sport and I would hate it to lose its ameteur status by running somewhere that could maybe be classed as a semi/profesional curcuit.

I think some of you are getting a little carried away but I do realise with good intentions, I think you should all pull together and just get the bends run at a time when historicaly the conditions are better.
 
My God! (w00t) I agree with JD!! :lol: :cheers:

The greyhound track is an interesting idea though.
 
LJH said:
On the thread of running on greyhound sand tracks, do people really think greyhounds don't get injured too? I'm sure the vast majority of injuries are sustainded at the pull-up/pile-up and I can't recall ever seeing greyhounds diving in on the lure like ours do_On the odd occasion I have run my dogs at a greyhound circuit the organisers went berserk when mine piled into the lure, pulling it off the rails and damaging the rollers!!

In addition, I talked to someone (cant remember who, due to old age probably) who was not running at the champs bend as their dog had been injured the week before on the greyhound schooling track!! guess the only way we can be sure of never injuring our dogs is not to run them ever. Anyone in favour ????? Not me!!

Rarley do greyhounds get hurt at the pick up. After a race is finished the hare is taken away at high speeds so the dogs have time to slow up before they get to the pick up, where someone covers the hare and a curtain is used to prevent them from doing another lap.

What you find at schooling tracks is that the hare machine is designed to stay under a dogs nose to encourage them to keep chasing, whicj can lead them to pile up or hit the hare rail.

Has for injurys at a greyhound stadium there is a very low percentage of dogs going lame while racing.

I am going on Oxford Greyhound Stadium.
 
dan b said:
LJH said:
On the thread of running on greyhound sand tracks, do people really think greyhounds don't get injured too? I'm sure the vast majority of injuries are sustainded at the pull-up/pile-up and I can't recall ever seeing greyhounds diving in on the lure like ours do_On the odd occasion I have run my dogs at a greyhound circuit the organisers went berserk when mine piled into the lure, pulling it off the rails and damaging the rollers!!

In addition, I talked to someone (cant remember who, due to old age probably) who was not running at the champs bend as their dog had been injured the week before on the greyhound schooling track!! guess the only way we can be sure of never injuring our dogs is not to run them ever. Anyone in favour ????? Not me!!

Rarley do greyhounds get hurt at the pick up. After a race is finished the hare is taken away at high speeds so the dogs have time to slow up before they get to the pick up, where someone covers the hare and a curtain is used to prevent them from doing another lap.

What you find at schooling tracks is that the hare machine is designed to stay under a dogs nose to encourage them to keep chasing, whicj can lead them to pile up or hit the hare rail.

Has for injurys at a greyhound stadium there is a very low percentage of dogs going lame while racing.

I am going on Oxford Greyhound Stadium.

It would be interesting to give the greyhound track a trial..............As it would be interesting to give the date changes for bends a trial....Can't see what the problem is with testing out new ideas.....Surely the WRCA aren't a load of "stick in the muds", they are a professional body, willing to listen to differing opinions and new ideas, able to demonstrate adaptability in altering climates, and facilitators of change. :lol:
 

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