Classifying Racing Whippets

[sue greenwood]

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Does anyone know if anyone has ever done a study on the body shape of a whippet determining the perfomance it puts in when racing. What criteria is there in body shape that would make it run fast. I know certain lines of whippet produce racing champions but what is it about them that makes them suceed. The length of the body in comparison to it's height. The depth of its chest and the space between it's ribs. Do these determine speed stamina and recovery time? The muscle structure across it's body. I don't want to know about nurture and nature although this is an interesting study.I wish to find out if there is anything written down to give explanations for great and poor performance physically.

 

[Judy]

Your talking about biomechanics Sue. There are a couple of books you like might to read about the biomechanics of the dog.

Dog Locomotion and Gait Analysis - Curtis Brown.

K9 Structure and Terminology - Edward M. Gilbert Jr. & Thelma Brown

The Dynamics of Canine Gait - Leon Hollenbeck.

All brilliant books. Theres stuff about the optimum leg length, angulation etc. etc. for speed. The only thing is that psychology has a hell of a lot to do with making a good racing dog. Racing isn't just about speed IMHO

 

[sue greenwood]

Thanks for the info Judy...i'll see if i can lay my hands on these books :cheers: