New Here - Advice Please

[mikey2341]

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Hi,

I've stumbled accross this site as I was searching for information on whippets and whippet racing. I had lurchers as a youngster and chased a few rabbits and went to shows and tried lurcher racing etc with a little bit of success. I drifted away from it as my lurchers aged and went back to a show for the first time in 5 years this summer.

As my staffy is reaching the twighlight of her life (she's 14 now) I'm looking for another dog to come into the family and keep the lurcher (he's 7) happy and i've got my heart set on a whippet. My uncle always had whippets when i was growing up and they were my first introduction to dogs and also chasing rabbits. Having dabbled with the lurcher racing, the intention will be to try and school a whippet to race and have a bit of fun with it at the weekend. It will live omn the sofa with the lurcher and become a fully intergrated member of the family. I'm unsure as to whether to look at pedigree or non ped so would welcome advice either way... From what I think i've understood from this site is that the non peds are a bit quicker ( thats what i understood from reading the schooling faq section on here...)

My questions are :

apart from the KC paperwork what are the main differences between ped & non ped racing?

Where do I look for a pup? (I've seen the posts on here regarding matings and possible arrivals, but thought it might be intrusive to start messaging people regarding their pups - Also I want a bitch and preferably blue - i know that might be a big ask!)

Where around me will I be able to race (i'm in Fleetwood, from what i can gather there is a meeting in Lancaster in the summer, there are races at westhoughton track and also littleborough which I think are my closest)

If anyone can help in anyway I'd be really greatful.

Cheers

Mikey

 

[alsh]

As a Former Rabbiting/Coursing lad myself I think you'd love it,You may Even be lucky Enough to find club to give your Lurcher a few runs if she still has gas in the tank :thumbsup:

If you go to the top of this section it'll show you all the post codes for all of the clubs,just enter the post code into Google maps & it will show you the exact location of your closest track.

I tried it for about 4months till i had a nasty crash 5 years ago which meant i couldnt walk for a long time. but before the crash I had a great time at the track, You'll find everyone is freindly n always willing to give good advice. due to myself bein fully healed im gettin back into it. Give it a try n im sure you'll love it

Also go to www.thebwra.co.uk for more info n contact numbers for your local track/s

Alan

 

[alsh]

as for the difference Between ped n non ped,you need to remember that peds MUST confirm to the breed standard set by the Kennel Club so I suppose Non peds would be a darn sight faster, I gave my old Laguna run against some n she was left for dust! n she was no slow poke by any standards.

 

[wild whippies]

Hi Mikey,

Welcome to K9 :thumbsup:

We have an Open event on at Westhoughton on the 31st October. There'll be both pedigree and non-pedigree whippets racing so it should give you a good insight into the physical differences between the dogs.

I initially had peds but got a non-ped mainly because the racing was closer to me. (I'm in the North West too)

It depends how far you want to take things as there are pedigree and non-pedigree racing clubs running weekly but competitive opens will be across the country. Like's been said, at a non-ped club you would have the added benefit of being able to run your lurcher if you wanted. It might also suit to try the lurcher initially to see if you even like racing. Certainly learning with the peds gave me some insight before I got my first ''real racer'' as i were.

You'll also be able to meet some of the members from Lancaster WRC at wessy too.

I wouldn't commit to a pup yet, research the breed, the different breedlines, come and meet the dogs then pick something you like :thumbsup:

 

[mikey2341]

Hi Mikey,Welcome to K9 :thumbsup:

We have an Open event on at Westhoughton on the 31st October. There'll be both pedigree and non-pedigree whippets racing so it should give you a good insight into the physical differences between the dogs.

I initially had peds but got a non-ped mainly because the racing was closer to me. (I'm in the North West too)

It depends how far you want to take things as there are pedigree and non-pedigree racing clubs running weekly but competitive opens will be across the country. Like's been said, at a non-ped club you would have the added benefit of being able to run your lurcher if you wanted. It might also suit to try the lurcher initially to see if you even like racing. Certainly learning with the peds gave me some insight before I got my first ''real racer'' as i were.

You'll also be able to meet some of the members from Lancaster WRC at wessy too.

I wouldn't commit to a pup yet, research the breed, the different breedlines, come and meet the dogs then pick something you like :thumbsup:

Thanks for the reply, The meet at Westhoughton seams ideal to go and have a chat with people. I've done a fair bit of research into what the next dog will be and I've pretty much got my heart set on a whippet, having also considered a derhound, greyhound and another lurcher. the temperament of the whippet suits me and I know i'll enjoy the racing - it won't be the be all and end all (yeah honest and you know that will change after 12 / 18 months or so!) but will be nice to have the dog fit and enjoying its racing. I used to love taking the lurchers to highgate for the races there.

interms of where I am the ped racing i think is at Littleborough & Chorley whilst non ped is also at lancaster, astley and westhoughton, so is broad as it is long i think. Is there more regular meets at proper tracks for non peds than peds?

Thanks

Mikey

 

[wild whippies]

To be honest I'm not so sure about the peds and how often they open race through winter. I would of presumed they club race weekly through winter dependant upon track conditions. Non-peds run the bends on greyhound tracks so we tend to have events throughout the year. There's advantages and disadvantages either way because if you've had a whippet running throught the spring / summer you might appreciate the rest but then if you got a non-ped and it wasn't brilliant at straight racing, it may fair better running on the bends.

With regards to competitive open racing the peds have now got 2 organisations on the go, just like non-ped whippet racers have plus both have independant race events so I imagine that both ped and non-ped racing have similar amounts of competitive open class racing across the country.

Generally though most pedigree racing events are down south and most non-ped racing is up north. Note I said generally because there will be prestigous events like the non-ped's English Derby which is currently held in Devon and probably vice versa for the pedigree racing fraternity.

It depends how far you want to take things really, I've been known to shoot down to Devon for their Derby on a friday teatime and come back home Sunday night but no-one said I was sane! (w00t)

 

[deeva1]

Hi Mikey,Welcome to K9 :thumbsup:

We have an Open event on at Westhoughton on the 31st October. There'll be both pedigree and non-pedigree whippets racing so it should give you a good insight into the physical differences between the dogs.

I initially had peds but got a non-ped mainly because the racing was closer to me. (I'm in the North West too)

It depends how far you want to take things as there are pedigree and non-pedigree racing clubs running weekly but competitive opens will be across the country. Like's been said, at a non-ped club you would have the added benefit of being able to run your lurcher if you wanted. It might also suit to try the lurcher initially to see if you even like racing. Certainly learning with the peds gave me some insight before I got my first ''real racer'' as i were.

You'll also be able to meet some of the members from Lancaster WRC at wessy too.

I wouldn't commit to a pup yet, research the breed, the different breedlines, come and meet the dogs then pick something you like :thumbsup:

Thanks for the reply, The meet at Westhoughton seams ideal to go and have a chat with people. I've done a fair bit of research into what the next dog will be and I've pretty much got my heart set on a whippet, having also considered a derhound, greyhound and another lurcher. the temperament of the whippet suits me and I know i'll enjoy the racing - it won't be the be all and end all (yeah honest and you know that will change after 12 / 18 months or so!) but will be nice to have the dog fit and enjoying its racing. I used to love taking the lurchers to highgate for the races there.

interms of where I am the ped racing i think is at Littleborough & Chorley whilst non ped is also at lancaster, astley and westhoughton, so is broad as it is long i think. Is there more regular meets at proper tracks for non peds than peds?

Thanks

Mikey

:unsure: I KNOW YOU SAY YOU ARE IN THE NORTH-WEST BUT WHEREABOUTS, COS THERE ARE TWO OR THREE GOOD TRACKS IN THE MIDLANDS THAT RUN FOR MOST OF THE YEAR. THE ONLY ONE THAT TENDS TO BE ABLE TO RUN ALL YEAR ROUND IS MY OWN CLUB, OLD HALL. OUR CALENDAR RUNS FROM THE END OF FEBRUARY UNTIL OUR LAST DATE WHICH IS CLOSEST DAY TO NEW YEARS DAY. WE RUN ON THE STRAIGHTS AND HAVE MANY AND VARIED TYPES OF RACES WITH SOMETHING TO SUIT ALL DEGREES OF CAPABILITY. WE ARE PRIMARILY A NON-PED CLUB, BUT WE HAVE A PEDIGREE SECTION WHO HOLD THEIR OWN EVENTS, BUT STILL RUN ALONGSIDE US AND ARE PUT ON THE SAME PROGRAMME. YOU CAN SEE OUR CURRENT CALENDAR ON OUR NON-PED SITE AND IF YOU COME AND HAVE A LOOK ONE SUNDAY, YOU MAY HEAR OF A PUPPY OR TWO FOR SALE - IN SOME CASES, EVEN BEFORE THERE'RE BORN! GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR SEARCH! :luck:

 

[wild whippies]

Mikey is in fleetwood, nearest track is probably Lancaster :thumbsup:

 

[deeva1]

:unsure:

Mikey is in fleetwood, nearest track is probably Lancaster :thumbsup:

:unsure: YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT. ARE LANCASTER ABLE TO RUN ALL YEAR ROUND? AS I DON'T TRAVEL ANYMORE I DON'T KNOW WHAT CLUBS ARE DOING AT THIS END OF THE YEAR! I JUST HOPE HE DOESN'T LOSE INTEREST, COS THE SPORT NEEDS AS MANY NEWCOMERS AS POSSIBLE! )

 

[mikey2341]

:unsure:

Mikey is in fleetwood, nearest track is probably Lancaster :thumbsup:

:unsure: YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT. ARE LANCASTER ABLE TO RUN ALL YEAR ROUND? AS I DON'T TRAVEL ANYMORE I DON'T KNOW WHAT CLUBS ARE DOING AT THIS END OF THE YEAR! I JUST HOPE HE DOESN'T LOSE INTEREST, COS THE SPORT NEEDS AS MANY NEWCOMERS AS POSSIBLE! )

I won't lose interest don't worry! I think Lancaster is the closest club, but westhoughton is only 45 mins away, getting to Lancaster, Westhoughton, Chorley & Littleborough won't be a problem. At the minute its a case of finding out the diferences between the peds / non peds - how they are run etc and which group of people i'll be most comfortable with and have fun. It's quite nice researching at the minute to be honest!

Cheers

 

[deeva1]

:unsure:

Mikey is in fleetwood, nearest track is probably Lancaster :thumbsup:

:unsure: YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT. ARE LANCASTER ABLE TO RUN ALL YEAR ROUND? AS I DON'T TRAVEL ANYMORE I DON'T KNOW WHAT CLUBS ARE DOING AT THIS END OF THE YEAR! I JUST HOPE HE DOESN'T LOSE INTEREST, COS THE SPORT NEEDS AS MANY NEWCOMERS AS POSSIBLE! )

I won't lose interest don't worry! I think Lancaster is the closest club, but westhoughton is only 45 mins away, getting to Lancaster, Westhoughton, Chorley & Littleborough won't be a problem. At the minute its a case of finding out the diferences between the peds / non peds - how they are run etc and which group of people i'll be most comfortable with and have fun. It's quite nice researching at the minute to be honest!

Cheers

:unsure: I DON'T THINK YOU'D HAVE ANY PROBLEM BEING COMFORTABLE WITH EITHER DISCIPLINE, AS MOST OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW IN THE RACING WORLD ARE VERY NICE, HELPFUL AND KIND. AS FOR THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PED AND NON-PED, THE MAIN DIFFERENCE IS THE NON-PEDS ARE FASTER. MUCH FASTER. OF COURSE, OUR DOGS DON'T HAVE TO CONFORM TO A BREED STANDARD, BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO ABLE TO PROVE THE BREEDING AS IN THE BREEDING FORMS THAT WERE INTRODUCED TO STOP ANY "DODGY" CLAIMS BEING MADE. A;THOUGH I DON'T KNOW THAT ANY WERE. ALSO, THE PRICE OF A NON-PED PUP IS NO WHERE NEAR AS HIGH AS A PEDIGREE. YOU CAN PICK A PUP UP FOR ANYTHING BETWEEN £80 TO WHATEVER. IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR. I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE, WHO HAVE COME INTO THE SPORT, TEND TO BUY A PUPPY AND DO ALL THEIR "LEARNING" WITH IT, BEFORE SETTING THEIR SIGHTS ON SOMETHING THAT THEY FEEL THEY CAN GO OPEN-RACING WITH. OCCASIONALLY, BUT NOT VERY OFTEN, ONE SUCH RACER HAPPENS TO FALL ON DOG WITH EXCEPTIONAL ABILITY AND HAVE TERRIFIC FUN BEATING ESTABLISHED RACERS, WHO'VE BEEN IN THE SPORT FOR YEARS! YOU JUST NEVER KNOW, WHEN YOU PICK THAT PUPPY OFF THE NEST WHAT IT'S FUTURE HOLDS AND ANYONE WHO SAYS DIFFERENT IS DELUDING THEMSELVES, COS BELIEVE ME I'VE BRED ENOUGH TO KNOW. IT'S THE JOY OF WATCHING THAT PUPPY LEARN AND DEVELOP INTO WHAT YOU HOPE WILL BE A GOOD, HONEST RACER AND GIVE YOU 100% EVERY TIME YOU TAKE IT TO THE TRACK. ANYTHING ELSE IS A BONUS! HOPE YOU FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR! :luck: