[bignob7]

me and a few of my buddys want to buy a greyhound and would like to know is it difficult to train a greyhound yourself or is a trainer expensive.we all have other types of dogs and have been talking about doing it for a while now.also is it difficult to enter races.where do we start?

[pugw]

Firstly I just want to state that Im no expert but I have been doing a bit of research about getting into the sport myself. Are you looking for a track dog or a coursing dog? I reckon you would probably get more value (in terms of race entries and nights out) from a track dog but coursing there is more of a buzz going coursing! There is a nice bit of info on this document http://www.teagasc.ie/ruraldev/docs/...GREYHOUNDS.pdf Off the cuff you could be looking at spending maybe 1-2grand on the dog and 50+ a week to have it trained! Take your time and go to a a few race meetings and sales, speak to a trainer near you. If you decide to train it yourself it would be a great help if you befriend someone who owns and trains their own dogs as they could advise you and help you get started.

[makita]

Check this out can't go wrong http://www.igb.ie/Trainers-Landing/SyndicationI/

[bignob7]

would you recommend buying a pup and can you start training it young?

[makita]

generally you wouldn't start training till they are around 17-18 months but every dog is different some take longer to mature. a good place to start looking for a dog would be the sporting press which is out on thursdays and has a sales page

[bignob7]

cheers ill have a look

[Benny Cake]

I wouldn't advise training a dog yourself without any prior experience. Its quite a complicated, time consuming process. Where in the country are you based? Someone here may be able to recommend a trainer. First piece of advice would be to buy a dog, less to worry about than with a bitch. Expect to pay between 35-65 per week for a decent trainer. Need to allow for entrance fees, vet bills etc...
Theres nothing like cheering on your own runner regardless of how good he is. Any other questions just ask.

[bignob7]

im in cork and would be delighted with some trainers names,do they keep the dog too or do i look after it.

[kk09]

Have a look at www.greyhound-data.com/classifieds.htm?z=U2ZvD4 for buying - alot of Irish people advertise here.

http://www.igb.ie/Trainers-Landing/ for information about training & owning dogs.

http://www.igb.ie/upload/RACECARDS/K...12RACECARD.PDF see this race card - less than 20 of 60 dogs are with trainers. If you have space to rear them, are used to dogs you will manage training them, but you might never win unless your good (can pick right races & right track & get the dog right).

You will need to register as an owner with IGB to own a dog. If the dog has not raced there may not be a Passport / Identification Card, which is required to race

http://www.igb.ie/Trainers-Landing/T...ication-forms/ - Private trainers application form here & contact details - suggest you ring them to discuss.

Breeding is all important for the dogs, so it may be best to seek help from someone in the know. Hope this helps - It great when your own wins

[bignob7]

thank fella,thats a great help,ill let you know soon what i decided.

[kk09]

Originally Posted by bignob7

im in cork and would be delighted with some trainers names,do they keep the dog too or do i look after it.

If you look at the upcoming race cards for Cuurraheen Park and view the compete form you can then click on the Trainer Names - This gives you useful stats, like win rate & what dogs are running for them now. Contact IGB & they will probably give you any numbers you want for these people. Would you be nearer to Limerick, Cork, Tralee, Youghal - Where would you prefer to race.

[bignob7]

im near curaheen but i would travel to see my dog race anywhere.do you know what to look for in a dog,i was told small paws and a broad chest.

[kk09]

Originally Posted by bignob7

thank fella,thats a great help,ill let you know soon what i decided.

My two cents are - on the overall - if you train your own, and do it well, the average is you break even, but with a trainer costing €50 a week, they would really wanna come up trumps to get you money back. If you think you might be into it for the long haul - go for it yourself and you learn as you go, if the first one is no good, the second one might - as a one off try a trainer and hope for the best. Rear them till they are 13 - 15mths anyway - and if they are good big dogs maybe 15 - 17mths - then think about a trainer.

[kk09]

Originally Posted by bignob7

im near curaheen but i would travel to see my dog race anywhere.do you know what to look for in a dog,i was told small paws and a broad chest.

What age are you thinking - breeding is the Key - the better bred the more expensive - the older the more expensive - Unless you are used to looking a greyhounds you will do well to tell the difference between big & small paws. Suggest you look at the trainers operating mostly in Curraheen Park so (I'm more Limerick, Thurles) - If buying young - suggest you chance two, to keep each other company. The best dogs are the ones with good humour (always in good form and friendly). As for the ones who will just walk around behind you. Waste.

And just to pull you along - greyhound-data.com have a forum, which would help you along as you go.

[bignob7]

i was going to get a pup i suppose around 6 or 7 months and walk it up hills and take it to a few fields and let her loose for a while,im not sure exactly yet .im just researching and trying to find out as much as i can before investing in one or two pups although i do like the sound of 2 to keep each other company.it might be a case of one dog or two bitches because i dont want to get too deep into it in my first try.could you tell me is there a difference in speed with dogs and bitches or do they run seperate races,as you can probably tell by now all i know for sure is from watch the races and betting on them.i also have had dogs in the past but nothing like greyhounds