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A Guide To Buying A Racing Greyhound
- 26/02/2021
The sport of greyhound racing offers a more affordable way to get into ownership compared to horse racing. The chances are you will not be too far away from your local track, and with dogs usually attached to one track, that means a short journey to watch your purchase run, and hopefully, win for you.
Just like horse racing, the real draw of owning a greyhound is the buzz of seeing him or her win a race, even more so if you are stood trackside by yourself. To add further, you can even bet on your greyhounds. Find odds on horse racing and dog racing here.
If you think owning a greyhound is for you, then here are some of the steps you need to take and some of the costs involved in owning a greyhound.
How Much Does It Cost to Buy a Greyhound?
It is all up to the dog you buy, both in terms of the age you buy it at and the quality of dog you are looking for. If you want some cheap fun then an older dog who has raced before at a low level can be bought for as little as €250-€570.
If you want to buy a younger dog that is unraced, so you can follow its progress through the entirety of its career, then you will have to pay a little more and pay a lot more if the dog has precious breeding. This can start from the high hundreds, run into the thousands, and if the dog has shown ability in trials as it prepares for racing, then the best of these will cost tens of thousands.
How to Buy a Greyhound?
The first step here should be to get in touch with people at your local track. You should be able to find a list of trainers online or by contacting the track. Choose who you want to train your greyhound and speak to them.
They will have connections for you to use and can advise if you need it. They will know about upcoming auctions where dogs are sold, know of any dogs that are currently racing and up for sale, and will no doubt have connections to breeders who are looking to sell young dogs.
This is a critical step in the process, so make sure you speak to someone, especially if you are new to the sport. Otherwise, you could make a costly mistake.
The trainer you speak to may also be able to advise you on syndicate or partnership options that they have available. Some people prefer to split the cost and risk when buying a greyhound and get involved with other people. This may be people you know or those who are attached to the trainer and have dogs with them. But either way, it is a good move if you are looking to cut costs, or make your budget go a little further.
Greyhound Racing Training
You will employ a trainer to care for your new dog, and pay them a monthly fee that is an all-inclusive bill to cover food, transport costs, upkeep of the facilities as well as training and getting your greyhound fit.
If you are buying a young dog, you will first of all need to get the dog schooled. Schooling is where dogs go to learn how to run and what is expected of them. Then they will head to your trainer, where their job is to get them on the track, which involves trialling to show how good they are before the dog is finally allowed to race.
From then on, your trainer will focus on keeping the dog as fit as possible and taking care to try and avoid any injuries. They will decide when to run, which should be weekly, but you may find that your dog will be given a rest from time to time.
Greyhounds need to be 15 months old before they can begin their career on the track, so if you buy a dog younger than this, you will have to wait until they are mature enough to race. They can generally run until they are around four years old, some will retire a little earlier while some will run until they are older, seeing a five-year-old running is not too uncommon.
Your trainer will be able to assist with any help you need and should be able to give you updates about the health and well-being of your dog, and how the dog is running if you are not able to get down and watch yourself.
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