NOTRA
and LGRA RACING | ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY
AGILITY | LURE COURSING | OBEDIENCE | CANINE
FREESTYLE
The NOTRA (National Oval Track Racing Association) and LGRA (Large Gazehound Racing Association) racing meets are a wonderful activity for you and your greyhound!!! There are several different types of sighthounds at the meets….borzoi, saluki, Italian greys, afghans, etc. The dogs race against their own breed. Greyhounds, however, are the only dogs with professional experience, which makes it easy on the owner since there is no need to train your dog.
We took our recently adopted guy, Cappy, to his first meet about three months after we adopted him. We felt like Cappy was a little bored around the house, and missed his "job." At the meet, Cappy was able to do a practice run. (Your dog must complete this practice run in order to be able to race. The dogs have to show that they can race clean with other dogs, and generally know what to do). Well, the light bulb came on for Cappy during that run, and after that he was hooked!! It is absolutely amazing to watch the greyhounds run. When you watch your dog do laps around the backyard, you're only seeing a hint of their speed and athletic ability! The second time we took Cappy out, he was literally shaking he was so excited. His eyes were fixed on the track as he waited for his turn. We had no doubts that he loved this sport, and we will continue to take him as long as he enjoys it.
A couple of tips: bring water for your dog. The tracks are actually set up in fielded areas, some sites have running water, and some do not. You must have racing slicks for your dog. The first time out you can borrow, but you will want to have your own eventually. All other directions and tips are on the www.gazehoundsintexas.org website.
A couple of warnings: racing is an intense sport for the dogs, and like all intense sports, it is a bit dangerous. You will want to bring sport tape to wrap your dog's ankles and dew claws. After each race, you need to inspect your dog to make sure he/she did not get any injuries during the race. The dogs keep running even if they get hurt, so it's up to the owner to make sure they are in good shape! Your dog could be a little sore afterwards. Cappy laid around the entire next day and was a bit stiff. Another caution - the next time we put Cappy in the car, he was so sure he was going to the races he flipped out! He was so excited, we could hardly contain him. We knew we'd have to take him again…whether we liked it or not!!!
Racing photos courtesy of Shot on Site Photography
Become
certified to visit nursing homes, hospitals and schools through
Pet Partners Program of the Delta Society, www.deltasociety.org.
Certification requires greyhounds to know basic obedience commands
and be comfortable in a variety of different settings. Typically
greyhounds, with their gentle demeanor, can be good candidates for
this type of activity.
Agility
Dallas
Dog Sports, www.dallasdogsports.com,
is the place to check out this fun, fast-paced sport that you and your
greyhound can participate in together. Agility is a timed event where
you and your companion travel an obstacle course that includes jumps and
tunnels, teeter-totter and a set of upright poles that the dog must weave
in and out of. Dogs are judged on the accuracy of completing each obstacle
and maintaining the proper course flow. You may choose to participate
just for the fun of it, or you may decide to compete with your greyhound
in one or all of several venues of agility competitions. To check out
the A to Zs of Agility, go to www.agilityability.com.
If you are interested in lure coursing in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex, check out www.gazehoundsintexas.org. GIT, Gazehounds in Texas, is an all-breed sighthound club, dedicated to the sport of amateur racing. They hold 200-yard straight track (sprint) races in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. These races are held under the rules of LGRA, the Large Gazehound Racing Association. GIT also holds 350-yard oval races under the auspices of NOTRA (National Oval Track Racing Association).
Obedience
Because
most greyhounds are extremely intelligent and want to please their owners,
obedience training is a fun way to make him/her a model citizen.
DogSkills 101 & 102 - Obedience Training for Greyhounds Only
Canine Good Citizen and other Obedience Training
Dallas Obedience Club, Inc. has a training schedule and information online at www.dallasotc.org. Clicker training is included in their classes.
For information regarding private instructors, email GALT at info@greyhoundadoptiontx.org.
Canine
Freestyle
Always wanted to try dancing with your greyhound? GALT's Advisory Director and Obedience Class Instructor, Mary Waugh Swindell, is looking for interested parties to have a Canine Freestyle class at Woofgang Doggie Daycare in Carrollton. If you've seen Canine Freestyle on Animal Planet, at some of her demos, or on TV and wanted to try, now is your chance! Five people are needed to have a class, so email Mary Waugh Swindell at dancingdobe@aol.com to ask about the next class!
Canine
Freestyle (Dancing with your Dog)
Dance
with your dog in the living room? Now it's time to take it on the road!
This class is wonderful for teaching body consciousness to dogs, teaching
backwards skills for Rally obedience, as well as a myriad of skills you
can use for obedience, agility and just for fun! This class will teach
your dog how to weave through your legs, how to flip backwards through
your legs, heeling backwards and sideways, spinning, twisting and a whole
lot more. We will work with various pieces of music to help you and your
dog find the beat! This class is suitable for dogs of all ages and skill
levels provided they love to learn and to have fun with their owners!
Join Mary and Devon and practice the skills and steps that put them on
Animal Planet. Bring your dog, treats, toys, and a sense of humor and
be ready for a great time!
