Greyhounds generally aren’t great drinkers however rehydration is critical after exercise.
It is important for inexperienced greyhound participants transporting greyhounds from the Ready 2 Race Sales to understand the importance of hydration and to come prepared with a generous amount of fresh, cool water and a drinking bowl.
Successful trainer Peter Martinovic says every greyhound is different and patience and perseverance is often required to get your greyhound to drink.
“Some greyhounds drink only a little bit straight after a race, but rehydration is critical after a run so you need to work out how to get that dog to drink,” Martinovic said.
“For instance, your dog might have a special place where they prefer to drink such as in the trailer. You’ve got to find out what works for each dog to get the very best out of them.”
Martinovic, who has bred and trained many city winners over a long period, said that even some experienced participants could improve their practices when it comes to rehydration.
“Over the years I have noticed some people will offer their dogs a drink after a trial and then rush to load them in the trailer and drive away.”
“We always offer our dogs a second drink back at the car or trailer after a trial or race.”
“Some dogs still won’t drink much in that situation because they are side-tracked by things like the sound of the lure going, so when that happens we drive down the road away from the noise of the track and offer them a drink again.”
“It’s all about giving your dogs the best care you can, and we’ve found that this works more often than not.”
