Greyhound racing is a major cultural event in Florida. Therefore, the greyhounds there are trained from an early age. These unique canine athletes can run 480 meters in under 25 seconds at speeds in excess of 70 kilometers per hour. Raising this sporting dog requires preparation (training and nutrition) and medical care.

Greyhound racing is a major cultural event in Florida. Therefore, the greyhounds there are trained from an early age.

These unusual canine athletes can cover 480 meters in under 25 seconds and reach speeds in excess of 70 kilometers per hour. Raising this type of sporting dog requires a professional approach to preparation (training and nutrition) and medical care (correct exercise medication) that involves new concepts that full-time veterinarians have not encountered. In the spirit of developing racing dogs, the University of Florida recently established the Center for Canine Sports Medicine to specialize in greyhound research. The center has its own set of practical courses that examine issues specific to the breed.

How to train a Greyhound for competition

Energy source: The chemical energy required for muscle contraction is exclusively released from the high-energy phosphate bonds in the very important molecule ATP. When muscles are active, the ATP concentration of the muscles decreases, and the ATP concentration must be increased immediately so that you can continue to exercise and work. There are three ways to increase ATP concentrations, and the role and relative importance of each depends on the energy requirements of the dog.

Non-lactate anaerobic: After simple and vigorous exercise (lasting a few seconds), ATP is released from muscle energy reserves of creatine phosphate, does not require oxygen (hence anaerobic acid), and does not produce lactic acid (hence anaerobic acid).

Lactic acid anaerobic: After vigorous exercise lasting at least two minutes, energy is released from glycogen stores in the muscles and glucose in the blood. This condition also does not consume oxygen, but produces or accumulates metabolic excretions. Generally speaking, lactic acid accumulation causes muscle fatigue and cramping.

Aerobic: This metabolism can produce the energy needed for the dog's sustained exercise (exercise is not too intense, but lasts from a few minutes to a few hours). First, the red blood cells carry oxygen to the muscles, where blood glucose is oxidized, and then fat quickly (contrary to the human reaction) becomes the dog's ideal source of energy.

Greyhound training methods

Muscle training: It is possible to improve work capacity and muscle strength without increasing oxygen consumption or causing anaerobic catabolism (lactic acid fermentation). This can be achieved by very intense and short training after short-term physical recovery. This is the basic principle of all pure strength exercises, and body upward is the best way to do it.

Training to obtain anaerobic energy: Anaerobic energy can make muscles in the absence ofWork hard under oxygen, such as fast running (Greyhound racing). In actual practice, in order to obtain this energy, very short and intense exercise (10 seconds - 1 minute sprint) is alternated with physical recovery (2 - 4 minutes). This kind of training places high physical and psychological demands on the dog and can only be used when the competition is approaching