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Knock Off On Straight Racing

Great topic :thumbsup: As one of the folk who switched from lurcher racing,to whippet racing,I honestly believe whippet racing is more safer than lurcher racing.Have always schooled my dogs to stay on lure at lurcher racing,and having George to slip and me at the pick up,on the whole meant I was able to get my dog without it attempting to run back down the track.The few occasions that my dogs attempted to run back down was if an aggressive dog had a go,and if the lure dissapeared from site under a blanket or something similar.On the occasions that I raced where a lure went under cover,always carried a bag in pocket which I could shake at dog after race,then usually could pick up dog with no trouble.

Now back to what I think this topic is about,making it safer for bigger dogs,although I think it applies to all weights.Don't believe that the run off should be too long,simply because like I think as already been said,dogs overshoot by alot longer,therefore are able to gain more speed coming back to lure,and lets face it a collision at speed is the worse thing that can happen.One thing I have noticed is that widening the track out after the stop gives the dogs the abbility to bank round, which I think slows them down before coming back to the lure.(Want to add this though,where possible think track should be wider for the big dogs and traps a little further apart)Agree also that grass if possible could be left longer after the line,hopefully reducing toe and stopper injuries.Apart from all of that :lol: I congratulate whippet racers on the amount of thought that is given into making this sport as safe as possible :thumbsup:
 
personally i dont think u can make it any safer u just have to b quick picking your dog up and i know how hard that can b having had 4 scratch dogs over the years. the run in @ horden 4 instance is massive nice big open field with a play park way to the right of the track not in the way @ all but when i raced nikki whizz there when she was a lot younger she went way past the lure narrowly missing the fence of the play park by about an inch. personally i think its just the way your dog runs, she has learnt now how to stop better ( thank god) but as i said i think its the way your dog will run theres a dog races @ wallsend roughly 40lb hawkwind and he skids into the lure every time i dont know how hes got any tackle left the way he skids in lol but if 5 dogs did that then there wud b accidents. imo if the dogs cant c a lure and this happened @ stockton in my race as the lure stopped accidently but the no limits still ran up the track i didnt know the lure had stopped and thought why is nikki having a go @ that other dog? ( obviosuly as they werent actually chasing anything) then over the line all the dogs were just running about thankfully nobody was hurt. so imo hiding the lure wudnt work..
 
See I disagree about what happened at Stockton, King Bear IMO doesn't run for the lure, he runs to his owner. With nothing else to focus on (i.e. the lure) the dogs meerly figured it was a free run frolic where the dogs decided to have a go at whatever was infront of them, this being King Bear who was the only one running with a purpose as it were. I recon if King Bear hadn't been in the race, the No Limters wouldn't have got as far as the finish line. I also recall there was quite a bit of scrapping between 2 dogs past the finish line who were venting their adrenalin rush on each other instead of the lure.
 
one of my concerns for the sratch dogs bend and straight is the is the size of the actual class this why the NNWRF introduced the upto 48lb class as it was thought there was to much of a gap between 40lb and no limit it has proved to be a success and is much fairer and safer. and there are enough dogs to warrant it

I hope this is something the BWRA will consider when it is put forward at this years proposal meeting, wether it is feesable to introduce another class as at present after the 32lb weight class limit there is a 4lb gap to the 36lb scr, - 4lb gap to the 40lb scr then a massive gap to the no limit scr
 
wild whippies said:
See I disagree about what happened at Stockton, King Bear IMO doesn't run for the lure, he runs to his owner. With nothing else to focus on (i.e. the lure) the dogs meerly figured it was a free run frolic where the dogs decided to have a go at whatever was infront of them, this being King Bear who was the only one running with a purpose as it were. I recon if King Bear hadn't been in the race, the No Limters wouldn't have got as far as the finish line. I also recall there was quite a bit of scrapping between 2 dogs past the finish line who were venting their adrenalin rush on each other instead of the lure.
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im not quite sure wot u r disagreeing with as like i said the dogs over the line were all just running about maybe with the exception of king bear. i was lucky i had someone helping me catch nikki anyway it wasnt nikki having a go over the line. my point was if there was a lure then all or most dogs wud go 4 the lure. hiding the lure imo wudnt work
 
Vicky said:
dazgail said:
Vicky said:
To be honest given some of the stories i've been told lately & the injuries to lurchers that i know of at their racing events i think it would be a step backward for whippet racing to start taking their advice when it comes to our tracks & health / safety of our dogs.
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Then take the advice from greyhound racing as any greyhound track i have ever been to cover the hare at the end of the race. To the best of my knowledge most of the injuries that have happened to lurchers happen during the race....and not at the finish. If dogs are being injured after the race it's worth taking advice if it can be reduced by whatever means.

Some of us should take a STEP BACKWORD and think before we post.

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You are entitled to your opinion as i am mine. However from experience the whippets do go in much harder than any greyhound i've ever seen, it's a completely different ball game at the pick up. As many people have seen my 18lb bitch thinks nothing of jumping the 4ft barrier at Highgate that the hare goes under, i'm lead to believe they don't bother using this for the greyhound racing, maybe just cover the hare but then whippets won't rest at that, scrambling and scratching to flip the cover and get at the hare, i know at Westhoughton quite a few have been injured in this way and all this done on top of the hare rail!

I was told only 2 days ago of an horrendous injury at the pick up (common sense lost on the setting up of this track) of a Lurcher race by a well known & respected lurcher man which resulted in his dog having to be put to sleep and him finishing with the sport - i don't think i need go on...........!

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By a knob head who decided to put the pulley 2 yards past the finish line where the lure snagged on it, and our Quin went in with both front feet and nobody could remember who put it there :wacko: :rant:
 
ucannothandlethetruth said:
Kirkcaldy is a fantastic track but big dogs to seem  do get very close to them trees
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I,ve never found the tree's a problem, I wished all the tracks were as good as Kirkcaldy :thumbsup: the only problem I,ve found with the tree's, is our Buzz drags me over to them for a pee :lol:
 
ucannothandlethetruth said:
DavidH said:
longer grass at the knock off will help stopper  problems,we try at aycliffe to try and get this area left long its just trying to get it over to the grass cutter driver :wacko:
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so why not be there when grass cutters are there or try telling council :wacko:

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Because it not just the aycliffe council that cuts our grass, flymo use the field our tracks on for testing lawn mowers too
 
DavidH said:
why dont we try what the lurchers do the lure goes under a piece of astra turf at the knock off.the dogs just stop and look for the lure wondering where its gone and not flying in for the lure. i think 80 % of the injurys are caused here.this was sugested by a lady who races in the lurchers as well as the whippets and lurchers injurys are not as bad as ours. as the dog races both and never injured in the lurchers but nothing but trouble in the whippets.

worth trying :thumbsup:

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Why is this different from on the bends-when the lure disappears inside a tunnel?

Am i missing something?

Karen
 
ucannothandlethetruth said:
DavidH said:
longer grass at the knock off will help stopper  problems,we try at aycliffe to try and get this area left long its just trying to get it over to the grass cutter driver :wacko:
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so why not be there when grass cutters are there or try telling council :wacko:

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Some folk are at work..It's not always poss. to be in attendance-

and to be honest 'thank your lucky stars that the council help at all.'-never mind standing there directing the driver.

Karen
 
spot on Karen :thumbsup: theres not enough gratitude for what we already have in this sport .
 
milly said:
ucannothandlethetruth said:
Kirkcaldy is a fantastic track but big dogs to seem  do get very close to them trees
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Which dog have you ran at Kirkcaldy?

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kirkcaldy has plenty room at end for dogs,,,,,if they do go near the tree,s it because the lure,s went on further than it should have,,,,,i accidently did it last week wen i was watching my dog in race ,,,,, i was doing the lure :oops:

stopped at the right place after 175yd mark,,,,big dogs shouldnt go near the tree,s but might reach the gates due to there speed :thumbsup:

kirkcaldy knock off ,,,,,175yd mark is about 20+ fence posts down from gate,,,and theres another 15yards behind where this photo was tooken

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but if a lure was thrown in when they had pulled up,so they had something to go for???????????.on the straights maybe the nolimit are getting to big and to fast.

50/60 lb travelling at near to 50 mph asking them to stop in 30/40 yards (w00t)

lewis hamilton would struggle to pull up.

will get a piece of astro turf and give it a go :thumbsup:

the proof of the pudding is in the eating ,,,or not (w00t) ??????
 
DavidH said:
but if a lure was thrown in when they had pulled up,so they had something to go for???????????.on the straights maybe the nolimit are getting to big and to fast.50/60 lb travelling at near to 50 mph asking them to stop in 30/40 yards (w00t)

lewis hamilton would struggle to pull up.

will get a piece of astro turf and give it a go :thumbsup:

the proof of the pudding is in the eating ,,,or not (w00t) ??????

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It's all down to design David isn't it?

They've just got no vision have they-lol?

Karen
 
im not a truly experienced racer but was at the cullumpton meet at the weekend and was complimenting the way the dogs all stayed by the lure at the end because it was left in sight.

weve done lurcher racing for bout five years and have had two dogs end with broken legs at the end of the race we feel cos the lure was taken up and the dogs had nothing to focus on. therefore they all started running back and knocking eachother.

both dogs are fine now, and agree with anyone that anythings worth a try but will we ever be injury free?

this is just my opinion :unsure:
 
always going to be high injury sport,just think we should try to improve the high risk areas where possible :thumbsup:
 
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