Introducing my lurcher boy to racing

[HannahBear1991 1]

So my male lurcher is just over a year old now. I want to get him in to running and we are both new to this.

Just some tips and advice would be much apreciated for example are there any particular exercises/training?

Is there anything in particular to prepare him for racing?

Also I know for the showing side I've been told that keeping them as entire males is the way forward but what about racing?

So many people have told me to castrate due to the cancer risk however I'm sure it's bending the other way now? Obviously his health comes before everything!

Any advice, tips, training, websites, books to get me and Loki started would be much appreciated 

[talt 878]

Personally i would leave his tackle alone unless he gets excessively randy later on and it causes problems. As for it being a cancer risk i think that is literally a load of old bollocks. Plenty of exercise and free running, jogging beside a bike and a bit of running a lure if you have access to one should see him get race ready. 

[talt 878]

A good book would be Penny Taylor's Running Dog Maintenance, that should see you through most of what to expect when owning a lurcher. Her user name on here is skycat, a very knowledgeable lady.

[shaaark 10,891]

As talt has said, don't fall for all that cancer risk bollox, pardon the pun. And don't let him race on rock hard ground while he's still growing, and at only 1 year old , he's still very much still growing

[bird 9,969]

16 hours ago, shaaark said:

As talt has said, don't fall for all that cancer risk bollox, pardon the pun. And don't let him race on rock hard ground while he's still growing, and at only 1 year old , he's still very much still growing

yeh leave there  nuts , all my males have had there's, never any probs with health , or over randy etc, in fact  ive always thought the temp of most lurchers even ones with drop of bull in them, all can be bit on the sensitive side and the more the running dog in them worst still, they need that bit of fire in them to start with, just as normal type dog , no leave them with there nuts.  . i tired it few times racing  over the years, never done any good with lurchers, there were never really bothered  lol . if it was a wild animal  they were up for that, i tired my big dog few times , but he only run the dog not the lure, and with a 85 lb going flat out after the other dog , it didnt go down very well lol, so  i stick live stuff  now . plus you want a lurcher to run  with no noise, racing can get few dogs over excited  barking,  i used race none ped whippets the were prats for singing on race day .

[matt b 21]

A good tip!! is buy a decent racing muzzle and get him used to wearing it at home and on walks etc as most lurcher race events not all require them to be worn during racing