CHAPTER XXXIII, 



COURSING. 



GREYHOUNDS are a variety of dog which require particular care and attention to be bestowed 

 upon them, if their owners desire them to appear to advantage either on the bench or in the 

 field. The dogs themselves are so highly bred that their constitutions do not withstand disease 

 or cold as those of other breeds, and the artificial life a Greyhound leads when he is undergoing 

 a preparation for a coursing meeting naturally enough increases his innate weakness in this 

 respect. It would be impossible in the present work to attempt to enter deeply into the subject 

 of training for and running Greyhounds in stakes ; but, nevertheless, a few observations on 

 general management may not be out of place. 



To begin with, it is essential that the kennels for Greyhounds should be larger and more airy 

 than those of other dogs, as the breed is not one which at any time stands close confinement 

 well. As in all kennels, draughts should be rigorously excluded. On his return from exercise 

 a highly-bred Greyhound is particularly liable to take a chill, his skin being so fine that any 

 draught is sure to affect him injuriously if exposed to it for long. Though several Greyhounds 

 may be kennelled together without ill results accruing, they are by no means a peaceable class 

 of dog, and fights have frequently occurred in the kennel which have led to bad results. It 

 is well therefore to keep as few as possible together, and under any circumstances to avoid their 

 being overcrowded, either on the benches, or in the yard which should always be attached to a 

 Greyhound kennel. The floors of both the inner and outer kennels should be cemented, and 

 kept thoroughly clean, as much of the dog's health during training will depend upon the comfort 

 and attention he receives at home, and nothing is more likely to affect him injuriously than 

 an existence in an atmosphere which is at all contaminated by the odour of excrements, which 

 should be removed at once by the kennelman. 



In the " Courser's Companion," by Thomas Thacker, which was published at Derby in 1834, 

 much valuable advice is given on the subject of training and feeding Greyhounds. The training 

 of dogs for public stakes has, since the date of Mr. Thacker's work, become a science, and 

 few Greyhounds run at any of the principal meetings who have not been under the care of a 

 professional trainer. The owner, however, who is in the habit of keeping a Greyhound or two 

 about his premises, and occasionally enjoying a day's coursing when he opposes a neighbour's 

 dogs, may learn much from remarks made by Mr. Thacker, whose work is still regarded 

 as one of the best ever written upon the subject of coursing. In his preliminary observations 

 on the training of Greyhounds, the author commences by drawing a comparison between the race- 

 horse and the Greyhound. He argues that in the case of the former his energies when racing 

 are restrained during the earlier portion of the race by the man on his back, who desires to 

 husband the animal's resources for a supreme effort at the finish of the race. T'-.e Greyhound 

 on the contrary, when running is beyond the control of his master or any one else, ind therefore 

 in the vast majority of cases neglects to husband his strength in the slightest degree. "Therefore/' 



