Trainers, kennelhands and veterinary surgeons from across the country came together at Owlerton Stadium on Wednesday 19th March for a Practical Workshop on “Maintaining the Canine Athlete” hosted by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB).

The Workshop included talks from veterinary experts including Dr Richard Payne and GBGB’s Regional Regulatory Vets Dr Lawrence Steed and Dr Vicky Fraser. They spoke about how to care for the sport’s canine athletes and explained how greyhounds differ from other breeds of dogs.

There were sessions on pain relief and injury detection as well as on how to help greyhounds warm up and cool down before and after races. Dr Fraser also conducted a demonstration of greyhound massage techniques and stretching exercises which can both help prevent injury and offer relaxation and enrichment for a greyhound.

Meriel France, Learning and Development Manager at the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, said:

“I was pleased to see many GBGB licence-holders attend our Workshop on Maintaining the Canine Athlete at Owlerton Stadium this week. Everyone in attendance engaged fully with each session, leading to many interesting discussions and additional insights from our speakers.

“Ensuring racing greyhounds remain in the best possible condition is a top priority for everyone involved in our sport, and the techniques and advice offered by our speakers at this session will, I’m sure, provide additional tools to achieve this. Thank you to Owlerton Stadium for offering its facilities for this workshop, and to our brilliant speakers and licence holders for their ongoing commitment to promoting greyhound welfare.”