Rearing

The Early Stages Of A Greyhound’s Life Are Extremely Important For Their Development And Their Early Rearing Environment Is Critical For Building Resilience.

The rearing stage consists of socialisation, regular galloping, human interaction as well as the greyhound beginning to learn how to chase.

It is important that young greyhounds have plenty of room to gallop to assist with their muscle development and aerobic capacity. Therefore, Rearer’s must have appropriately sized rearing yards or a straight track of no less than 40 metres for galloping greyhounds.

Becoming A Rearer

In order to become a Rearer, individuals must comply with the following:

You must first obtain a Breeding License with RWWA before any rearing activities take place. All pre requirements for such a licence must be completed and assessed by RWWA Stewards.
Before a Breeder’s License can be granted the applicant must complete the RWWA Greyhound Breeders Educational packages.
Once a license has been issued, Rearers must comply with all relevant Rules of Racing in relation to the rearing of greyhounds.
The management of the greyhounds during the weaning and rearing stages should follow a program that best equips the individual dog for their future life, both on and off the track. Such protocols should be based around knowledge of the greyhound’s socialisation period and a priority during the sensitive period of development, during the first three months of life.

Socialisation

As part of RWWA’s Code of Practice for the Keeping of Greyhounds within the Western Australian Racing Industry, young greyhounds must be provided with a structured programme of controlled exposure to a range of stimuli from an early age.

The stimuli should represent likely scenarios that the greyhound will experience in later life, such as exposure to other breeds of dogs. Such protocols should be based around knowledge of the greyhound’s socialisation period.