Working Dog Alliance opens some greyhound eyes
UNLIKE other investigations over the past few months, the Working Dog Australia (WDA) report to GRNSW on greyhound welfare delved thoroughly into why things were happening, rather than what happened.
All other reports, conducted by lawyers and public servants, served only to verify what we already knew and failed to study or even question the reasons for actions and abuses. They proved to be of little value and in fact often went outside their area of expertise in making recommendations. A prime example was the structure of controlling boards where little more was put forward than shifting the deckchairs on the Titanic. None considered WHY boards had not acted more productively.
In contrast, WDA honed in on the lack of suitable knowledge amongst participants and the absence of suitable policies amongst boards. It said, “This situation is compounded by the predominant focus of the regulatory framework for Australia’s greyhound industry members being on compliance with regulations, rather than the promotion of education and best practice through the provision of adequate resources”.
This is hardly a surprise. This column has repeatedly pointed out that the industry is being run by administrators rather than proactive managers. Merely making sure the rules are followed is just not good enough in this day and age.
WDA also pressed for more research into why dogs chase, what sort of lure is best and what motivational techniques should be employed in early life stages. It makes a particular point about the need for more careful attention to pups up to three months of age when socialisation is so vital because it influences not only a dog’s racing potential but also its life after retirement. This subject also attracted attention during the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry.
A notable and maybe controversial point was that WDA favours never using single kennels, whether at home or at the track. Dogs like to chat with each other.
All of which highlights the fact that the WDA study is probably the first of its kind to be done independently and by people with no immediate connection with the industry. It need respect no traditions.
Indeed, WDA noted that the industry has been prone to talk only to insiders, thereby missing out on technological advances and intelligence from the general public. In contrast, WDA points out that “the racing greyhound industry has many external stakeholders. Historically, GRNSW has only acknowledged its members and industry participants as stakeholders. Recognising that the general public, animal advocacy groups, animal welfare legislators and media are significant influencers on the industry’s social licence to operate, and therefore future sustainability, is an important cultural shift that needs to occur”.
The key issue now is whether state government will recognise the role it plays in encouraging that culture shift. Simply recharging the existing board and management with a fresh collection of bodies may not help much at all, particularly if they come from various industry fields. More of the same will never encourage innovation.
Indeed, one item outside the WDA brief – that of track design – illustrated that lessons are hard to get across, whether in NSW or elsewhere. The new $6 million dollar Traralgon complex opened on Saturday with much fanfare. While the running around the roomy track looks pretty fair, builders were allowed to install three trips with bend starts of one sort or another. The 595m start is by far the worst. (And the new Cannington and the possible future Logan in Queensland are no better).
Why do they do this? Trainers don’t like them, dogs don’t like them and punters will always by upset at the early smash and grab incidents. It’s a dumb and avoidable practice, yet it continues unabated.
Overall, my guess is that the involvement of WDA in such a research project is indicative of the presence of newcomer, Paul Newson, as interim chief of GRNSW. It may never have happened were the old guard still running the show. More power to him.
WDA’s expertise would have been assisted by its involvements with several other breeds on active duty. These include guide dogs, police, customs and other security industry dogs, all of which have intensive training patterns which have been regularly studied and improved. But, WDA claims, dogs are still just dogs: “it is likely that research on other breeds and breed types should also apply to racing greyhounds”.
Shouldn’t stewards be form students?
Action at Geelong last Friday showed up two matters addressed recently in these columns. For Race 7, stewards commented …
“Whalberg (sic) was vetted following the event. It was reported that there was no apparent injury found. Stewards spoke to Mr. G. Shingles, the trainer regarding the greyhound’s perceived below par performance. Mr. Shingles stated that the greyhound is an extremely bad traveller and a bad kennel dog. The greyhound competed over 525 metres last Saturday which he has never been tried over. Mr. Shingles was of the opinion that this may have contributed to the greyhound’s performance. Stewards noted Mr. Shingles explanation and took no further action.”
Now that “perceived below par performance” statement could have emanated from two areas – punters made it an odds-on favourite and so did the Watchdog in his predictions. Both were wrong. Wahlberg has early pace but has never succeeded or even done well over a distance longer than 425m. There is a world of difference between 400m/425m and the 460m of the Geelong trip, never mind the fact that Wahlberg led but faded badly over 525m at The Meadows at its previous start.
Stewards were therefore influenced by price rather than form, suggesting they failed to assess the latter properly. It is no excuse that the Watchdog did the same.
Secondly, it also raises a red flag about dogs backing up. A six day break is not too unreasonable but coming back from a 525m distance to a short sprint is always going to be a question for a relatively inexperienced dog, especially when that 525m effort was its first and only try at the trip.
Punters backed Wahlberg into $1.70, the Watchdog said it should be $1.60, I rated it at $6.00 in an open race. It ran a fading fourth, 3.5 lengths behind an average sort of time of 26.00.
If stewards don’t do the form, how can they assess a race?
The Working Dog Alliance will be featuring at the GBOTA event for participants at the Greyhound Social Club on this coming Friday between 10 am and 3 PM. (incentive parallel to the National Events at Wentworth Park.
The Working Dog Alliance will be featuring at the GBOTA event for participants at the Greyhound Social Club on this coming Friday between 10 am and 3 PM. (incentive parallel to the National Events at Wentworth Park.
John, if you are going, will you give us an update?
John, if you are going, will you give us an update?
Dezzey I attended the meeting of the Greyhound Social Club along with about fifty participants who joined the National Conference delegates. The National conference steamed two groups at the above meeting and another group at Wentworth Park attending a marketing session. The Working Dog Alliance members gave considerable time to the conference by running a session prior to the Friday Meeting.
Two members of the eight scientists involved in the Working Dog Alliance addressed the Greyhound meeting on Friday morning and the members were pleased with the response they had got by travelling NSW (despite being told that their task would be difficult) and they related to the fact that their endeavours in the State had been well received and that they had had good full frank and good communications and had picked up a lot of good practices which they had incorporated in their reports. The scientists saw differences from other states particularly in the vast distances which had to be travelled. in NSW.
The Meeting which I assume was a microcosm of the Working Dog Alliance’s experience in the State housed representatives of the highest order of the participant Associations including all regions of the GBOTA and also the Chair and Representatives from the NSW participants panel ( GRIGC) and various members of district associations. There were also leading owners and trainers and breeders from interstate as well as locals,The Working Dog Session ran well over time with questions and answers format leading to a lot of discussions.
Participants made distinction s in some cases between the education of working dogs and racing dogs and one sticking point was the idea of kennelling greyhound together. There were economic concerns as well and a range of items which were all recorded on video and hopefully a film or transcript might become available. A lot of the meeting was involved in getting conformation on points raised in the working dog alliance report which is available. Many of the participants had travelled long distances to attend the meeting and the meeting was chaired by the Chairman of GRIGG. The meeting was certainly polite but also concerns were strongly raised, in some cases the answers from the Working group satisfied the meeting and in other cases it was obvious that some things were work in progress. The theme that there were needs to reassess things in general was well understood by most. Both the working party and GRIGG encouraged further communication and the e-mail address of GRIGG appears below. I has three questions I untended to put to the meeting but decided to put them in writing to the various groups.
The leading participant figures who gave talks as well showed the diversity in the way that they handled greyhounds in breaking in and education. There methods were diverse but still come generally under what the working group is saying. Some of the concerns of the meeting referred to past policies not the research recommendations of the working group. The working group saw the administrative culture of penalty needing to be tempered with education and probative facts backing up theories.
All in all an encouraging day. I will post any prompt which comes up .
[email protected]
Dezzey I attended the meeting of the Greyhound Social Club along with about fifty participants who joined the National Conference delegates. The National conference steamed two groups at the above meeting and another group at Wentworth Park attending a marketing session. The Working Dog Alliance members gave considerable time to the conference by running a session prior to the Friday Meeting.
Two members of the eight scientists involved in the Working Dog Alliance addressed the Greyhound meeting on Friday morning and the members were pleased with the response they had got by travelling NSW (despite being told that their task would be difficult) and they related to the fact that their endeavours in the State had been well received and that they had had good full frank and good communications and had picked up a lot of good practices which they had incorporated in their reports. The scientists saw differences from other states particularly in the vast distances which had to be travelled. in NSW.
The Meeting which I assume was a microcosm of the Working Dog Alliance’s experience in the State housed representatives of the highest order of the participant Associations including all regions of the GBOTA and also the Chair and Representatives from the NSW participants panel ( GRIGC) and various members of district associations. There were also leading owners and trainers and breeders from interstate as well as locals,The Working Dog Session ran well over time with questions and answers format leading to a lot of discussions.
Participants made distinction s in some cases between the education of working dogs and racing dogs and one sticking point was the idea of kennelling greyhound together. There were economic concerns as well and a range of items which were all recorded on video and hopefully a film or transcript might become available. A lot of the meeting was involved in getting conformation on points raised in the working dog alliance report which is available. Many of the participants had travelled long distances to attend the meeting and the meeting was chaired by the Chairman of GRIGG. The meeting was certainly polite but also concerns were strongly raised, in some cases the answers from the Working group satisfied the meeting and in other cases it was obvious that some things were work in progress. The theme that there were needs to reassess things in general was well understood by most. Both the working party and GRIGG encouraged further communication and the e-mail address of GRIGG appears below. I has three questions I untended to put to the meeting but decided to put them in writing to the various groups.
The leading participant figures who gave talks as well showed the diversity in the way that they handled greyhounds in breaking in and education. There methods were diverse but still come generally under what the working group is saying. Some of the concerns of the meeting referred to past policies not the research recommendations of the working group. The working group saw the administrative culture of penalty needing to be tempered with education and probative facts backing up theories.
All in all an encouraging day. I will post any prompt which comes up .
[email protected]