EIGHT TOP TIPS
What Tony McGrath looks for when buying a greyhound pup… [Listed in order of importance]
1. THE DAM’S BLOODLINES
“The dam must have been a quality performer on the racetrack, or if not at least have had brothers and sisters, or half brothers and sisters, that had good racing careers, ideally on city tracks. However, if the dam has had a litter previously which failed to produce any pups of quality I wouldn’t take the risk of buying another one from her no matter how well she raced.”
2. SIRE & DAM COMPLEMENT EACH OTHER
“I like to make sure that the sire and dam are not too closely bred to each other and ideally their mating would be a proven cross. But perhaps just as important is that they balance each other out in terms of their racing style and temperament. If the dam struggled to run out 500 metres then you would want the sire to have shown he consistently produces strong dogs. If the dam was timid you’d want the sire to be the opposite, and vice versa. If the sire and dam have the same faults or weaknesses the chances are that their pups will as well.”
3. DAM TO BE A PROVEN PRODUCER
“If the dam has thrown winners from previous litters the chances of her continuing to throw winners are reasonably high.”
4. SIRE TO BE A PROVEN PRODUCER
“It is far safer buying a pup from a sire that has the runs on the board, compared to a young stud dog who hasn’t had any, or many, pups to race. If the sire has produced a lot of city winners and numerous dogs that have made and won group finals it is definitely a bonus.”
5. EARLY SPEED IN THE DAM
“If the dam had early speed she has a greater chance of producing winners. I’m not too fussed about her box manners, as I believe that this is something you can teach greyhounds. But early speed is pretty important. And if she didn’t have early speed then she must at least have had speed at some part of her races or I probably wouldn’t buy a pup out of her.”
6. THE PUP’S PERSONALITY
“When choosing from a litter of young pups I like to study them for half an hour or so to get an idea of their personalities. I look for a pup that is not too wild and not too timid either. I want a pup to have some character and even a bit of arrogance, but perhaps more than anything I look for one that is sensible.”
7. THE PUP’S CONFORMATION
“I look for a pup with a bit of length and with a nice chest…one that looks like an athlete.”
8. BRED BY A TOP BREEDER
“If the pup is bred by someone who has bred a high percentage of winners it increases your chances of buying a good greyhound. I’d be less confident buying a pup from someone who has bred one good litter, or just one or two good dogs than I would be from someone who consistently gets good results. Mind you, buying from a first time breeder can also be good because first-timers often put a lot of time and effort into their pups.”
*Tony McGrath has stood the test of time as a breeder for more than 30 years. He has bred many topliners such as Proven Lethal, Proven Alias, Proven Wizard, Proven Smokey, Proven Kiwi, Proven Adonis, Proven Dream, Proven Reward and Proven Jett.